Uploads from Ivan Makarov, tagged waves, with geodata

The Arrival of the April Storm. Big Sur, California.

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 08:29:26 -0700

It's been the longest time since I uploaded a new photograph online, ever since I started shooting back in 2007. I've blogged about the slum on my personal blog (see the link in my profile).

Either way, it's great to be shooting again. This was taken last Sunday as the new spring storm was arriving to the West Coast. It's been wet since then. While not a new composition for me, I wanted to shoot a B&W version from here, with these heavy clouds and an opening right over these rocks.

The Arrival of Winter, Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 13:15:12 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I am finally getting around the images I took in the last couple of months. This one is from an outing to my favorite Big Sur spot, Garrapata Beach, with Jim Patterson and Josh Cripps.

This was one of the first winter storms that came into the area. I think we caught the tail end of it. It was a nice gesture by nature, seeing how it rained for days before that, and I was also working really late hours for few weeks in a row.

I hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Trio, Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:35:28 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I recommend viewing LARGE.

And yet another photo from the Garrapata Beach. Do you think I like this beach?

Before the winter began I set a goal to build a winter set from a spot or several spots around the Big Sur area. It just happened that this place turned out to be Garrapata Beach, a place I visited several times in the last few weeks. I also chose to make it color, because I want the photos to stand together in a set. I may have a few more to upload in the coming weeks, but I think I'm getting ready to shoot something else.

There is something to be said, however, about becoming familiar with the subject. After I visited this place several times in different weather conditions after different tides, I feel that my images from there are becoming more personal, and as I continue building that set, it is capturing the character of the subject better than one photo ever would.

Working in projects also provides structure and motivation.

You can see other images in the set here.

Nikon D300
15mm, 1 sec, f/16, ISO100
ND Grad 0.9 (I think..)

Warm Winter at Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:03:36 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

View this one LARGE.

When I was in my junior year of college, I had to pick a location where I wanted to work and live following my graduation. I wasn't going back to Moscow where I grew up, as I decided to stay in the States for a while. I did not want to live where winters are cold either after couple of decades of Russian winters and few more in Utah. But growing up, I was always fascinated with seas and oceans. There is something about the mystery of it and the scale of things that always drew me to it. No wonder I ended up here in Northern California because winters here are now my favorite time of the year.

It's no wonder that the ocean is now one of my favorite subjects to photograph. I think it's important that we photograph what we love, otherwise why even bother spending time and money on photography?

Nikon D300
24mm, 1/8 sec, f/16, ISO 100
Lee ND 0.6 + 0.9

Respect for the Ocean - Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:56:04 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

View this one LARGE.

I'm really slow processing the photos from that night, because I'm still bitter about that evening.

The evening was going fine. Beautiful light, no wind, big waves (it was the day before the Mavericks competition took place), no one but me and a few teenagers at the beach. What could go wrong, right?

Oh, as always, many things. I left my camera bag where I thought it was safe, where the sand looked dry, almost all the way at the end of the beach by the cliffs. As I was busy shooting away, I noticed that one big wave seemed to kept going longer than all the others. But it was too late. It went straight through my opened camera bag, soaking everything inside and actually killing my laptop that was still running for whatever reason (don't you hate it when PC laptops doesn't properly shut down?). The IT guys at my work found sand and salt on the inside disk of the hard drive. I think that wave killed both the hard drive and the laptop shell.

We must respect the ocean.

With that, be careful if you're going out to the coast tonight. The tsunami that resulted from the 8.8 earthquake in Chile last night is scheduled to hit California coast right in late afternoon, according to this map.

Nikon D300
24mm, f/16, 1/20 s, ISO100
Lee ND Grad 0.6 + 0.9

The Edge of the Day at Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:10:02 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Best viewed LARGE.

One of the key elements in landcape photography are the edges. The late Gallen Rowell was the first to write extensively about it in his famous "Mountain Light" book. It is usually the edges of things that are the most memorable - a clearing storm, an end of the day, an end of the land where sea begins and so forth. The way our brain processes items is that we remember the edges and extremes much better.

With this in mind, this is what drew up out to the ocean last week - the edge of the passing front was right where I been shooting recently, at Garrapata Beach. A mile north, and I was under the overcast sky. A mile south, I was under the clear sky. But this time I was lucky enough to be right where the light was clearing, and right as the day was turning into night.

Nikon D300
10mm, 1/3 sec, f/16, ISO100
Lee 0.9 + 0.6 ND grads

Basic Elements, Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:34:50 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I do recommend LARGE.

I do love this time of the year. Here in this part of California we can wait for months in the summer for the weather like we've having right now, but the winters here are beautiful. It's warm, stormy, and all kinds of clouds pass through. On this particular day, the end of the passing front was right where my favorite beach is located - at Garrapata State Beach. You might have noticed that I've been going there quite a bit recently. My goal is to build up a collection of images from this winter into a separate portfolio that I will call "Winter at the Big Sur" or something like this. I thought it would be a fun idea to build a new set like this every winter.

Anyway. This time around there was no one at this half-a-mile beach but me, big rocks and the big waves. The one in the background is about 15 feet tall. In fact, this weekend we're experiencing perhaps the biggest waves of all year, and today the world famous big wave surfing competition Mavericks is taking place in Half Moon Bay.

Nikon D300
29mm, f/16, 1/8 sec, ISO100
Lee 0.9 + 0.6 ND Grads

Garrapata Blue

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:28:24 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Some shots get you really into the scene, like this one.

Last Sunday was another cloudy post-stormy day here in Northern California, and I met up with Jim Patterson and Kendra back at Garrapata Beach. This time around it was a negative tide, so many layers of sand were gone, revealing all kinds of big rocks and boulders that are typically covered by the sand. In fact, the beach was almost impossible to recognize.

Towards the end of the day I ended up close to these sweet looking rocks that the waves keep beating up on. I love the trails that the waves created, and I wanted to capture the blue colors of that evening, as day turned into night. I dropped by shoes, rolled up my jeans up and stood there for 10-15 minutes watching and shooting these waves. How did end? See that big boy in the background? (See my note). It got to me, as I was focusing my attention on the foreground, and I end up getting immersed to my chest in the water. Luckily, I grabbed the camera, but my ankle still have bruised from all the rolling rocks that the wave brought with it. Needless to say, I was done with that frame.

Nikon D300
20mm, f/14, 0.6 sec, ISO400
ND Grad 0.9

Inside the Patrick Smith Cove

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:38:48 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I recommend LARGE.

Last Saturday was a storm break through and I headed down the coast hoping for some post storm clouds. Well, the clouds didn't really happen, but the color in the sky, warm air and huge waves still made up for a memorable experience inside what is now officially known as Patrick Smith cove. It is so named because it was Patrick who once showed me this little spot that is not know to most tourists visiting Big Sur, nor described in any guide books to Big Sur. I have no idea how Patrick originally stumbled upon it, but in my mind, this is one of the most beautiful views of Big Sur one can find. There were times that evening when I just sat there, watching the view and taking it all in.

While I wasn't alone there that night, all other photographers were shooting from the nearby cliffs, perhaps not knowing the way down there or being too afraid of a short climb down that this place requires.

The more I visit Big Sur, the more I am happy I am living where I am living right now.

Nikon D300
24mm, f/16, 1/3 sec, ISO400
ND Grad 0.9

In Between the Storms at Big Sur

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:26:06 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I recommend viewing this Large.

Besides home, is there a better place to spend the Sunday evening than the Big Sur?

Last week as some of you know we've seen a good amount of rain and storms passing through most of California. Over the weekend the storms have cleared, thus leaving a good window for some photography. Actually, since I work during the week that timing was perfect, thus allowing me to get out and spend some time with my camera.

On both nights I went down to the Big Sur coast, which is only an hour away from my house. This is a shot from Sunday night - I'll share Saturday's later. The legendary Patrick Smith joined me again on this trip. The nice thing about going out with him is that not only does he know the weather as good as any professional weather man (so every trip is worth while), he also knows the coast line as good as any ranger, and is never shy about showing his secret spots that are not known to most of the crowds.

This was 4th spot we stopped at while scouting our locations and the angle of the sun seemed to fit it best for what we were trying to shoot. The formation of these ancient volcanic rock and a perfect tide level created an interesting swirl, with waves surrounding the rock and creating different pattern with every new swell.

Nikon D300
17mm, f/13, 1.3 sec, ISO400
ND grad 0.9 + 0.6, No HDR

Calm Turbulence

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:10:20 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Large

I typically don't like to post two pictures of pretty much the same scene in a row, but I thought I would make an exception here hoping to illustrate what a difference shutter speed can make. The previous shot I posted was a 60 seconds exposure that created a sense of calm sea, which clearly wasn’t the case. This exposure is 1/8th of a second and better portrays the kinds of waves we had to face that night at the beach. When photographing the ocean, you can choose what you’d like to capture by adjusting various elements of your exposure.

Out of the two shots I posted, I think I like this one better because it shows the energy I felt that night and it is the most memorable element. However, I also like the previous dreamy shot. While it may not capture the true picture in front of us, it captured the mood and the emotion. Even when the waves are high, Pacific Ocean still has a calming influence.

Which shot do you like better?

Nikon D300
100mm, 1/8 sec, f/14, ISO100
ND Grad 0.9

Changing Light Over Garrapata Beach

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:31:51 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

I recommend viewing this LARGE.

There are some days when we drive a distance in vain, and the good light never shows up, and there are other, rarer days, when elements come together at the right place at the right time.

I met up with Patrick Smith, whose work I followed for a while, but have not had a chance to shoot with before, and we headed down the coast to the Big Sur. Not having any specific locations in mind, we started scouting some sites at the north end of the coastline, and just as we pulled into Garrapata beach, the heavy clouds started coming on shore, with light changing every minute. In fact, the light show lasted for almost an hour, and we watched what was perhaps the best light we have seen in that part of California ever. The sunset was not eventful, as heavy clouds eventually took over, but an hour before it is something we'll long remember.

Patrick always seem to find this kind of weather no matter where he goes, as you can see in his very rich and diverse photostream. This time I was lucky to come along.

Technical Details
Exif Data

Since few people asked about how I processed this image, here is a quick run down. When shooting, I used two ND grad filters (5-stop combined) to balance out the sky with the foreground. I use Hitech filters, and they do a decent job. In terms of post processing, I mainly adjusted the contrast of the scene, fixed the color cast and sharpened the image to finish it off.

Band of Brothers

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:44:17 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Links into the Past

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 11:15:47 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Abandoned Davenport Pier, Davenport, California.

Please do see this one LARGE.

Big thanks goes to my buddy Jim Patterson, who faithfully geo-tags all his photos, for helping me find this location. BlackStar GPS app for my Blackberry also comes handy, as now I can get exact coordinates for all my photos or pre-map the locations before I head of of the house.

Having no photos I was happy with to submit to Flickr 64 Challenge (I'm actually in the final - have no idea how that happened), I woke up early today and headed to the Pacific Coast. In the summers that typically means fog, but I decided to deal with it anyway and focus on minimalistic composition. The fog was coupled with smoke from the nearby Santa Cruz fires, but the beach was completely empty, which is always a photographer's dream.

A hike to get to this place is actually very steep, and I kept telling myself not to look down. Time to upgrade my hiking shoes.

The Alien Shore - in Memory of Dennis Cyncor-McMillan

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:24:29 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

As we were on our way out from Panther Beach where I shot recently together with Jim Patterson, I decided to take one more shot. The winds were strong and waves unpredictable (which always makes long exposures a bit tricky), so I decided to protect myself by hiding behind the rock, which turned out to be a composition I liked anyway. This is 102 seconds exposure, which still preserved a bit of texture in the ocean, yet smoothed out the clouds and the surf, emphasizing the odd texture of rocks.

Sadly, I read in the Mercury News today that the same night we were there, in a beach nearby (just a few hundred yards away) a teenager Dennis Cyncor-McMillan drowned after going for a swim at 4am. You can see how rocky this shore is. There was a group of them hanging out at this beach as well as we were leaving, and it's highly likely that the poor guy was among them and that we saw him on our way back to our cars. This was his last sunset.

UPDATE: I was contacted by Dennis' family, and this photo was used in his Memorial services, which was one of the highest honors I have ever received as a photographer.

Pacific Eternity

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:57:13 -0800

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

"Eternity begins and ends with the ocean's tides.” - Unknown.

I still have plenty images from Hawaii trip to go through.

Pacific Energy

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:14:36 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Riding into the Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:52:57 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Santa Cruz, California

This is how we spend our winters around here. Taken back in January.

The Rocks of Point Lobos

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 13:14:23 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

Standing on these rocks, I couldn't help but appreciate the contrast between the ever moving water and the immovable ancient rocks that shore up the Pacific Coast. So much energy flying around, yet the rocks stand there steady and solid absorbing it all for thousands of years.

** This is a reupload of the picture I posted earlier back in January. For some reason I do not understand, this image disappeared from my photostream.

Timeless and Temporal

nobody@flickr.com (Ivan Makarov) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:03:49 -0700

Ivan Makarov posted a photo:

LARGE

Something always draws me to scenes filled with contrast and struggle, such as this one. The timeless and eternal waves are beating up on temporal and human made wharf that will one day, as most things, fall apart with ocean prevailing. But for now, these columns supporting the docks are winning and the waves have to give in on its way to the shore.