Morro Sunset Photo

Photographer’s Note

Morro Rock,
Morro Bay, California

Scene
After spending four rather cold blustery days in Morro Bay the winds finally abated one evening to allow a sunset shoot on the Morro Bay State Beach. This day the winds had been gusting 35-45 mph so there is still some sea spray in the air partially obscuring the sea stack to the right of the rock. Morro Rock is one of seven volcanic plugs stretching from the sea inward to San Luis Obispo. I was not aware of the volcanic nature until I did some research for this image. The plugs have eroded into either a weathered rock mound as we see here or smooth dome like mounds as you see between Morro and SLO. The shape does not lead ones mind toward volcanism as a geologic structure. Obvious Volcanism in California is generally limited to the NE corner of state and some regions of the Mojave Desert and with geothermal activity in the mountains north of the Napa Valley. So this was a surprise.

Background
My wife and I along with our dog Abby decided to take our trailer over to the coast for a week now that spring was well along. In the valley we were beginning to get 90-100 degree days so we figured the coast would be enjoyable. The winds kicked up on the day we arrived and lasted until the day before we left. The days were sunny and comfortable if you were out of the wind but in the wind it was darn cold. I spent most of my time along a wetland taking pictures of the birds or over at a Blue Heron rookery photographing the birds and the chicks in the nests. Anyway, it was enjoyable, but this is the only usable image outside of the birds.

ribeiroantonio, arvinnino, MLINES, crhieatt, Bruno40, Floydian, Photo65Net, stego, Wandering_Dan, plimrn, avene, jhm, jmcl, Didi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ribeiroantonio (21975) 2009-05-26 20:44

The sea spray adds some kind of mysterious feeling to the shot and both the lights on the left and the plane in the sky are real signs of human activity. It is a great picture.
Antonio

arvinnino (388) 2009-05-26 22:19

hi john
very good landscape
i like the simplicity and the cleanliness of the photo
the sky is great
TFS
cheers

Fransx (1453) 2009-05-26 22:21

Hello John,
A soft sunset presentation with subdued lighting!
The rock is beautifully lighted from behind with a slight reddish cast.
The sea is adorned by a silver cast!
A pleasing moody composition!
Well done,

Francis Xavier

HimalAnda (1072) 2009-05-26 22:33

Hello John,

I like the colors of this picture : the orange and yellow in the sky is very beautiful.
And this big rock is amazing because everything seems to be flat around that.

Stephane

smarcell (14653) 2009-05-27 0:09

Colours and light are great, with that little touch of mist above the waves.
I like the plane bright line on the right.
Regards Sefano

brandstaetter (14434) 2009-05-27 0:34

Hi John,
this is THE rock... impressive, huge, a fortress..
compliments, for the light and the silky waves. I´d prefer to go closer to the sea, showing more waves and less beach, even if you get wet shoes :)
Best regards from Austria, Chris

MLINES (10984) 2009-05-27 1:58

Hi John, This is as if from a dream, very surreal feeling when looking at it. The mist over the sea is a good asset. Ideal to have the seaweed in the foreground, it is a veru fine idea. TFS. Murray.

crhieatt (5145) 2009-05-27 3:38

John,

I passed by this place, looming out of early morning fog, 10 years ago - on my trip to the USA in fact. It looked impressive then - and no less so now in your shot. Great atmosphere!
As I recall, the rest of this area is pretty flat, making this beast all the more improbable.

Cheers
Colin

Bruno40 (6442) 2009-05-27 4:57

Hi John,
Quite nice seascape, great light tht captured the a feeling of the moment.
Is that a plane? or a cloud going crazy? :-)
well done
Jorge

Floydian (30970) 2009-05-27 6:26

Hi John,

Yes i was here, with sunny weather, but terrible light and the only one from the rock that's left is not even worth posting for. Comparing to this one my version sucks, i have no other word for it. Because when seeing this i remember how i wanted a picture like this, the soft smooth light, the beach and that huge rock raising up from it...it's a great view John, well done.

Regards,

Henk

Photo65Net (43096) 2009-05-27 21:58

Hello John,
Superb mood in this one !
The mist adds lors to the fine contrasts and hues.
A nice job,
Have a nice day,
JB.

sebinho342 (18784) 2009-05-29 5:53

A pleasure to see you are still posting and present on this site as i'm trying to find who is still there and who is not :-)
Love the atmosphere here and you got marvelous colors fixed on you sensor in only 1/20 sec !
Superb place on earth that's for sure

stego (22482) 2009-05-30 12:04

Hi John,
The morro is intriguing and very picturesque, the compo is, of course, very accomplished, but I guess it is the amazing light that makes the photo so unique and moody - orange on the sky, bluish purple on the FG, a blurred glowing sea. And there is also that little detail of the strange shiny cloud on the right. It's hard to believe that you haven't more great photos of this place, but this one would make the day of many of us.
Regards,
José

Wandering_Dan (3297) 2009-05-31 16:05

Hi, John -

A lovely mood shot, very intriguing to have the tide out like that. I'm of two minds about the contrail, though; it's a manmade intrusion into a nature shot, but then we intrude into nature all the time.

Volcanism isn't limited to the NE corner the Mohave, by the way. Mammoth Lakes (Long Valley), north of the Mohave, has a geological history of volcanism (Devil's Postpile) and still has rumblings today. We're going there next week for a few days, and are looking forward to the hot springs.

Best,
Dan

plimrn (19740) 2009-06-01 20:32

Hi John,
This is one of the nicest photos I've seen of Morro Rock, and I have a huge place in my heart for this rock because I have a photo of our boat framed against the rock from long ago when we sailed from San Francisco to San Diego. I think it's the detail of the rock against the gentle sunset. The FG of silvery sea and seaweed is also very affective. To my Favs.
HLJ, Pat

avene (11140) 2009-06-02 19:23

hello John,

spooky scene, reminds me of a sci-fi story I read long time ago about a planet where an extremely strong wind would come out of nowhere once in a while, so all life there was organized around predicting the wind and trying to survive it. there's certainly a strong sense of wind in your photo, I like that a lot. the tiny details - streak of light in the sky, some light on the left - add nice accents to the scene. excellent work, my compliments.

best,
Kristine

jhm (83378) 2009-06-04 3:21

Hello John,

Morro Rock, a splendid subject in a very nice environment.
Them think this is simple picture, this is absolutely not where, the light and dark rock care for a lovely but difficult image, this gives a very nice composition.
Soft colour for these fine picture.
Sharpness and clarity are superb.
Very well done, TFS.

Warmest regards,
John

pablominto (41398) 2009-06-05 23:52

Hello John,

Most of all it is the colour palette that adds beauty!
The time of day seems perfect, and the rock itself stands out well in an almost 3D scenario...
A pleasant composition with good details all over!

Greetings,
Pablo -

gunbud (28165) 2009-06-11 17:39

Hi John,
Splendid end of day image with warm subtle natural colors.
Great depth and sharpness to this lovely coastal image.
Regards, Tom

jmcl (14149) 2009-06-21 12:34

Hi John,

Hope this note finds you and yours well. I love the tone of this .. the glow and dimness give it a very mysterious sense .. there is part of me that wants to take the clone tool and do brutal things to the headlights and jet trail. Beautiful place in a beautiful moment wonderfully done.

take care,

John

Flavia (10202) 2009-07-13 7:35

Hi John,

Really impressive picture! The colours and light are prfect and created such a special aura. The light light trace on the left add a nice touch to the scene. Really gorgeous!

Regards,

Flavia

cdmonson (2769) 2009-07-29 9:45

Hi John:

My wife and I decided a while ago that we could never live in Southern California. Not our thing. But Central or Northern California? That's a different matter entirely. How fortunate you are to be this close to such beautiful areas. Beautiful soft light, and I love the dreamlike look of the plug there. Great shot.

Clark

Didi (36516) 2009-08-12 3:50

Hi John
Magnificient place, the rock looks very strange.
Very nice lateral perspective on the beach and interesting deep foreground.
Best regards

Waylim (11159) 2009-09-24 9:50

Hi John,
When I first saw the title, I thought it said Moron Sunset :)
I passed by here many time traveling up or down the California Coast. But I have not yet make an effort to stop and really explore the area. the smoke stacks kind of ruin the otherwise pristine setting. I always wonder what they are. Anyway, there is a very spooky feel to the rock here. it seem pale and ghost like compare to the darker and richer tone of the sky. You did you best with the very LOW light. I have to make a point and stop here sometimes when passing through.
Way

kiks (6151) 2009-10-22 8:58

The lanschape is awsome and the soft light make it even beautifuler. Lovely done.
Best regards
KIKs