foaming ocean water

This pier is where I learned to surf. To fish. I learned to play Beach Volleyball on the courts nearby. That sport led ms to switch colleges. That transition changed my life forever because at the new school, I discovered photography. In all the time I spent at this location…literally decades…I don’t recall ever taking a photograph. This POV has been shot ad nauseam. You can purchase prints, postcards and knick knacks locally, with this very perspective. I was overcome by emotion this morning as I stood among the pilings. As I dodged the waves that occasionally came farther up the sand, I shed tears. It’s complicated and this is not a document of a therapy session. Having said that. I likely will never forget the few minutes I spent making this image. Visit Manhattan Beach if you can and stand where I stood this morning. I cannot guarantee the same experience, but the view is fantastic.

On first viewing, this seems to be the perfectly shaped wave, but when one looks closely, it is quite the opposite. I was out in search for a shot and did a drive by of a surf spot and saw this happen.  Stopped, pulled out the gear and waited for maybe an hour or so.  This wave is actually backwards.  It is caused by tides, swell, off shore wind and a rock below water level. The “tell” is the shoreline and the lobster buoy right at the base of the wave. Patience is sometimes the key to capturing an interesting shot.

While out and about today, I ran across this brown Pelican, a Cock, the proper name for a male, strutting his full colors which are as bright as I have ever seen. There was a large flock or pod of Pelicans on this cliff edge and this “Cock of the Walk” was watching over the group from above.  Most were just resting, but occasionally another male would approach and some feather rustling was displayed. I chose this shot isolating him from the flock against the white water below to highlight his colors.