Day 4, part 5
Day four starts early to set up the sunrise view of Seal Beach. To the left, you see tan sandy beaches and craggy volcanic rocks breaking the waves. To the right are tidal pools filled with sea creatures.

Photo Tip: Keep a microfiber cloth handy when photographing near water to wipe the droplets off your lens. Otherwise, you get photos with water drops and have to “fix” it in post.… Which I had to do with this photo.

Photo Tip: Look around when taking photos; look at the ground or try the same shot at a different angle.
I am fond of the sand waves or ripples created by the surf, tide, or wind; to create abstract or textured images.


Sunset was the devil’s punchbowl. Spoilers, there is no punch. It was a sea cave, but the top collapsed, so it’s more of a round area with walls. It was also a hard shot; below is the best I could do in post-production.

The rock formation walls are high enough to stop the afternoon sun, but the afternoon sun is hitting everything around the punch bowl. Which results in a photo being too dark and too bright at the same time. There is a way to capture the images, but I lack the skill and, more importantly, the patience to achieve the image. I was happier taking photos of the golden sunlight hitting the beach; also, looking down at the punchbowl isn’t a compiling view; the great shot is at the ground level looking through that archway on the right.

See what I mean, Ocean view > punchbowl.
