A great sunset has eluded me at this beach for a long time. I've shot here nearly a dozen times over the last few years and was skunked every time. Promising clouds would disappear before sunset, a low layer of clouds or fog would block out the sun, or tide would be too high to shoot safely. But finally, on a Tuesday in December, the clouds blew in and were looking primed for a colorful display. I finished up work early and hiked down to this area over an hour before sunset to wander the beach and study the scene. This beach has rocks strewn about everywhere and it can be difficult to find an uncluttered composition. While walking the beach I was taking mental notes of locations to return to has the sun set and the tide went down. I tried making photos of a few different comps before returning to this location as the sun dipped below the horizon. Working quickly to drive my tripod into the soft sand, framing up the shot, and get my exposure dialed in, I was ready to capture the best sunset I’ve experienced at this location. After some test shots I waited patiently for large enough waves to bring the water flowing in the foreground. I was finally rewarded with a big set of waves that produced great flow around the rocks. All those trips to this location were had finally paid off!
The details in the rocks can get lost on a screen that is not calibrated so if it looks a little too dark, turn up the brightness and enjoy.
