Big Sur

We've been wanting to go back to Big Sur as it has been about 3 years since the last time we visited. Was nice to get away for an extended weekend to do some hiking, relaxing, and take in the nice scenery that the cliffs along Highway 1 have to offer.

On the way up, we stopped off at Limekiln state park to do a bit of hiking. Last time we tried stopping here but it was closed due to budget cuts. The park has a few short trails so we spent some time hiking through the trees and had our lunch.



We hiked the short Hare and Waterfall trails.

After some hiking, we made our way into Big Sur and stopped by McWay Falls.

I just wanted to check out the area as I would come back here at night for sunset and Milky Way photos. When we were there in the day, there were two people on the beach and park rangers were trying to get them up. When they finally came up they were fined. They prevent access down there to help preserve the area.

After visiting McWay Falls, we checked in to Big Sur Lodge. There were deer hanging around our room so I snapped a few shots of them.

We hung out and had an early dinner at the lodge before I left for sunset. There were no clouds so I focused on the flowers in the foreground to add an element to my shot.



After sunset, I hung around and waited for darkness as the clear sky would make for some good Milky Way shots. I took a few test shots, seen from the shot below:



After it was dark enough, I decided to move positions to remove any tress from the frame. By that time it was pitch black so I needed to take two exposures and blend them post process. I took a longer exposure for the foreground and a shorter higher ISO shot for the stars. This is the result:



All in all it came out pretty good. If I had the chance to retake the photo, I would take a shot of the foreground before it gets completely dark. I guess I'll have to take another trip back to Big Sur sometime.

The next morning I returned to McWay Falls for sunrise but fog rolled in and prevented any sort of color that morning so I focused on the falls and took a close-up:



We spent the day in Carmel and Monterey shopping and doing tourist things.

I heard they had an Ike's in Monterey as well. We like the one in SF so we headed there for lunch. Pretty pricey for sandwiches but they are good and there are so many options.

Did a bit more shopping in Carmel and had early dinner reservations at Dametra café, one of our favorite spots when we are in the area.

J got the chicken kabobs, and I got the combo plate with Gyro meat and lamb kabobs. Probably a place we will eat at every time we are in Carmel.

We headed back to Bixby bridge for sunset, but the fog/clouds still lingered around so there was no sunset. This is the view I had for sunset:



I hung around for blue hour to get a long exposure of the bridge and car trails winding up the highway.

The clouds didn't look as if they would open up so I didn't hang around for any Milky Way pictures. We just headed back to the lodge, exhausted from a full day out. The next morning I got up for sunrise and headed to Pfeiffer Beach. This beach is famous for the winter months when the sunset lines up through the hole creating a stunning light beam through it. When I got there the clouds were thick and it didn't look like they would open up for sunrise. I took some pre-sunset shots at blue hour:



Since I had the whole beach to myself I walked up and down just exploring the coast. I took a few capturing the tide movement:



I headed back to the lodge and we headed out to hike the 5 mile Ewoldsen trail. Luckily it was overcast and perfect hiking weather. The trail was pretty steep and a bit of an ass kicker especially carrying all my camera gear.



The hike took us up through the trees and to a lookout point overlooking the coast:

We got back to the lodge, had another early dinner, and I headed back out to Pfeiffer Beach for the last sunset of our trip. It was still cloudy but the wind seemed to be blowing away a lot of it. By the time sunset rolled around, just a touch of color broke through and I was able to capture this:



This was probably the first time all weekend that I saw a group of other photographers lined up. The rest of the time were mainly just tourists.



I didn't stay out for Milky Way shots because the sky never cleared. So I only had 1 clear night which means I'll have to return to capture the Milky Way at Bixby Bridge and at Pfeiffer beach. While the weather wasn't the greatest, I made the best with what mother nature gave me. It was a good (and tiring) trip and I cant wait to head back up that way again soon. We stopped off at Goleta and got some Freebirds nachos for the ride home...which is now pretty much tradition any time we pass by Santa Barbara.



I'm looking to get out to the Eastern Sierras in a few weeks to capture the fall colors. Hopefully I'll have better luck with photo weather.

Brandon Yoshizawa
B.A.Y | photography
http://www.bay-photography.com/