The Manhattan Sea Wall, Part 2

Yesterday, I had so much fun shooting the runners and bicyclers trying to avoid the big splash off the rocks, I decided to give the location another go-round.  This time, I was prepare with a longer lens which meant that I wouldn’t necessarily need to be in the impact zone to get a good shot of what was going on.

There were a lot of close calls for bikers and runners alike.  In the pictures below, you’ll see what happened to one unlucky runner and one runner who manages to dodge a big one.

Agony of Defeat

Thrill of Victory

The Manhattan Sea Wall

There isn’t really a Manhattan Sea Wall.  Usually.  But with the recent surf eroding all the sand, there is a stretch of the bike path where there is basically no sand on a higher tide and the waves break right onto the rocks.  So when you get some bigger surf with a high tide, you can see some pretty big waves explode onto the rocks and send a plume of whitewater onto the bike path.  Right now, there is a sea wall just north of 45th St.

I thought, “Hey, isn’t that cool? Maybe I should shoot it.“  Well, I only had my wide angle lens so without getting really close, the big splashes of whitewater didn’t really look as good in the pictures so I had to get closer.  So, I got a little closer – maybe a little too close.  Luckily, I didn’t get the camera wet, but I did pay the price by shielding it with my body.  My jacket was waterproof.  My sweatpants were not.

I got a major adrenaline rush waiting for the big waves to break on the rocks.  The thunderous crash of the wave against the rock sounds so close that it just sounds like you’re about to get swallowed up by this thing.  I think I’m going to come back tomorrow with a slightly longer lens.

Here are the images.  First a sequence from a safer vantage point.  Then a few from a not-so-safe one.  And finally, a self portrait after getting splashed.

Splash Sequence

Big Splash, Up Close and Personal

Foamy Bike Path

Pieces of rock broken off by waves

What happens when you get too close

Manhattan Beach Pier

Grabbed a few shots of the MB Pier this morning before catching a few waves.

Manhattan Beach Pier, Perspective 1

Manhattan Beach Pier, Perspective 2

Manhattan Beach Pier, Perspective 3

D&W South Jetty

I’m not sure if this jetty has a name, but it’s the southern most jetty at Dockweiler Beach.  It was nice not having to worry about the rain this morning, but the lack of cloud cover definitely shortened the amount of time that I had to do the long exposure shots.  There were a few clouds in the sky as you can see in these images, but not enough to cut the light in any significant way.  I was barely able to get my three perspectives on the jetty before the skies were way brighter than the foreground causing clipping on the histogram.

Today, I shot with a Canon 5D with a 28-80mm L lens.

D&W South Jetty, Perspective 1

D&W South Jetty, Perspective 2

D&W South Jetty, Perspective 3

I Turned Right This Morning

I have this habit of turning left when I get to the beach because that is how I go to head down to my local spot.  In fact, when I think about it, that is kind of how I surf.  I probably go left on waves 90% of the time.

This morning, I decided to break from my habit and I turned right and I was happy I did.  I was pretty happy with my results from this morning’s shoot.  It started to rain just as I started walking back to the car so I timed it pretty nicely.  Lucky me.

Cement Jetty Perspective 1

Cement Jetty Perspective 2

A Break in the Rain

I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a chance to shoot this morning, but luckily there was enough of a break in the rain that I got to snap a few shots.  The surf was considerably bigger than yesterday.  There were a couple times when I thought I was going to get drenched by the waves crashing against the jetty, but I got lucky today.

Long Exposure at the Grand Jetty

Morning Light