Since we started travelling in the RV 6 years ago, Ray and I have become “bushed”. It’s a term my mother used for people who spent too much time in the bush and can’t handle being around other people anymore. We spend a lot of our time out in the desert, not in the bush, but often completely on our own, so I think the term still applies.
We love the wilderness and quiet places. We avoid crowded places and cities as much as possible.
But sometimes we have to make exceptions, bite the bullet, take a deep breath and go forth into the crowd for extraordinary places. One of those places was Big Sur, California.
An opportunity came our way while visiting friends in Hollister, California, when they offered to take care of our beagle Angie for the day if we wanted to drive in and see Big Sur. Absolutely!! We’ve learned that dogs are rarely, if ever, allowed on beaches in California, and it’s often too hot to leave her in the truck, so this was a great opportunity to see the sights while Angie got spoiled by our friends for the day.
Located on California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon, the Pacific Coast Highway follows the rugged coastline through 75 miles of stunning scenery. It’s one of the prettiest scenic drives we’ve done with tons of photographic opportunities along the way.
One place I absolutely had to see was Point Lobos State Natural Reserve and specifically Weston Beach. Named for photographer Edward Weston whose portfolio was full of stunning photos from this area, Weston Beach has the most interesting formations of sedimentary rock with colourful pebbles that are wonderful subjects for abstract images.
I could have spent days on that beach totally engrossed in the patterns!
One of my favourite stops on the drive was at Julia Burns Pfieffer State Park where we looked down at McWay Falls. If we had more time I would definitely explore this area further and try to get down on the beach for a different perspective.
Of course we had to stop at the famous Bixby Bridge. Even though it’s been photographed to death, I had to have one of my own.
Since it was just a day trip and we didn’t want to drive back in the dark, we didn’t have any opportunities for sunrise or sunset shots. But that’s okay, we just made the best of what we had, tolerated the traffic and crowds, and enjoyed a beautiful day along the California coast.
I made all of these images with my Sony mirrorless cameras, the NEX6 and the A6000. Since they are so small and light, I carry them both in my bag with different lenses attached, so I don’t have to change lenses as often. It’s very quick and light! They are all handheld images with the exception of McWay Falls. I wanted to do a longer exposure there, so I set up the tripod and used my 4 stop neutral density filter to block some of the light to allow for a long shutter speed.
Beautiful shots, Anne. This area is right in my backyard but I never grow tired of seeing and photographing it. Unfortunately, Hiway 1 is still closed for various repairs, relocation of a portion of the road and a bridge replacement. From my area, I can’t get any farther north than Ragged Point. Can’t wait for all the work to be finished!
Many thanks Phyllis! I made these images before all the washouts on the road happened. It must be such a hassle trying to get around that area now. I hope its fixed soon! All the photographers will be lined up trying to get in 🙂
I love the clouds mimicking the line of bluffs in the first photo. That was my favorite one… it deserved to be first in the set!
Thank you Peter! Yeah, I think that photo would have been a bit bland without those clouds. Clouds can make or break an image 🙂 I appreciate your kind comments!
One of your best and most beautiful photos Anne. Thanks for sharing them. Larry
Wow, thank you very much Larry, I appreciate that!!
Your photos are spectacular Anne!
Many thanks Steve! Your comments are very much appreciated 🙂
Just beautiful shops Anne as always ,many thanks for sharing these lovely scenes. so look forward to your emails, as always.
Regards Les
Thank you Les, that is very kind. It’s so nice to receive such wonderful feedback.
Nature is amazing and your look for capturing it’s top! Lovely post!
“I could have spent days on that beach totally engrossed in the patterns!” >>> Me too 😉
Thank you so much! I appreciate your visit and comments 🙂
Such awesome photos, Anne, and ‘GASP’ they were taken in mid-day!!☺️ You have such a good eye for photography. Looking forward to your next post.
Hi Gladys, haha, yeah, who would have thought mid-day would be acceptable? 🙂 Thanks for your comments!
Thanks for sharing your beautiful work. Ah, Point Lobos … there are no shortage of magical places along the North Cali coast, but Lobos is a dream.
It really was a dream! I would go there all the time if I lived in that area. There were so many cool things to see on that beach. I have more photos of the tidepools and cool little creatures in them. I could spend days just on that one beach. Thanks for your comments 🙂
Love your work – Just came back from California, and have a few of the same pictures. I believe in taking the picture that your eyes can see and putting them in pictures
Hi Terry, I like to make photos that are realistic, but also ones that convey the emotion of the place and are not necessarily realistic at all. Or highlighting a small portion of a place to show things that are easily overlooked. There are so many options in a place like this! Thanks for your visit.
As a tourist I have only passed through and stopped at Bixby Bridge – I never realised there was such beautiful coloured rocks and pebbles below…..what a miss!!! . Alas I won’t get to see them now, so keep those gorgeous pictures coming Anne. Always look forward to your Blogs and pictures.
Thank you so much Pat 🙂 I’d love to have more time to get down on some more of the beaches at Big Sur. We only had one day so we just did the drive and stopped at various roadside stops along the way. Between that and spending some time at Point Lobos, our day was done! Thanks for your kind comments.
Spectacular! We did the drive two years ago. It was summer, but we did it mid-week, so the traffic was non-existent and the crowds weren’t too bad at all. Thankfully, we didn’t do it all in one day and opted to over-night in Cambria before hitting some wineries. It really is one of the world’s great drives.
Thanks Lance! It’s always good to have more time to really explore a place. I prefer “slow travel” myself 🙂
Great coverage for such limited time in the area, Anne! Point Lobos is definitely one of my favorite stops on the coast along with Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP. Unfortunately, with multiple slides in the area and a major bridge being rebuilt that stretch of coastline will be quiet for awhile (though Point Lobos is still accessible from the north).
Thank you very much Russ! We were lucky to see so much and have good conditions all day. Another thing to put on the “must return to” list.
Beautiful work as always Anne. We were just in that area a year ago nd love it. Unfortunately, not right now with all the problems they have had. Not enough rain and then too much. If you do go back, note that you are not allowed to go off trail to the beach at McWay Falls. Don’t want you to get your tripod confiscated.
Hey Paul, thank you so much! Oh, I didn’t realize you’re not allowed on the beach. Makes sense though, no wonder there were no people down there. Still I’d like to explore the area further – at least the places I’m allowed to go.
Hey Anne, do you sell prints of your photos? Cheers!
Absolutely. Just click “photos” in the menu at the top of the page. If there’s something specific that you want that is not in the selection of photos there, just let me know.
Nice pics, as always. Regarding McWay Falls, though, returning to get a different angle from the beach isn’t on. Descending to the falls beach is prohibited, and probably a good thing because everyone would be down there (which was once the case). Interestingly, the falls used to go directly into the water, the beach being a more recent addition due to storm driven sand deposits. Big Sur is always a memorable experience, even from the most heavily used lookouts!
Hi Norbert, I didn’t realize at the time that you are not allowed to go down there. Makes sense since otherwise I’m sure the beach would have been full of people and I was glad to get a clean shot! Big Sur was definitely one of the places that is worth fighting the crowds to see. Thanks for your comments!
You’re a beautiful photographer!
Thank you so much Jeanne, that is very kind 🙂