Picture of the week

Sea shelf pour-off

Water pouring off a rocky ledge along the bluffs of Montana de Oro state park.  I explored this area of the California central coast last week during a trip through the Big Sur and San Simeon on my motorcycle.  This particular state park is somewhat off the beaten path, southwest of San Luis Obispo.  With open rolling hills, it looks rather non-descript from the drive in.  But a 2 mile trail along the bluff edge starting from Spooner Cove is quite remarkable for its rugged coastline. The color of these bluffs have a more golden hue, consistent with the spanish name for this state park: Mountains of gold.

The above photograph was captured with a Canon EOS 70D with an EF-S 18-135mm IS STM lens using a graduated neutral density filter to better balance and slow down the exposure.  Settings for the shot were at 19mm, f/14, ISO 100, and a 1 second exposure time. Due to vignetting with the filter holder when at the widest focal setting, I backed it off just a tad.  I also used a smaller and older Gitzo 1128mk2 travel tripod and a smaller RRS ballhead with a cable release to stabilize the camera. I like this particular setup for travel on my motorcycle due to its fairly compact configuration and flexible focal range, while not breaking the bank. I prefer this over my more expensive full framed Canon 5D mark III body in case of some unexpected hazard while traveling on a bike, and where security of the camera and my other possesions can be more difficult.

All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2014.  Last updated: 1/18/2015   ()