A few weeks ago I went on a business trip to Silicon Valley. Between the last business meeting and my return flight to Germany, I had 24 hours to spend near SF.
I decided to go to Big Sur to shoot the McWay Falls at sunset. Since it was a business trip I just took my Ricoh GR and a small tripod, which is, in my opinion, a perfect combination for the occasional landscape shooting on either business trips or family weekends.
My first stop was in Santa Cruz. I really liked this city with its cool people, nice cafés and fashion boutiques. You can feel some kind of alternative surfer spirit in the city, not found in many other places in the US.
After a short visit to Santa Cruz I continued to Monterey where I went to the typical tourist spots: old pier, cannery row, and the beautiful aquarium.
On time for the sunset shooting, I finally arrived at the McWay Falls. I think it’s one of the most beautiful vistas in the world and I always wanted to shoot there.
I spent several hours there and was shooting until long after sunset with exposure times of up to five minutes.
After spending the night at a ridiculously overpriced run-down hotel in Monterey (but all alternatives were even more expensive or fully booked) I visited the 17 Mile Drive on the next morning.
After a short stroll through Carmel-by-the-sea, I had to drive back to the SF airport.
Wild Places 