The Old Veteran

The Old Veteran -- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/5.6, 1/40s, ISO: 160

I've taken a lot of photos of this tree.  It's as moody of a tree as you're ever likely to meet.  He seemed to be a bit cold and aloof on Saturday.

I went with a washed-out look here in post-editing.  Some of the vibrancy of the yellow flowers in the foreground is lost, but I like the overall grayness of the shot.

Cypress Cove

Cypress Cove -- Point Lobos State Nature Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO: 100, f/7.1, 1/50s

Knowing the context in which it was taken, I know that this photo is missing an end point.  Then again, if I didn't know where it was taken and what is missing would I even care?

Is it missing something?  No?  Let me know.

The Boneyard

Whalers' Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

More like a few bones in the yard than an actual boneyard, I guess.  There's a little museum in Whalers' Cove about the history of whaling in the area (if I recall correctly) with these bones and a few others collected around the small building.

If you are in the Monterey area and you like outdoorsey stuff, don't miss hiking around Point Lobos.  There's a 5-6 mile trail that loops around the reserve.  It's a fairly easy hike for that distance.  The museum and these bones are right along that trail.  If the parking lot isn't full (it often is on weekends) you can also drive right down to the cove.

Photo selection inspired by Geogypsy's Foto Friday Fun 152, image #9130.  That was my number from last week, I missed out on this week's selection.

Devil's Cauldron

Devil's Cauldron, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/7.1, 1/50s, ISO: 100

This might be the best shot I've ever taken of this particular area of Point Lobos.  I'm usually at the Point in the afternoon so I'm shooting into the light.  I think the dark skies helped me out here.

The inlet is called Sea Lion Cove, this area on general is known as the Devil's Cauldron.  The Oregon Coast has some of the devil's handiwork as well, including Devil's Punchbowl, Devil's Churn and Devil's Lake.  I guess he didn't spend as much time down here.

Headland Cove

Headland Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/7.1, 1/50s, ISO: 100

Kinda looks like a painting, doesn't it?  This place is real, though, and those colors aren't exaggerated.  You can see shades of blue in the waters of Point Lobos that don't even seem possible in nature, but there they are.

Pinnacle Cove

Pinnacle Cove, Point Lobos State Nature Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, f/7.1, 1/50s, ISO: 100

The central California coastline put on quite a show yesterday.  I caught the afternoon act from Half Moon Bay to Point Lobos.  Dark Skies, big waves, splashes of sunlight, abundant wildlife and just a hint of rain, it's a tough act to beat.

The Point of the Point

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. 1/640s. f/4. ISO: 100

I like the action in the water in this picture.  The light could be better on the water, but it looks pretty good on the cliff rocks.  Not perfect, but it works for me.

This picture was taken on the North-Western tip of Point Lobos, the point of the Point.  If you have the opportunity, hike the entire reserve.  It's only about a six mile loop and it's loaded with views like this.

South to Big Sur

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA

Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/80s, f/9, ISO: 100

Where Big Sur begins and ends is a bit fuzzy, especially the Northern boundary.  I've seen it defined vaguely as "South of Carmel."  I've seen it defined somewhat arbitrarily but specifically as the mouth of the Carmel River.  If you go by the signs along the road, places don't start labeling themselves as "Big Sur This" or "Big Sur That" until you're probably twenty miles South of Carmel.

Personally, I like to think of Point Lobos as the boundary.  I would say that Point Lobos is the union of Big Sur and the Monterey stretch of coastline.  It's easy to imagine that Point Lobos is where the mountains start to fall into the sea, yet the cypress groves tie it to what lies North, not South.  It's a little bit of both, which is part of what makes it unique.

Anna's Hummingbird

Anna's Hummingbird -- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II, 1/1600s, f/5.6, ISO: 1250

Whenever I see a hummingbird in Northern California I start with the assumption that it's an Anna's and go from there.  Occasionally it will turn out to be something else, but Anna's are the most common hummingbirds around here.  I never tire of them, though.  They are such amazing creatures.

Anna's Hummingbird -- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II, 1/1600s, f/5.6, ISO: 1250

Headland Cove

Headland Cove, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/100s, f/8, ISO: 100

This is the shot that just keeps on giving.  I have a number of pictures from this exact location and I never tire of them.  The combination of the rocks, trees and water is unbeatable.  Sunset was close to 8:00 on this particular day and I shot this at around 5:00, so I wasn't getting a whole lot of help from the lighting.  A smidge, perhaps, it wasn't high noon after all, but not much.  My point isn't that I'm just that good--I'm getting better but I still have a long way to go-- it's that this particular location is just that good, especially in the afternoon.  You can't go wrong here as long as you remember to take your lens cap off.

It's an easy spot to find.  Park at or hike to Headland Cove then follow the trail to Sea Lion Rocks.  Follow the sound of barking sea lions if you can't read the signs.  About half way out there's a bench.  Stop there and look North.  Take pictures and amaze your friends.

China Cove

China Cove, Point Lobos State Nature Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/40s, f/5.6, ISO: 100

I like the late afternoon colors on this picture.  The green grass is nice, I suspect it will soon turn yellow.  I imagine Spring is the only time these particular colors can be seen at this spot.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i,  EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, 1/80s, f/6.3, ISO: 100

It's been a while since I've had a good photography outing.  No better place to dust off the cobwebs than at Point Lobos.  The only drawback is that the Point isn't very big and going off trail is strongly discouraged, so finding something completely new to photograph is sometimes a little difficult.  The animals help out a lot in that regard, and the ocean and the sky often have a lot drama going on, so shooting at the same locations from one visit to another doesn't mean the pictures will look the same.  In fact, that's part of the fun.  Even though I've got plenty of pictures at a few favorite spots I don't hesitate to hit them again.

Made Before the Foundation of the World

Weston Beach, Point Lobos State Nature Reserve, CA
Canon EOS Rebel T5i, 18-55mm IS STM, 1/125s, f/7.1, ISO: 100

I don't know that this is a great picture, but it's been the background on my computer for the last day or so and I've been enjoying it.  I think these rocks are fascinating. There's an entire beach made up of formations like this at Point Lobos.

I wish I knew more about geology.I'm sure there's an interesting story here.