Bowling Ball Beach

[Kyle Jones]

I've been to Bowling Ball beach many times, since my parents live in the area. It is a great beach to walk around and explore - even beyond the famous rocks that photographers go to shoot. I'd never had particularly great conditions until a trip last December with a friend. Here are some of my favorites:

1) Waves breaking over rocks looking north.

2) Sunset light looking south

3) Sunset over bowling balls

 

[BarryHamilton]

Lovely series. Good comps and captures.
I particularly like the soft evening light in the 2nd shot.

 

[JimFox]

Hey Kyle,

What a nice set of shots from there. My only time there the bowling balls were under water. I am hoping to get back there sometime and shoot some proper shots like these.

My favorites are #1 and 2. I go back and forth between them. The wave splash in #1 is sweet, and I like the backdrop of the cliffs in it. #2 has a nice mysterious feel to it, with a great backdrop of the sky.

With #3, I think I would crop 2/3rds of the sky. I know, crazy... While the clouds do angle up nicely to the corners, it leaves a pretty empty space in the middle of the sky. My thinking, as hard as it is to crop out clouds with color on them is to lose most of it down to where the sky is just filled with color. Now you could take it then to a Pano crop by doing that. I really like the wet bowling balls in it. Also by changing the amount of sky in it, would change the balance even more to where the eyes are really visually focused more on the bowling balls.

Anyway, that's what I would try with #3.

Jim

 

[AlanLichty]

I love #1 with the nice water flows over the tops of the rocks and the nicely lit cliffs behind. I didn't initially like Jim's #3 crop until I cropped the frame with my browser window. I might stop at cropping out about 1/3 of the sky but it really makes the rocks the primary subject and in a pretty neat way.

Nice place to play.

 

[Ben Egbert]

Very nice, I have never been there, but it looks like a great place for seascapes.

 

[Trevor G]

Very unique photographs you have. I think the 2nd photo is well done.

 

[Ryan10]

masterful work. What camera did you use for these?

 

[Zeph]

Put me down for number three, love the reflection on the top of the rocks...

 

[Kyle Jones]

Thanks everyone, I'm glad to see different pictures resonating with different people!

[QUOTE="BarryHamilton, post: 2459, member: 36"]Lovely series. Good comps and captures.
I particularly like the soft evening light in the 2nd shot.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Barry!

Hey Kyle,

What a nice set of shots from there. My only time there the bowling balls were under water. I am hoping to get back there sometime and shoot some proper shots like these.

My favorites are #1 and 2. I go back and forth between them. The wave splash in #1 is sweet, and I like the backdrop of the cliffs in it. #2 has a nice mysterious feel to it, with a great backdrop of the sky.

With #3, I think I would crop 2/3rds of the sky. I know, crazy... While the clouds do angle up nicely to the corners, it leaves a pretty empty space in the middle of the sky. My thinking, as hard as it is to crop out clouds with color on them is to lose most of it down to where the sky is just filled with color. Now you could take it then to a Pano crop by doing that. I really like the wet bowling balls in it. Also by changing the amount of sky in it, would change the balance even more to where the eyes are really visually focused more on the bowling balls.

Anyway, that's what I would try with #3.

Jim

Not crazy at all. I have a 16x9 crop that I use as a wallpaper that does much the same thing. I think I have to agree that it is more powerful.

I love #1 with the nice water flows over the tops of the rocks and the nicely lit cliffs behind. I didn't initially like Jim's #3 crop until I cropped the frame with my browser window. I might stop at cropping out about 1/3 of the sky but it really makes the rocks the primary subject and in a pretty neat way.

Nice place to play.

Thanks Alan - one of my favorite beaches to explore, even without shooting.

Very nice, I have never been there, but it looks like a great place for seascapes.

Thanks Ben. Definitely worth a visit.

Very unique photographs you have. I think the 2nd photo is well done.

Thank you Trevor!

masterful work. What camera did you use for these?

Thanks a lot Ryan. I shot these with my Canon 5DSR and 16-35 f/4

Put me down for number three, love the reflection on the top of the rocks...

Thanks Zeph, I do too!

 

[Martín el Escocés]

Very nice, Kyle. I like the water in no 1 - seems just right encasing that rock, the light in all and I think that the crop on the sky, suggested by Jim increases the power of the sky and connects it with the reflected colour.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

#3 is pure photography gold...I like it just the way it is...wow.

 

[Ryan10]

Thanks a lot Ryan. I shot these with my Canon 5DSR and 16-35 f/4

Thanks for that tidbit. I was assuming it was a saucy Sony sensor.

 

[dan swiger]

I've been to Bowling Ball beach many times, since my parents live in the area. It is a great beach to walk around and explore - even beyond the famous rocks that photographers go to shoot. I'd never had particularly great conditions until a trip last December with a friend. Here are some of my favorites:

1) Waves breaking over rocks looking north.
View attachment 547

2) Sunset light looking south
View attachment 548

3) Sunset over bowling balls
View attachment 549

I'm picking the 1st one for comp & the shutter speed/wave action. Very nice.
I have only been there once & I didn't come away with anything memorable.
I do want to go back though.
What do you think is the best time of year to go?

 

[Kyle Jones]

Very nice, Kyle. I like the water in no 1 - seems just right encasing that rock, the light in all and I think that the crop on the sky, suggested by Jim increases the power of the sky and connects it with the reflected colour.

Thanks a lot Martin!

#3 is pure photography gold...I like it just the way it is...wow.

Thanks Travis!

Thanks for that tidbit. I was assuming it was a saucy Sony sensor.

I just couldn't handle the reduced resolution of the Sony...

I'm picking the 1st one for comp & the shutter speed/wave action. Very nice.
I have only been there once & I didn't come away with anything memorable.
I do want to go back though.
What do you think is the best time of year to go?

I've been there a bunch of times, and the weather is often unremarkable (at best). Summers usually bring clouds and fog to the NorCal coast, but we often get some amazing sunsets in November and December. Of course, weather is a crap shoot that time of year...

 

[Ryan10]

I just couldn't handle the reduced resolution of the Sony...

Oh...the horror of having only 42MPs.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

Oh...the horror of having only 42MPs.

HAHA! I will take the reduced resolution for the increased flexibility in the files for editing. Funny how we are about resolution now...I looked back at my JTNP images from 8 years ago..shot on a 10MP Canon Rebel...

 

[Kyle Jones]

HAHA! I will take the reduced resolution for the increased flexibility in the files for editing. Funny how we are about resolution now...I looked back at my JTNP images from 8 years ago..shot on a 10MP Canon Rebel...

I hear you on that. I shoot Canon due to inertia. I had Canon film cameras before digital became a thing so they were the obvious choice for me when I got my first digital rebel. As much as the Mikon 850 tempts me, I really don't want to invest in a full system change. I could see myself trying out an a7R3, since I wouldn't have to change glass but to be honest I've never really felt too limited by my gear.

 

[Travis Rhoads]

I hear you on that. I shoot Canon due to inertia. I had Canon film cameras before digital became a thing so they were the obvious choice for me when I got my first digital rebel. As much as the Mikon 850 tempts me, I really don't want to invest in a full system change. I could see myself trying out an a7R3, since I wouldn't have to change glass but to be honest I've never really felt too limited by my gear.

the full system change kept me away for a while...but now I am happy that I have made the jump. For some of what I do, well a lot of what I do, it has been revolutionary for me. I started slow, just a body, using adapted lenses. Now, I am almost fully native Sony, and to this point, don't regret it at all.