Shooting the Shooter - Ona Beach (Homage to Weston(s))

I’ve joked in the past that if Yosemite is photography’s Mecca, then Point Lobos is its Medina.  That’s thanks, in large part, to Edward Weston.  Even more so than Ansel Adams, Edward Weston grabbed my attention in a way no other photographer had when I just started photographing.  That was until I saw the work of his son, Brett.  Both were masters of the art and both have influenced me in more ways than I’ll probably ever know.  So imagine my joy during our afternoon at Ona Beach when I saw forms that reminded me of . . . Point Lobos! 

When we arrived there just after high tide, the rocks were still wet and the only accessible part of the beach was the part we’d passed by without noticing the last time we were there.  My mind immediately went to compositions, and every time I paused to look around for a landscape image, my eye brought me back downward to the rocks.  So that’s how I spent my afternoon.  

And as you can see, I had my back to the ocean much of the time and, given that I was working in a transition zone where a particularly strong wave would occasionally rush up and flood my position, I occasionally had to grab my gear and go before I made the shot.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen this time.

That’s it, a clean simple image from a wonderful afternoon.  I know who to thank for motivating me to make photographs like this!