Typically when I take a photo trip I try to go to some new spots - it’s actually very tempting to keep going back to the same places that dazzled you before. It only took an evening of glassy-eyed googling to pinpoint Shark Fin Cove as a must-see destination, and in mid-July I was cruising down the coast toward Santa Cruz.
The “clouds” are actually fast-moving fog and it never really caught any color from the sunset, so in post-processing I used a filter to change the tint of the sky. I’ve only very recently started doing this, because I felt guilty about inventing a pretty sky, and then I saw a quick video by this fantastic photographer I follow on Instagram - a video about how to improve your post-proc techniques - and I watched as he changed an almost colorless sky to something pink and purple and gold. Now, anyone who has spent time photographing nature knows that it’s incredibly hard to predict a good sunset. In fact, replacing skies in post-proc has become so popular that I think the latest version of Lightroom includes it as an option. So sometimes, when you see that stunning landscape photo with the crazy clouds and colors…it’s been added in. Purists everywhere are weeping, I know.
You can see the natural daytime colors of the cove, about two hours prior to the photo above, here:
And below is how I processed for post-sunset using the general vibe of the cold coast.
Lastly, I just have to say that there is absolutely no way for me to see, hear, or even think the words ‘shark fin cove’ without immediately hearing ‘shark’s fin soup, madame!’ from the classic comedy Clue. I know I’m not the only one. Thanks for visiting!