A deep water wave churns into the wind off the coast of California.
A deep water wave churns into the wind off the coast of California.
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Awards
Contest Finalist in Seascape Wonders Photo Contest
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 21
Winner in Seascape Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Best water picture Photo Challenge
Contest Finalist in Celebrating Nature Photo Contest Vol 7
Contest Finalist in The Shades Of Blue Photo Contest
People's Choice in Wind In Nature Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wind In Nature Photo Contest
Winner in touched by the wind Photo Challenge
Winner in Stormy Waters Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Between Lakes and Oceans Photo Challenge
Peer Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Motion Blur Photo Contest
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Virtuoso
Top Ranks
Categories
MaryAnne306
April 13, 2017
I love the simplicity of this--it reminds me of a Japanese wood block painting. Beautiful color and composition. Congratulations on being a finalist!
fredsaunders
June 04, 2017
Fantastic shot and I love its simplicity yet is still striking! Well done
chriswhittier
March 04, 2018
Thanks everyone! A good example of an easily overlooked image that I only bothered edit after about the 4th time passing over.
gregoriodelacruzsoldevillajr
April 06, 2020
Congratulations on your winning. Deserving! Thank you for joining in my challenge.
jackhall_9918
April 07, 2020
Fantastic photo! And thank you for sharing the "backstory", I am frequently frustrated when I see a really great and obviously rare shot and have to simply wonder about how the photographer got the shot. So THANKS!
chriswhittier
April 08, 2020
Thanks Jack. I try to take advantage of the privilege of the "Behind the Lens" opps whenever my pics get awarded and would encourage everyone to do that too.
SherrieMosher
December 27, 2023
There is nothing that matches the power of the ocean, especially during a good storm. Awesome capture!
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image looking out into the Pacific Ocean was captured standing on Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands of the Golden Gate National Parks, Sausalito, CA.Time
I was living in the Headlands and went down to the beach as a starting point for my almost daily hike but noticed particularly rough seas that day. It was about 10:30 in the morning when I shot this series of images.Lighting
The morning was sunny but a bit hazy- so bright but not quite full sun. The lighting certainly adds to the drama of this wave as the shadow of it's curl and the depth of the mist shows.Equipment
I shot this handheld with a Canon 5D and Canon 100-400 L zoom lens and obviously no flash.Inspiration
I was living in the Headlands and went down to the beach as a starting point for my almost daily hike but noticed particularly rough seas that day. In addition to big waves crashing on the shore I noticed these peculiar huge, isolated waves farther out that were rolling almost parallel to the beach. On my ~daily hikes I challenged myself to capture at least one interesting image, which was usually something terrestrial, but this day provided some really gorgeous waves including this one. Even though I didn't get to the beach every day,it was a very unique day in the couple years I lived and photographed there.Editing
I did some tone adjustments, spot cleaning, minor sharpening and played a little with the white balance and colors to balance the blues in the water versus the sky and I cropped for this composition. There was also a gull flying just behind the wave that was interesting, especially for scale, but so small that it looked like a spot on first glance so I spot-removed it.In my camera bag
Because I normally focus on shooting wildlife I typically carry just my 5D- now a MkIII- and one telephoto zoom lens, either Canon 100-400 L or Tamron 150-600. Most days I prefer to be light but sometimes carry my old 5D (or 20D) as back-up. When I'm out to shoot wildlife I don't even bother to carry a wide angle lens as my pocket Canon Powershot and even my Lumia phone can both shoot raw files. I do sometimes use my Canon EF 24-70 L lens for landscapes and close-ups and love my Slik tripod, but rarely have the opportunity to use it. I also toy with a circular polarizer sometimes but otherwise avoid filters. On some of the days I was shooting in the Headlands I would carry just my old 20D in case I wanted to use the built-in flash (lacking on 5Ds) for any close-up images of plants or small natural features.Feedback
There isn't anything particularly challenging about getting an image like this- it was just about keeping my eyes open and looking for something interesting. Right time, at the right spot, with some decent kit.