527 - Panther Beach
With a name like Panther Beach, it better have a damn good sunset.
Jesus, that’s a great opening line. One that I’ve been staring at for about 45 minutes now. I’m sitting in a Starbucks with a half eaten everything bagel, headphones that are too big for me, and a grande ice water. And I’m not in the mood to type this thing up.
There’s a hot chick sitting in the sun right outside the window that’s way too distracting, I’m listening to Odesza scrapping for every ounce of inspiration I can find, and my hands are just hovering over the keyboard, like lazy soldiers waiting for orders.
I ponder if it’s even possible for me to do this write-up. Or if I’m just going to keep complaining like a little bitch for the next hour.
I guess you’ll find out.
For context, I ran a half-marathon yesterday. I followed that up with a Chipotle burrito, a fried chicken sandwich, and five cookies right after. Passed out, and now my body is processing everything, everywhere, all at once. (Good movie.)
But you know what? Let’s start this story because I’m not leaving this god-forsaken caffeine trap until it’s done.
The adventure all started in a shady YMCA parking lot after a long workout.
And since you can’t tell from these write-ups, I’ll just go ahead tell you that I’m in better shape than a fucking cheetah. I’m slowly approaching a year of working out everyday, and it’s been quite the journey. So yes, I’m going to brag about it.
The plan today (after a fantastic freaking workout) was to meet up with an old acquaintance from Colorado. My goal as of lately has been to meet some other photographers. You know. Show my face in the “scene.”
That’s a catch-phrase I picked up in LA, by the way. Being part of “the scene.” Truly revolutionary.
My buddy’s name is Daniel, and he was a friend of a friend that I used to hike 14ers with in Colorado. Neither of us knew we were both in the Bay Area until recently, and he’s been getting deeper into photography lately, so we figured we’d shoot the shit on the shore.
The destination we had in mind was Panther Beach, which is a tad north of Santa Cruz. It was actually right next to Shark Fin Cove, an extremely popular beach I’d hit a few years back.
Now it was time to return, but to the little known beach next door. I’m growing up, guys. 🥲
Panther Beach apparently had this small arch in the rocks, which was the main reason we chose it. However, there wasn’t much info about it online because it was overshadowed by Shark Fin Cove next door. Pro-tip, this is how you find the best places.
However upon arrival, I decided I wasn’t feeling the arch at all after a few quick testies.
That’s actually a pretty great term. “Testies” to refer to test shots? Sold.
So I decided to try my luck on the other side of the beach. There were some interesting rock formations going on... And after navigating a sketchy little cliff, I landed upon this sea shelf that tickled my fancy:
“The Sun Mantle”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 250 ~ 17mm ~ f/14 ~ 1s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
Got-damn. Those edges are sexy as hell.
Fun fact, this is actually three photos in one. One is the rock face, one is the slow-motion water in the backdrop with a perfect wave break, and the last one is the sky exposed correctly. What a classic.
I kept moving along. It was time for part II of this masterpiece.
The sun dipped behind the rock, and the sky exploded with color. And bathe in it I did:
“Colored Contour”
Taken with Sony a7rIII + Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8
[ISO 400 ~ 17mm ~ f/14 ~ 3.2s]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
That S curve appeared seemingly out of nowhere on my way off the rocks. If you look closely, you’ll notice the previous shot’s location can be seen on the corner.
Inception, baby.
Finally my seascape portfolio is starting to get some meat and potatoes in it. I walked off happy as a clam.
And yeah. That’s it for this story. I did it. STORY COMPLETE.
Stay tuned for the next adventure, where I find an abandoned dam in the middle of the woods. I’m probably going to edit it right now because my momentum is flowing like your girlfriend’s period. BYE.
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
Want to see my progress? Check out the Adventure Map.
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