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Doug Meek  > California > California Coast
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Doug Meek > "Sunset at Piedras Blancas Light Station" February 2011, Piedras Blancas, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens This was to be my last clear sunset for a while. I was staying in San Simeon for a week, but the next 5 afternoons brought a mixture of heavy fog, overcast grey skies, rain and high winds. You do the best you can to follow the weather forecasts and shoot for the storms, but until you are actually on scene you just don't know what you are going to get. The weathermen had promised me off and on storms for the week, and sure enough I got them. They were just the wrong kind from a photographer's standpoint.
Doug Meek > "Sea Gulls at Piedras Blancas" March 2011, San Simeon, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens
Doug Meek > "Until Tomorrow" February 2011, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon TS-E 24mm lens Not much to say here really. It was just another typical evening on the rugged Big Sur coastline. I hiked to a secluded beach, set up my gear, and God did all of the rest. He did well.
Doug Meek > "The Mother Road" March 2011, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens So many superlatives have been ascribed to the Pacific Coast Highway that I really have nothing new to add. I've driven the road countless times, and have travelled its entire distance from Mexico to Canada. However, the 90-mile stretch between Cambria and Carmel is beyond compare. It will make your jaw drop straight to the floor every single time. This particular vantage point is just a few miles south of Carmel Highlands (aka the very high-rent district). I stayed on scene for quite a while as I battled wind and heavy fog. I was using a long lens so wind was absolutely unacceptable. The fog was great, adding mood to an already amazing scene, but sometimes the fog got too heavy. Plus it was really cold. Anyway, I finally ended up with a shot that I was happy with. I got in my truck, cranked up the heater, ingested copious amounts of hot coffee and headed back down the coast.
Doug Meek > "Clearing Storm at Piedras Blancas" March 2011, Piedras Blancas, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens
Doug Meek > "Fordson Tractor and Farm" March 2011, Cambria, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon TS-E 17mm lens This beautiful old tractor is on a farm on a country road just outside of Cambria, California. The brand name is Fordson, and Fordson tractors were actually built by the Ford Motor Company between 1917 and 1964. This means that this tractor is somewhere between 58 and 95 years old!
Doug Meek > "Highway 1" March 2010, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens It is called both the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 1. I prefer the latter designation, as it seems fitting for what is without a doubt one of the most beautiful highways to be found anywhere on earth.
Doug Meek > "A Break in the Clouds" February 2011, Piedras Blancas, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 24-70 lens I had been in the Big Sur area for almost a week chasing winter storms and the exquisite light that usually accompanies them. Unfortunately the storms ended up being larger than originally forecast, so dreary grey skies had become the norm. February 19th was no different. From Cambria to Carmel it was wet, windy and grey. As the time for sunset approached, I could see what appeared to be a break in the storm forming, but it was many miles to the north. I turned my truck around and drove back up California's incomparable (but very wet) Highway 1. I reached the break in the storm just south of Piedras Blancas. It was raining on me and the wind was blowing, so the moment I would take off my lens cap the rain would hit my glass. Even a long lens hood didn't help much because the wind was blowing onshore directly towards me. At the same time the offshore break in the clouds, though localized, was becoming much more pronounced. The rest of the coast was black, but I still held out hope for my little area. All of my gear was set up and covered with towels as I waited for my chance. Suddenly, off to my left (south), 2 large rainbows appeared. They were huge and too close to me for me to capture in their entirety. They intensified as the sun continued to wrestle free from the grasp of the enveloping clouds. It was a classic case of sensory overload. I had rainbows forming to my left, a sky beginning to explode with color directly in front of me, but only one camera body to shoot with. And I still had that wind and rain to deal with. The rainbows would not last long, and the sunset was imminent. I did not have time to properly shoot both. I decided to stay with the sunset and made a mental note to get a second camera body in the future! Thankfully, the colors came on cue as they emerged from behind one of the most impressive bands of storm clouds I have ever seen. Heavy offshore rain can clearly be seen dumping into the Pacific.
Doug Meek > "McWay Falls and Big Sur Coastline" March 2010, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 400mm lens After finding this amazing vista during my midday scouting, I patiently waited around for a couple of hours for the harsh lighting to diminish. The soft light from another golden California sunset gave me just the color that I was looking for. McWay Cove with its infamous waterfall can be seen on the left. Further back and to the right is a home on one of the most amazing pieces of real estate that I've ever seen. Talk about location! The home was actually over a mile away from where I was standing, but a 400mm lens helped me to bring it in closer.
Doug Meek > "Salmon Creek Falls" March 2010, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 24-70 lens Big Sur is a rather cryptic definition of the 90 mile stretch of California coastline between Cambria on the southern end and Carmel to the north. It is an area of indescribable beauty with sheer cliffs, pristine waterfalls, and the deep blue waters of the mighty Pacific. Nature lovers also regale in the presence of California Condors, elephant seals, migrating grey whales, and sea otters. Salmon Creek Falls is located on the southern side of Big Sur, a few miles north of Ragged Point.
Doug Meek > "La Cuesta Encantada" February 2011, San Simeon, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 400mm lens Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst decided to name his 250,000 acre ranch "La Cuesta Encantada" which means "The Enchanted Hill". For a location he chose some of the most beautiful real estate on the California coast. He later hired famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to "build a little something" as he put it. The two of them collaborated on the project for the next 28 years, going through numerous revisions in the process. Hearst Castle, as we now know it, was the culmination of Hearst's dream and Morgan's formidable design skills.
Doug Meek > "McWay Falls" March 2010, Big Sur, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 24-70 lens McWay Falls is an 80 foot year around waterfall located in the heart of Big Sur. It is one of only 2 waterfalls in California that plummet directly into the ocean. Shot just after sunset.
Doug Meek > "Morro Bay Harbor at Sunrise" October 2003, Morro Bay, California Toyo 45AII, Fujinon 180A lens, Kodak E100VS 4x5 film Rising 581' above the surrounding ocean, Morro Rock has been used as a navigational aid by sailors for hundreds of years. The rock is a California historical landmark and provides sanctuary for endangered peregrine falcons as well as several other species of birds. Sea otters and seals are frequently seen swimming around the harbor.
Doug Meek > "San Simeon Sunset" October 2003, Morro Bay, California Toyo 45AII, Fujinon 240A lens, Fuji Velvia 50 4x5 film
Doug Meek > "Morro Bay Otter 1" October 2007, Morro Bay, California Canon EOS 5D, Canon 70-200 lens & 1.4x Extender I spent about an hour shooting this otter. I swear the varmint was posing for me. Here he actually has his flippers behind his head, as if to say "Hey Baby".
"Sunset at Piedras Blancas Light Station"

February 2011, Piedras Blancas, California
Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens

This was to be my last clear sunset for a while. I was staying in San Simeon for a week, but the next 5 afternoons brought a mixture of heavy fog, overcast grey skies, rain and high winds. You do the best you can to follow the weather forecasts and shoot for the storms, but until you are actually on scene you just don't know what you are going to get. The weathermen had promised me off and on storms for the week, and sure enough I got them. They were just the wrong kind from a photographer's standpoint.
Doug Meek > "Sunset at Piedras Blancas Light Station" February 2011, Piedras Blancas, California Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens This was to be my last clear sunset for a while. I was staying in San Simeon for a week, but the next 5 afternoons brought a mixture of heavy fog, overcast grey skies, rain and high winds. You do the best you can to follow the weather forecasts and shoot for the storms, but until you are actually on scene you just don't know what you are going to get. The weathermen had promised me off and on storms for the week, and sure enough I got them. They were just the wrong kind from a photographer's standpoint.
"Sunset at Piedras Blancas Light Station"

February 2011, Piedras Blancas, California
Canon EOS 5D MK2, Canon 70-200 lens

This was to be my last clear sunset for a while. I was staying in San Simeon for a week, but the next 5 afternoons brought a mixture of heavy fog, overcast grey skies, rain and high winds. You do the best you can to follow the weather forecasts and shoot for the storms, but until you are actually on scene you just don't know what you are going to get. The weathermen had promised me off and on storms for the week, and sure enough I got them. They were just the wrong kind from a photographer's standpoint.
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Keywords: sunset pacific ocean pacific coast san simeon piedras blancas piedras blancas light house
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