The Redondo Beach Pier

I’ve always called this the Redondo Beach Pier or the Redondo Pier.  I guess I never noticed the sign that simply refers to it as “THE PIER”.  I’ve got nothing against Redondo Beach or its pier.  It’s a nice town and the pier is a pretty fun destination every once in a while.  But I think it’s a little lame for the town to call its pier, “THE PIER” especially when there are so many other lovely piers within a short drive.  In fact, if you do a Google search for “THE PIER”, the Redondo Pier isn’t on any of the first few pages of image results.  I think the folks that decided to make the sign should have done some focus group testing or checked Google before referring to their pier as “THE PIER”.

The Redondo Pier, Perspective 1

The Redondo Pier, Perspective 2

The Redondo Pier, Perspective 3

The Sign for The Pier

Santa Monica Sunset

I wasn’t able to do a shoot this morning because I had to be at work early.  Not to worry, I figured.  Since I work at the Water Gardens, if I could get out of work at a decent hour, then I’d be able to head west a few blocks to shoot a nice sunset at the Santa Monica Pier.

Well, I was treated to one of those very vibrantly colored sunsets that just makes you feel so alive and happy to be outside.  The weather was warm and there was hardly a breeze in the air.  It really doesn’t get much better than this – at least not in Los Angeles.

I know the image is a bit cliché but given that I’m only 2 weeks into my 365 and I hadn’t shot anything else all day, I wasn’t about to let unoriginality stall what will be a yearlong project.  I figure I can be more original some other day.  So I plopped my tripod down not too far from a few other photographers who probably walked away with same images I got.

Santa Monica Pier, Perspective 1

Santa Monica Pier, Perspective 2

Roller Coaster and Ferris Wheel

The Gillis Jetty

Today’s target:  the Gillis Jetty.  Actually, it’s more like a pile of big rocks and some rusty metal.  It’s kind of a sorry excuse for a jetty.  It seems that the folks who built it didn’t even finish building it.  I’m sure there is some good story around why it looks the way it does, but I’m not aware of it.  Whatever the case, it’s still called the Gillis Jetty and I was going to shoot it.

I got rained on a bit at the beginning of the shoot, but after running for shelter on the lifeguard tower a couple times I was able to get the shots I wanted for today’s shoot.

The Gillis Jetty, Perspective 1

The Gillis Jetty, Perspective 2

The Gillis Jetty, Perspective 3

Looking Towards D&W

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