I was there too
More than a decade ago, I spent some time in Santa Cruz along with the rest of Automattic for the Grand Meetup that year. I’ve already posted a few sunrise photos on the beach, but these photos of surfers riding the waves have been in my TODO folder for a long time.
| Aperture | ƒ/4 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/2000s |
The setting sun caught between the supports of Ventura Pier in California.
| Aperture | ƒ/11 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1250s |
Visiting the Mural Room in the Courthouse of Santa Barbara was a treat I was not expecting. The murals depict the history of the region, sometimes inaccurately, as they include Peter Pan, Robin Hood and Errol Flynn!
| Aperture | ƒ/2.2 |
| Camera | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Focal length | 2.2mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/30s |
Santa Monica Pier stretches out into the sea, but halfway out is a funfair including a roller coaster and ferris wheel, of all things. On a sunny day it’s a sight to behold. The place is thronged with people too!
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
The waves roll in on the beach at Ventura Beach while the pier extends out into the sea. The pier was damaged in storms and closed in early 2023, but still made for a great subject at sunset.
I have so many photos of this pier from that night. I’ll be posting photos of it again over the next year or two.
| Aperture | ƒ/11 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 41mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/6s |
A mural on a wall in Santa Barbara shows George Floyd, and his words, “PLEASE, I CAN’T BREATHE”.
The mural was painted by Griffin Lounsbury and Chad (Chadillac Green) Westmoreland. Here’s an article about the mural by a local newspaper.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 32mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
I had no idea what make this car was when it drove past, but Google Images says it’s probably a Cadillac of some sort from the 1960s. It looked beautiful, whatever it was, and the guy driving knew it too.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1600s |
A wooden fence lies forgotten in the sands of the beach in Santa Monica. Lifeguard Tower 15 stands in the background of this photo, just beyond all the food carts.
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 200 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
Santa Monica Pier is hard to miss, but if you didn’t know where Muscle Beach or North Beach were, here’s a sign to help you.
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 27mm |
| ISO | 320 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
It’s thirsty work playing on a beach when you’re a dog. You need water to quench your thirst after chasing a ball all afternoon.
There weren’t too many dogs at the beach, but I was surprised to see them. This was also the only place on our trip to the US that we saw dog excrement on the ground, nestled in the sand at the shoreline. It’s great to play or walk with your dog on a beach, but there’s a responsibility to clean up after them too.
Beautiful beach too, looking out on the Pacific, an oil platform and Anacapa Island in the distance.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 75mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/800s |
