New Release of Space Dinghies!

8/28/2020  |  Monterey, California

Check out my new photographs 'Space Dinghies' and 'Space Dinghies in a Row'! I took these two photographs on June 8, 2020 at Monterey, California in the early morning hours before the shops on Fisherman's Wharf opened. I love how these little boats seem to float in black space as if they are spaceships docked at some space station in another universe.

boats on wharf Monterey California
Space Dinghies in a Row
Monterey California

Limited Edition of 100 Museum Grade, Fine Art Prints.

Photographing at Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey has always been a treat for me. I love getting there early in the morning before the shops open so I have to place to myself. I loved isolating the two center dinghies in 'Space Dinghies' but I also wanted a photograph of all of them. I love the color of the various little boats and how they float on the sea of black in the early morning light. I love this concept of these boats sitting in dark water as if sitting in the vastness of space being docked at some space station in another universe. I was standing above them looking almost straight down and I love this perspective.

For this image I shot multiple vertical images hand held as I leaned over the railing and panned from left to right as I shot using the line of the dock to keep my reference point. I then stitched all of those images together in Adobe Lightroom and cropped the image to this 1:3 ratio panoramic.

Space Dinghies in a Row shown as a 20x60 inch Aluminum Mount print in a Roma, Matte White frame.

boats in water Monterey CA
Space Dinghies
Monterey, California

Limited Edition of 100 Museum Grade, Fine Art Prints.

Snooping around Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey early in the morning has its privileges. For one, no one else is around. 30 years ago when I lived in Monterey I frequently went to the wharf early in the morning. On this trip I did it again and it paid off! I loved finding these dinghies tied to the pier and the perspective of looking straight down on them gave such an interesting view. The black water of the early morning makes them look as if they are floating in a sea of black space as if they are docked at a space station somewhere in another universe. I really love the peeling paint of green and yellow and the rustic blue and white on these old boats.

Space Dinghies shown as a 20x30 inch Aluminum Mount print in a Black Liner and Roma Rustic White frame.

sunset on the ocean, california
Rock'n Sunset
ASILOMAR STATE BEACH, CALIFORNIA

Limited Edition of 100 Museum Grade, Fine Art Prints.

This photograph is part of my 'Sunset Splash' Series all taken June 7-8, 2020 on the stretch of coastline from Pebble Beach near China Rock to Pacific Grove on the Asilomar State Beach.

Photographing the sunset over the ocean is always one of my favorite things to do. The trick can be finding interesting foregrounds and capturing the action of the waves. I loved how the waves were splashing on the rock in the lower third so I timed it just as the sun was going down and luckily captured a wonderful splash at the right moment.

Asilomar State Beach is one of the best beaches on the Monterey Peninsula. The beautiful white sands stretch for a mile along the rugged coastline and are bordered on the ends with fields of rocks. Asilomar (meaning "Asylum or refuge by the sea" and pronounced a-SIL-o-mar) is a combination of two Spanish words: "asilo" and "mar" See this blog post if you would like to read more about the Monterey area.

Shown as a 40x60 inch print in a Roma Dark Ash frame.

Monterey is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it was the capital of Alta California under both Spain (1804 to 1821) and Mexico (1822 to 1836). During this period, Monterey hosted California's first theater, public building, public library, publicly funded school, printing press, and newspaper. It was originally the only port of entry for all taxable goods in California. In 1846 during the Mexican–American War, the United States flag was raised over the Customs House. After California was ceded to the U.S. after the war, Monterey hosted California's first constitutional convention in 1849.

The city occupies a land area of 8.466 sq mi (21.93 km2) and the city hall is at 26 feet (8 m) above sea level. The 2010 census recorded a population of 27,810.

Monterey and surrounding area have attracted artists since the late 19th century and many celebrated painters and writers have lived there. Until the 1950s, there was an abundant fishery. Among Monterey's present-day attractions are the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf, California Roots Music and Arts Festival, and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival.

Fisherman's Wharf is a historic wharf in Monterey, California, United States. Used as an active wholesale fish market into the 1960s, the wharf eventually became a tourist attraction as commercial fishing tapered off in the area.

Fisherman's Wharf is technically known as The Old Fisherman's Wharf, to distinguish it from the current commercial wharf (known as Municipal Wharf #2).

Fisherman's Wharf was built by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company in 1870 for the loading and unloading of passengers and goods. The wharf was also used by other commercial operations, and the city of Monterey took ownership in 1913. The wharf was expanded through 1920.[1]

In 1923, while an unusually large shipment of sardines was being loaded onto the S.S. San Antonio, bad weather caused the ship to lean on the wharf, and 132 feet of the wharf collapsed. When the wharf was reconstructed, it was extended by 750 feet.

Municipal Wharf II was constructed in 1926. After World War II, the sardine population in Monterey Bay collapsed. With the contraction of the fishing industry, Old Fisherman's Wharf reoriented its business focus toward tourism.

Fisherman's Wharf is lined with seafood restaurants ranging from casual, open-air clam bars, to formal indoor dining with views of the bay. Along with Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf is one of the few areas in Monterey that sells souvenirs, so the restaurants are interspersed with gift shops, jewelry stores, art galleries, and candy shops. Whale watching tours and fishing trips leave from the wharf, and sea lions often sleep on the pilings, buoys, and moored boats in the bay.

At the entrance to the wharf is Custom House Plaza, the historical center of Monterey. Here you will find the Custom House, the first government building in California and the location where the United States took Monterey from Mexico in 1846. The Monterey Maritime Museum is also located in Custom House Plaza, detailing both the maritime and cultural history of Monterey and the surrounding area. Many other historic buildings are located in this plaza. It is also the location of the last whalebone sidewalk in the United States.

Accessible almost exclusively to pedestrians, Fisherman's Wharf is located at the end of the Alvarado Mall, just west of the municipal wharf on Lighthouse Avenue. It is also on the Coastal Recreation Trail, providing pedestrian access to Cannery Row and Pacific Grove From Memorial Day to Labor Day the city of Monterey provides a free trolley service to Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. A favorite activity on the wharf, for both tourists and locals, is sailing on the Monterey Bay along Cannery Row.