Garrapata State Park Sunset — Nathaniel Young

Garrapata State Park Sunset | Sony Alpha a7R II + 16-35mm f/2.8 GM @ 24mm, f/11, ISO 100, 1/2 sec

Earlier this spring, my mom and I took a day trip down to Garrapata State Park. It was a nice warm day and the coastal breeze felt good. We spent the evening hiking around the loop and up the to the top of the point – which is the subject that I ended up photographing at sunset. There were not too many clouds which was a little disappointing, but there were a few high-altitude ones that moved over the hill as the sun set. We enjoyed the scenery as we watched the warm light paint the landscape and the clouds slowly catch a nice yellow hue.

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the yellow hue started fading, I started packing up my camera; however, a few minutes later, I noticed that the clouds had turned to a prettier pink color. I quickly pulled my camera back out to put on my tripod that I had not moved yet to capture the scene once more. In the foreground, I tried to capture some interesting water motion with the waves. To do this, I used a ND filter to slow my shutter speed down a bit and tried to time the wave to line up in the middle of the frame. I think this helps add some interest to what would otherwise be an empty part of the frame. Overall, I am pleased with the final photo with the soft colors and water motion in the foreground. And if it were not for those clouds, I do not think I would have a photo that I liked.

Testing out the Peak Design Travel Tripod

Aside from the lovely coastal scenery, this hike was also quite enjoyable since I took a lightweight and minimal kit. I often struggle with the dilemma of how much camera gear to take without weighing myself down on a hike; and the first piece of gear that gets left behind is the tripod. This was the first time that I used my Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod, and it fits nicely in the water bottle side pocket of my hiking bag. Since it is also so light and compact, I did not have to contemplate too much if I wanted to carry an extra item around for the hike. As for how it performs as a tripod, it holds my camera well so long as it is not too windy. The build quality is good, and you do not need to worry about it breaking. I already dropped mine on cement on the first day of use, and while it got a couple scratches, it still works perfectly fine. Generally, I try not to extend the center column for any tripod as relying on the friction of the center column tightening knob will not make for the most stable setup. Unfortunately, to tilt or rotate the head, you need to lift the center column a bit so that the head can move freely. Overall, it is a nice tripod, and while it will not replace my other tripod, I will look forward to using it in cases where weight or size is at a premium.

Overall, I enjoyed this trip with my mom a lot. The hike and scenery were great, and while there were only a few clouds, the sunset was still awesome to catch. We even saw a snake on our hike which was a bit startling, but not harmful. And along the drive, we stopped in Carmel-by-the-Sea for lunch. After much indecisiveness, we had some nice fish sandwiches from Flaherty’s Seafood Grill and Oyster Bar. Aside from all these things, I am forever thankful for the time we can spend together. And finally, to my mom, Happy Mother’s Day!