An amazing sunset in Carmel

Sometimes it just all comes together!

I love to shoot sunset as much as the next person, maybe more. So when I am traveling to a lovely destination such as Carmel, CA and I happen to also get some amazing light, well that just makes my day. I've had plenty of trips where I go somewhere awesome and the light is crappy, but sadly there's not much to do about that. Just take your shots and move on. But now and then the forces align and you get a stunning sunset on the beach. It does happen!

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Catching sunset in Carmel

I do love to visit Carmel, CA! Such a great spot for a sunset!

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Have you been to Carmel before? It's a lovely little village - yes, I would call it a village - down by the sea a bit south of San Jose, CA. It's super expensive but so quaint, beautiful and quite fun to visit. I have been several times and really never tire of it.

On our crazy-long road trip last summer, we passed through there for a couple of nights, which means of course that I was on the beach firing away at the sunset on one of those nights. Luckily, I picked the right one (our first night there) because it was gorgeous, while the second night the sunset was not that great. Hey, sometimes you guess right and get lucky!

So I strolled downhill to the beach and basically hung out for a while, firing away and chatting with others that were there. Of course some folks asked me to take their picture - I obliged, naturally - and otherwise I stood around enjoying nature's bounty with a lot of strangers. Good times, really! 

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Point Lobos seascape

I was in San Jose, CA for 1 night last week, and that’s torture.  Not because 1 night business trips are hard - well, they can be but that’s not it.  And it has nothing to do with San Jose...I like that town.  The reason it’s torture is because San Jose is SOOOOO close to Carmel, CA....and Carmel is a dream.  And I could not get there.  Hence, the torture part. 

I love Carmel and do hope to return again...sooner rather than later of course!  We spent about a week there a while back, and I still have a lot of pics to share from that trip.  I suppose I will never catch up, but that’s half the fun of it.  I go through my library and come across shots I love from places I adore...and it takes me back.

This is from Point Lobos which is a short drive south of Carmel.  Everything there is beautiful.  You should go.

On Carmel Beach

Carmel, CA is an incredible town.  It’s like a little English village in some ways, except it is situated on the beautiful Pacific coast in Northern California.  I love it there.  If I could afford it, I would seriously consider living there.  It’s just great.

Anyways, we were there for a family vacation one week, and did our best to spend time on the public beach, which is a short stroll from the main street shopping and dining area.  I of course had my camera with me and at every opportunity, I was snapping some photos.  In other words, I was taking pictures about every three seconds.  This one was taken a little while before sunset, late one afternoon, while we were enjoying the incredible weather, standing on an incredible beach, on the edge of an incredible little town.  I want to go back.

A Carmel sunset

So many sunsets, so little time...

I caught this one in Carmel, CA on the public beach there.  It's a wonderful town to visit and I highly recommend just about everything about it.  Well, except for the prices, that is.  :)

Technicals: Nikon D40x, handheld single exposure at f/7.1, Sigma 18-200 zoom lens (at 52mm)

Software: Color Efex Pro, Aperture

Monterey drifter

Ok, after the last post I promised myself the next couple would be short - though I hope you enjoyed the interview with Thomas Hawk!  I caught this image of a jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is an awesome place.  If you are ever in the area, be sure and check it out!

Too early for tea

I love Carmel.  Everything about it is just awesome.  One place in particular that I love is this little English Tea Room, called The Tuck Box.  I made it a point to dine there one morning - and enjoy the tea - and it just adds to the allure of this town, in my book.  Since the architecture is so...well, English...I just had to come back early one morning during my stay there and snap it while the rest of the town was still in bed.  Doesn't it look like a Hobbit is about to walk out?

Churning seas

Just a bit of a post and run here - long week of travel behind me and heading out again right away (but this time for fun).  Thanks for the visits and all that this week, I really appreciate it!

I caught this one at Point Lobos State Reserve which is just outside of Carmel, CA.  It's an incredible place full of natural beauty, so be sure and pack the camera when you visit!  And keep the camera dry, those waves get a little crazy!

Dreamy Carmel sunset

Sunset on the beach in Carmel, CA is always a great way to wrap up a day.  This one was very colorful, which is always nice!  For this shot, I went with a little different processing, opting for sort of an Impressionistic look and a dreamy feel overall.  It seemed fitting to do so, since I dream of going back!

Washed ashore

There is just something about wandering around on a beach that people seem to like, including me.  I think we all have some distant hope that we will discover something valuable, or amazing, or historical, or at least interesting.  (Spanish Galleons would be cool!  Plus I could sell them to a museum and buy a lot of new camera gear!!  Ok, back to reality.)  

Sadly, in most cases I think we just find junk.  In this case, I was wandering at China Cove in Point Lobos State Reserve (just outside of Carmel, CA) and didn't have to look very hard to find this large clump of kelp.  I am not sure how things this large get dislodged from their grove out at sea, but sure enough there it was, waiting to be photographed.  

I heart Charlie

Not much to share here - just an interesting bit of public art I encountered while wandering around Carmel, CA one morning.  I actually walked past this, because the wall it is on was sorta tucked out of view, but thankfully was looking around a bit and it caught my eye.  I guess that's a lesson I try to remember - always keep looking, because interesting stuff to shoot is literally EVERYWHERE.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

Toying with a Carmel sunset

Sunset is such a great time to go shoot, especially for the clouds.  Doesn't it seem like there are better clouds at sunset than at sunrise?  It does to me, but I am not sure why.  There is probably some easy explanation for it, so if anyone knows feel free to share in the comments.

Anyways, this was an incredible sunset that I witnessed (and photographed!) while in Carmel, CA.  We had a little family picnic on the beach and watched the waves crash, and watched the surfers crash, and saw the moon rise behind us.  But, the best part was this incredible sunset.  The light was fabulous, but the clouds were the real star of the show.

I adjusted this one only with Aperture, using one of their presets called "Toy Camera".  I thought it created an interesting look to the photo.  Hope you like it, and thanks for stopping by!

Point Lobos, painted

I have been experimenting a lot with using a painterly effect in my photos, though I haven't really shared many of them (ok, I guess none of them!).  It's not something I would normally do, as I tend to like using HDR and other effects for bringing out details, etc - but I find that sometimes using painterly effects really works for me.  It softens up the details and gives it a dreamy effect.  It's kind of fun.  This is one of those cases.  I took this single exposure at Point Lobos State Reserve, just outside of Carmel, CA.  I tried it several different ways, and although I liked them all, I really liked this version.  Hope you do too!

Carmel Beach

Here's a quick snap I took while in Carmel, down at their public beach.  I'm not one for beaches, being more of a mountain guy (no, not a "mountain man" like Grizzly Adams) but it is hard to not enjoy a beach as beautiful as the one in Carmel.  During our visit there, we went down to this beach several times, since it is just a short walk from town.  Speaking of beaches, if you are into golf, that is Pebble Beach that is off to the right in the distance, beyond the tree.

Waves at Rocky Point

One of the many coastal shots I took at Rocky Point, just south of Carmel, CA.  It's an incredibly beautiful area, with jagged rocks being assaulted by aggressive waves - it's a photographic paradise!

Thanks for all the visits and comments this week, I really appreciate it!