Thursday, March 11, 2010

California Sky Watchin' - Rocky Shore and Pastel Clouds

I rarely come away empty handed when I head over to this spot late in the day.. almost every evening it's somewhere between simply beautiful and mind-blowing, especially in winter, so I try to take advantage at this time of year.
If I painted this sky, I'd probably want to start over because it almost doesn't look real, but here you go. No HDR or exposure combination necessary here, either.  This is a straightforward shot except for some very basic adjustments. (I do love the graduated filter process that was added to Camera RAW in CS4.. what a great tool and no more messing around with grad filters in the field for me.)
It was still spitting rain after a storm this day, so the rocks were even more slippery than normal.. those dark and mossy areas that you can see are like walking on pure grease or wet ice.. especially dangerous as it gets dark and if your concentration is not on your feet.  But, so far, so good for me.. only a few near-disaster pratfalls that I managed to recover from.  My wife wasn't so lucky a few months ago.. one afternoon we were just walking here enjoying the day and the waves, when she slipped and split her forearm open; we then spent the next half day at the emergency room waiting for her to get seven stitches.. luckily it wasn't bleeding at all while we were waiting. It turned out to be a very expensive afternoon stroll, however. 
Check out more great skies from all around the world each week at the SkyWatch home page.

21 comments:

Carolyn Ford said...

That is absolutely "mind blowing!" I will assign that category on this one...what amazing perspective, light and color! WOW!

Sylvia K said...

I can only repeat Carolyn's comment, this is one mind blowing shot! The colors, the composition, the slippery rocks, the water -- all, perfect, Mark! I was sorry to hear about your wife's fall, that does take the fun out of a walk or anything else! Do hope she has recovered! Have a wonderful weekend, take lots of pictures for us!!

Sylvia

Light and Voices said...

Every time I visit your blog, your photographs always reach beyond the word excellent. Breathtaking.
Joyce

Samson said...

simply superb!

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eileeninmd said...

It is an awesome shot, well done!

Al said...

That is stunning. The light and the rock shadows make for an amazing photograph.

Linnea said...

That is a stunning sky! Unbelievable! You captured it perfectly. Sorry about your wife...I wonder if the photo is a constant reminder to her of her spill!?

syel said...

it looks so surreal! everything is perfect! btw, i hope your wife is better now :)

Gwendolyn L said...

This is a very beautiful picture. The colors are awesome and the composition matches. Thanks for sharing.

Amy Lilley Designs said...

Your signature, other-wordly shots continue to amaze...hope that your wife is all healed up from the slip...boo hoo...

Unknown said...

Mark, that's gorgeous !

The shapes and colors of the foreground rocks are amazing and the sky is beautiful !

Mary Howell Cromer said...

Well balanced colourations and textures, photo perfection~

Unknown said...

Now that's a nice sky you have captured. I still use the filters on the camera and not the software route. You know what they say "old dog and new tricks" but I will give it a try.

storybeader said...

hope your wife is better.

What an absolutely gorgeous view! The whole image really looks like it's moving. And yes, that sky is close to unreal! Missed coming by... been sick and busy! {:-D

Tussy said...

Hope your wife is getting better by now!

Beautiful images indeed.

Skywatch Friday
Sunhine Award

Daliana Pacuraru said...

All your work is amazing! You are a very gifted artist....good luck to you and best wishes from Romania (Europe)..I'll be back to see more!

Jasper Ferri said...

very nice, perfectly done.. very detailed specially the sky.

thank you
las vegas photography

Lynda Lehmann said...

A beautiful scene, well photographed.

Sorry to hear about your wife's arm. I hope it's healed, or almost so....

Ashrays said...

Stoater of a shot there Mark! Interesting what you say about the graduated filter on CS4 I'd love to know if you keep using that method!

I've been trying to save for some Lee filters (we don't get Singh Ray here) I have used the filter effect on GIMP but I mostly blend two exposures.

As for slippage I hope your wife is well!! I'm a goat... sorry as sure-footed as a goat my wife is not she has slipped also and popped her kneecap out all painful so I'll just stick to being a goat :)

http://graceolsson.com/blog said...

excellent shot
Congrats
Have a nice week
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HightonRidley said...

Superb shot, Mark. The way the light falls is gorgeous and the tones across those rocks is really well controlled. Looks like the gradient tool you've been using iis earning its keep!

I wouldn't get rid of those filters you've been using in the field just yet though. I bet there will be situations when you find that doing it in software just doesn't cut it :)