Try, Try Again - Hole-In-The-Wall Beach

After bombing at Hole-In-The-Wall Beach last weekend, I decided to take another stab at this little gem. My friend, Phil Richardson agreed to meet up with me. Having been in 91˚ heat in San Francisco of all places, I figured that Santa Cruz would offer nothing but great weather. Even Half Moon Bay had great weather. I was absolutely wrong. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. By the time I got close to San Gregorio State Beach, the fog had rolled in thick. We decided to continue on as planned and just enjoy the location. It just goes to show that no one can truly predict the weather. I suppose it wouldn't be as fun if you always knew what you were going to get. There is a lot to be said for going with the flow of things.

Although I had hoped for something completely different, the fog presented an opportunity for me to get more mileage out of my Vari-ND filter. The conditions were rather perfect for black & white images. I'd say Phil and I were out shooting for a pretty short period of time. 45 minutes to an hour I guess if you count parking and walking to the beach. The fog eventually came in so thick that we felt it was best to get out of dodge and count our blessings. Neither of us were keen on a swim in the Pacific Ocean :) We both managed to get some rather interesting images. Once I got around to editing, I did decide to leave a few in color, but most of the shots that I processed ended up looking better as B&Ws. Here are three images from the day.

Hole In The Wall Beach

In California, May is typically a month that brings great weather. Although we've had some great days of sunshine. It hasn't been consistent. Recently, I heard an announcement that May (2010) is on track as one of the coldest in history here in the Bay Area. I don't recall having this much rain in May during my childhood. On the upside, there have been some great scenes for photography as a result! Moody clouds, crashing waves, and bright bursts of sunshine during the sunset.

Yesterday, I made it over the hill to get to Hole In The Wall Beach. As the name suggests, you must go through the hole in the wall, to get through to the beach. So the tide does need to be on the low side. Getting swept out to sea isn't shouldn't be on anyone's bucket list. This location is quite fascinating and full of energy. Its a bit easier to understand the power behind the ocean when seeing all of the large formations of rock that have been carved away over time. Absolutely gorgeous.

While my goal is to capture the best photo I can, my time is well spent if I can capture even a small fragment of the natural beauty in front of me. It saddens me to see the litter people leave behind after having the privilege of visiting. Key word being privilege. Places like this need to be preserved!