Abandoned Pier - Davenport, California

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In my continual drive to create quality photos on my lunch breaks, I present a photo from my first trip down to the beach at Davenport's abandoned pier.

This time out, I wanted to keep the hiking to a minimum, even if it meant a little more driving to get there. Four Mile requires a little bit of a walk to get to the shelves where the photo ops get good. Every time I've gone there, I wind up running late back to work which leads to those unnecessary guilt feelings. I figured if I drove a little further to a spot with easier access, it may cut down on my time.

Heading up Highway 1, the sky looked somewhat promising. Not "epic" promising, but what originally looked like more fog than clouds, started looking more like clouds and less fog. I passed on Shark Fin Cove (aka Panther Beach to some) as a couple of my contacts have shot there recently, and I feared of being too redundant. I decided to scout the old abandoned pier in Davenport. Rumor has it you can only access this beach from a steep trail straight down or a trail to the south at low tide. There was no low tide tonight for Door #2. Door #1 it is.

I was alone, so I didn't want to risk life and limb and have no one know where I was, so if it wasn't for the three girls taking pictures of themselves down on the beach, I might have wimped out. I puffed up my chest and thought to myself "If the girls could get down there, so could I". Hey, whatever it takes, you know?

Half way down, there does exist a little drop off which is kinda tricky for a big guy like myself. One must consider weight a factor when all the loose rock and gravel is seemingly peeling away from the cliff side. This is flat, shale type rock in layers and it does break off easily. I did make it, obviously, although that tricky spot left my legs a little wobbly and quickened my pulse.

Once on the beach, I quickly set up, tried a few angles, and luckily the composition I envisioned, with the sun setting under the first structure, presented itself. I did blend a darker shot for the area directly around the sun, and two lighter exposures for the pier structures themselves. The warm light completely disappeared within minutes, so my timing was perfect, albeit unplanned. The clouds rolled in and darkened the sky. I shot a few more images with longer exposures to smooth the water, but in the end, the image posted here captured the scene much better with those winter swells rolling in.

The climb up was easier, I just had to keep telling myself not to look down. I'm starting to think I might suffer from mild vertigo. The tricky spot, in the end, was tougher going down, much to my relief.

I'd love to visit this location again, but it certainly is a steep trail.

I may have to explore Door #2.

Nikon D300
Nikkor 12-24mm @ 15mm
f16, ISO 100
B+W Polarizer Filter
Lee .9 Hard & .9 Soft GND Filters

Taken on: January 6, 2009

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Camera: Nikon D300, f/16.0, 1 sec, 15mm (=22mm) (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D300
Aperture:	f/16.0
Exposure Time:	1
Focal Length:	15mm (35mm equivalent: 22mm)
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Center-weighted average
White Balance:	Manual
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 Windows
Show full info

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