October 20, 2011
South of LA
A thick marine fog cloaked the palm trees and bluffs, limiting visibility to a few hundred feet. Nearby traffic hummed on the PCH. Every few minutes, a hollow sound announced the passing of a liberally muffled motorcycle. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the Syncro with the door open, I watched waves roll in from the grey horizon. Dozens of black dots bobbed up and down as the swells past. Blindly reaching for a bag of pistachios, I tracked a wave pass through an especially dense group of black dots. A handful started moving towards the shore in anticipation of the wave peeking. Two white streaks went in separate directions.
“Damn, that looks fun. I’m suiting up,” I said looking back towards my cousin, Nikko, stretching out in the back seat. “You cool to hang out for a bit?”
“Absolutely,” he said, keeping his eyes pealed to, “Travel’s With Charlie.”
For the sixth time since leaving LA two days earlier, I grabbed my 3’2 suit and 7’6 Walden Minimagic from the roofrack and raced down the stairs towards the beach.
On Friday morning, Nikko and I followed the ocean down towards San Diego in the final leg of my exploration of the California Coast. Despite the areas reputation for constant sun, a San Francisco like fog covered the coast, making the densely developed area feel remote and repetitively uninhabited. Exploring the numerous parks and surf breaks that separate Mediterranean “mansions,” supplemented the sections of coast where 1 combines with I5 with residential roads. Parking the Syncro on sections of road unrestricted by parking laws by night, we joined the thousands of other gypsies taking advantage of the warm climate and reliable waves.
Reef.
Lined up.
Drying a constantly wet towel.
Three feet at 13 seconds.
Limited visibility.
Baywatch.
Black Dots.
Paddling out through the white water, I paused for a second to look back towards the bluffs. Teeth like rows of parked cars some hundred feet above contrasted the gray background, bringing back memories of a foggy Manhattan skyline.
A surfers “Hoot!” brought me back from my day dream, and I paddled with purpose, narrowing avoiding the waves peak.
Here are some more links,
love the gypsy reference. glad you were taking every chance to catch some surf
Hey Foster-
Equipment question: Do you retouch your photos before you post them, or are these exactly as shot? I recently started using a Canon 60D, and b/c I’m new to it I use mostly pre-set functions (i.e. Landscape Setting). The photos come out beautiful, but it’s the enhancements I make in Apple Aperture that really improve them.
Is it just a matter of learning how to use Manual settings that makes all the difference? My new photo blog below for samples:
http://weldonlife.posterous.com/
Thanks!!!!
-Tim
Tim,
I shoot in apreture priority mode and bracket the shots, meaning that i take one a few stops under exposed, one a few shots over and then one correctly exposed. from there i process the raw file with adobe photoshop cs 5 and then adjust the white balance and contrasts. hope that helps,
angie,
i miss the waves already!
foster
Wow, that “3’ at 13 sec” image is gorgeous, Foster.
I’ve spent little time near the ocean in my life, until a few recent trips which have made me realize what I’d been missing. Your pictures bring it all back. Thanks.
-Andy
im flattered you would say that andy. the coast is amazing. i cant be land locked all the time
foster
Lovely pictures and a GREAT project/travel that you are doing. I enjoy every post! Thanks for sharing.
Love the pictures especially number 1 and 4. Absolutely stunning scenery! Thanks for sharing your adventure.
i am from southern california and used to take surf trips with my dad and brother in our vw van. these photos are beautiful and nostalgic. it can get really cold and foggy in the early morning. happy travels.
Courtney,
Surf trips in that area are amazing. im excited to do them again and again. glad i could bring back some of those memories.
Jennifer and MArcoBerlin,
thanks for the kind words,
foster
Travels with Charley indeed. Steinbeckian images from the Great Recession. Cannery Row and Grapes of Wrath. Your journey seems timeless, through empty open spaces, and yet there are wonderful little clues of the time – the 99% sign, for instance. Keep on truckin’!
thanks Christian. im having a blast and trying to focus on places where time doesnt really affect much. i like the open road rather than stoplights.
foster
[...] To our surprise we saw not one break but a handful of pealing, uninhabited waves. A far-cry from Southern California: just a single team of two surfers taking turns riding a wave and driving a jet ski. With the [...]