Big Sur, California thumbnails only

McWay Falls is easily my favorite location in Big Sur, California. Unfortunately, access to this area is limited - primarily to a path around the edge of the cliffs leading to the Pacific Ocean.
 
After an earlier scouting visit, I came back late in the afternoon for the better lighting. Even with restricted access, there are still plenty of great compositions available through a wide range of focal lengths - and timing of the waves.
 
Though I had a somewhat boring clear sky on this day (and chose to frame it out of the picture), many find much worse conditions at McWay Falls - thick fog that completely obscures this view.

Pfeiffer Beach is my second favorite location in Big Sur. Finding this beach is the first challenge as locals "reportedly" take down the beach signs as well as Sycamore Canyon Road signs as soon as they are installed - to keep the beach as private as possible.
 
To get to Pfeiffer Beach, find Sycamore Canyon Road - the only paved and un-gated road west of Highway 1 between the Big Sur post office and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The narrow, windy road is about 2 miles long and ends at the Pfeiffer Beach parking area. And your reward is a beach surrounded by cliffs and rocks - along with an arch in the water.
 
I timed my visit to this beach for a sunset shoot. I was unfortunately greeted by a fierce wind - so strong that using a tripod was not optional. Sand dunes were forming right in front of me. I eventually found a bit of shelter near the bottom of the cliffs toward the south end of the beach.
 
In this shot, I was timing the waves so they would create a diagonal line parallel to the top edge of the glowing clouds.

I was looking for a composition that would capture the unique horizontal cloud bank that was hanging over the Pacific Ocean just south of the Point Sur Lighthouse in Big Sur when I discovered this row of evergreens. I composed this shot for strong horizontal lines and features running through the frame opposed by the contrasting vertical tree trunks.

Light from a setting sun casts a warm glow on the Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur cliffs while waves crash against them. Timing can be everything when shooting the surf. Impacting waves often create the most drama.

Big Sur abounds with wildflowers (at the right times of the year) and they make great foreground subjects for your Big Sur landscape photography. Move in close to them.

I've said before that McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur is a favorite of place mine. And I also said that access limits the photographic compositions able to be made here.
 
For this shot, I put my tripod through/over the fence to align the tree's branches to with the voids in the rocks below. Then I timed the show with a wave crashing onto the beach.

Did you see the dog? I'm always looking for additional elements of interest for my compositions. So when this dog walked into the frame, I made use of it. I like how it is there, but being in the shadows, is a more subtle element in the compsition.

The colors of Big Sur are quite evident in this California Coast picture. Scenes such as this one are readily available on the drive down the Pacific Coast Highway 1. The low-hanging cloud bank over the ocean was the extent of the excitement in the sky - so I framed only this portion of the sky in the picture.
 
When the ocean (or similarly large body of water) is in your frame, a level camera (or rotating to level in post processing) is especially important.
 
Also important is a distortion-free image - water near the frame edge will make lens distortion painfully obvious. Best is to use a distortion free lens and/or focal length as distortion correction in software is a destructive process.

As I explored Pacific Cost Highway 1 in Big Sur, these large purple flowers caught my attention. Moving in close with a wide angle lens gives the viewer a sense of presence in the scene.

Having a lens with the correct focal length lens mounted can make the difference between getting a shot and getting nothing. In this case, I was shooting landscape with a wide angle lens when this California Condor flew over. I quickly pulled out my second camera with the 70-300 L mounted and was able to get the shot. In this case, I could have used much more focal length as the shown image is cropped. I could have used a slightly faster shutter speed as well. Hindsight is always perfect. Experience brings foresight closer to perfection.

Fields of flowers make beautiful waves of colors in Big Sur. A problem with photographing these flowers is the high wind speed typically present.

The Bixby Bridge in Big Sur is a landmark. I did not have time of day or dramatic sky in my favor, so I opted for a circular polarizer and a unique perspective. I drove back into the mountains east of the bridge and sat on a cliff to capture this view of the bridge - centering the big rock under it.

Red Ice Plant rims the green jade stone at Jade Cover, Big Sur. The deep blue background is courtesy of a circular polarizer filter. Jade Cove is south of Gorda - off of Pacific Highway 1 of course.

I discovered this small waterfall after descending into a little canyon (big ditch) just north of Bixby Bridge to setup for a sunset shoot. I liked the colors in the stone.

In this McWay Falls picture, I show the big picture with a plain foreground. Amazing place.

The landscape around the Big Creek Bridge is very typical for Big Sur - a positive characteristic of course.

The Big Sur Sand Dollar Beach is near the tiny town of Gorda. Expect rough, cold water in this location.

While Ice Plant is said to be an invasive species in Big Sur, it is sure beautiful - adding large matts of red color to the Big Sur hillsides.

For this composition, I aligned the tree so that it did not intersect any of the near-background trees and so that it swept out of the frame. Sand provides an even base for the composition. The small patch of sunlight lights the little girl carrying her shoes and the tree.

The idealic-appearing McWay Falls is extremely inviting - until you see the fliff that leads down to it. The tropical-looking tree hanging over the cliff adds to this paradise.

Leaving Paso Robles, California and heading east presents a much different landscape than the coastal Big Sur area. Bright golden oats and rolling hills covered in purple flowers have a beauty of its own.