A Real Life Painting at Ocean Beach – The story behind the picture

Lands End Lookout and Everywhere Around It
Sunsets on the west side of the city are hard to beat, especially when you catch them at a place that looks like it was created just for golden hour. Lands End is one of my favorite spots, picturesque scenery notwithstanding, because it’s easy to forget that the hubbub of downtown SF is just a few miles away.

Wooded trails stretch towards the Golden Gate Bridge in the east, and the sandy dunes of Ocean Beach lay out towards the south. The abandoned ruins of Sutro Baths, craggy remains of what used to be a recreational swimming facility, are nestled into the cliffs where waves crash into the shore. The creamy white exteriors of the Cliff House and Camera Obscura structures shine bright and soften to a golden hue as the day draws to a close. The setting sun always paints the cliffs in red and orange that contrasts against the teal and blue of the Pacific Ocean.

Suffice to say, there are so many photo opportunities in this northwest corner of the city.

Sunset on the Beach
For this photowalk, I pulled up to the Lands End Lookout about an hour before sunset. I first walked down to the ruins to get some ground level shots of Sutro Baths and Heart Rock. Being right next to the battering waves was a thrilling (and slightly nerve wracking) experience while I tried to stabilize the camera against the wind and salt spray.

From there, I made my way down Point Lobos Avenue towards the Cliff House. At this point, the sun had begun to make its journey down the sky and the white walls were bathed in a golden wash. I spent my time walking around this building, capturing different angles and the occasional seagull. Even with the late afternoon sun beaming down on the coast, the area around the Camera Obscura gallery was deceptively windy. The IBIS of my E-M5 II came in handy against the gusts of wind, and the M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 PRO allowed me to both zoom in on the details of the house and also capture the rusty gold tones of the cliffs. With the light constantly changing, I had my camera set on auto mode for this entire walk.

Setting the Scene
I had taken a few shots of people enjoying the beach when I noticed a person walking towards the water. At this point, the sun was almost level with the horizon, lighting the sky in pink and orange. It would have taken me too long to get down to the sand and set up a silhouette shot, but there was something about this woman being the lone figure against the moving water that added an extra dimension to what would have been a typical sunset picture. Rather than have her be perfectly centered, I liked how she took up space in the bottom right corner, creating curved patterns in the water and giving something to draw the eye to.

I took a few test shots in landscape orientation, but I felt that portrait balanced the composition better with having the sun directly in the middle and the water extending upwards. I did some post-processing in Lightroom to make the image warmer to highlight the red and orange sky, and also decreased the clarity just a tiny bit to make the picture more dreamy.

Until Next Time
Since springtime is just beginning in the Bay, I’m sure I’ll be taking plenty more trips to Ocean Beach. In my eagerness to capture as many shots in this area around golden hour, I often forget that it’s perfectly acceptable to just sit and feel the wind on my face, and take in the scenery around me. This picture is a good reminder to do just that.