Before my recent Monterey Peninsula photo tour, I spent the evening down at the Carmel city beach. The town spreads out like an amphitheater around the beach and mostly gets used by residents once the tourist influx leaves in late afternoon. By sunset, folks are walking their dogs or taking in the view.
Carmel Beach
The Golden Hour. I believe the house on the cliff was designed by a son of Frank Lloyd Wright.
I perched on this rock for a while just breathing in the moment. There was a guy from Switzerland (who lives in Australia), we chatted as the sun headed lower.
Carmel Beach
The last peek of the sun pulled me off my rocky perch. By this point in the evening the color palette gets simple, yellow-orange and deep blue. So I began to play more with color and shape.
Carmel Beach
Head uphill above the beach and you get a more expansive moment.
Here’s another variation of the shot — more zoomed in to make the pool of water in the foreground the center of attention.
Carmel Beach
The shot of the surfer taken after sunset is even simpler.
Surfer, Carmel Beach