I'm so glad you found me! I'm a San Francisco photographer, and this blog charts my journey in the ever-evolving world of photography. One of the things I love about photography is that it's a journey, not a destination. I'm constantly learning and meeting wonderful people. Please peruse the blog to your heart's content, then check out my website and feel free to contact me! (I love hearing from you.)

“Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow." – Imogen Cunningham

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” – Edward Steichen

Life's A Beach

I've lived close to an ocean almost all my life, but I think I've always taken it for granted. The ocean here is a bit different, too. It's not the warm, sultry, sunkissed ocean you might find further south or even further west. No, ours is a bit forbidding, rather windswept, and it's not the kind of water you ordinarily want to stick more than your toes in, and even those, not for long.

Yesterday I made it to the beach for about half an hour after some coffee with a new friend. I went expecting to spend only five minutes, kind a 'hi beach! bye beach!' interaction, but I ended up staying longer.  To tell the truth, I was just completely captivated with the soft, gorgeous slightly foggy light. Everything seemed slightly blurry, and usually that's not a term you associate with good photography, but it was working for me.

I hadn't planned on taking out my camera, but as usual it was in the bag, and so out it came. And there was something wonderful about the clean, cold, rushing air, and the solitude. I remembered, as I seldom do, that I was standing at the edge of a huge continent facing an almost boundless ocean.

Next stop, Hawaii. Till then, just waves, wind, and wilderness.


These images bring back that feeling for me, the calm, the peace, the cold purity of the beach.


A flock of pelicans flew by, and I regretted not having a longer lens.


And the whimsy of a sand dollar sitting there waiting for me. I left it for someone else to find later.


What about you? Is there a place you feel at peace? Somewhere that just overwhelms you in a good way? I'd love to hear about it.

6 comments:

  1. NEVER take that for granted!

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  2. Wow! Really gorgeous photos! So inspiring!

    http://withmiracle.blogspot.com/

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  3. These pictures are spectacular Jess! It's such a huge beach and there's NOBODY there! Great shot of the sand dollar too.

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  4. This is one of the most amazing beaches that has been shared with me and I live around several of them. Nothing forbidding at all here to me. Love your perspective the pictures, as always... are just awesome... I want to be there. Thank you for sharing :)

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  5. I liked these images a lot. You fond the perfect weather, some fog or mist to help isolate and simplify your subjects. And the color palette is so warm and appealing. The last one is my favorite! Watching those birds must have been fun.

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  6. Thanks guys! I love this beach. I definitely need to visit it more. I'm glad you can all see past the fog with me.

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