Airborne: Huntington Beach, 15th May 2011

I've led a few Route 66 trips which finish in Long Beach and I get a day to myself, all being well. Usually, I hire a car and head down the coast to try and find the surfers and Huntington Beach is normally the best spot for me as I can go out on the pier and get fairly close to the action.
This time, I brought along a 2x extension tube for my lens which got me close but, unfortunately the autofocus wasn't quick enough to keep up with the twists and turns of the surfers. Out of the 400 or so pictures I took, hardly any are really sharp. I won't be doing that again.
This guy was a long way from the pier and he was flipped through the air by a crashing wave, describing a beautiful arc before coming back down. He looks as if he can fly, which he could, briefly.
Technically, the photo is hopeless but I like it and maybe I'll get the chance to go back soon.

Great Big Sea

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Another wild and stormy day in Newhaven so we went to the east side of the harbour entrance to photograph the waves hitting the breakwater. Our cameras and everything else were covered in salt spray in no time at all and the wind threatened to bowl us over. Our only shelter was a lighthouse - more a lamppost really - at the end of the pier. It was good enough to allow us to get a few shots and clean our lenses too. Job done!