Winter is the rainy season in California. The storms come in from the west, creating opportunities for dramatic skies and wild seas at sunset--if the clouds don't obscure the horizon. The famous Windansea Beach in La Jolla, San Diego, has some interesting rocks and small cliffs, making it a popular spot for photographers trying to capture these scenes. This day, though, I had the place to myself except for some tourists and a pair of young women who nearly fell backwards into the water trying to do a TicToc.
This picture was from just after New Year's day, 2023, when a series of storms hit California. The day had been rainy but cleared; the next day's forecast was for some of the biggest waves seen in San Diego in 15 years. This was a moment of relative calm between the storms! In this shot, I like how the clouds and rocks create an implied frame, and the glow of the sun reflecting off the ocean in the middle distance makes it feel ethereal.
I got back into photography about five years ago, after a 20-year hiatus since shooting a lot of black and white film in college. (I loved my old OM-1 and still, have fond memories of Ilford papers!)
I typically shoot handheld, which gives me more flexibility and places creative limits on what and how I can shoot. I appreciate the ability to react quickly to changing scenes (a bird! a wave! a splash over there!), though it does mean I don't usually shoot the motion-blurred waves that are trendy now. Tradeoffs.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor