Sea lions at Point Arena, CA, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC

Point Arena was one of my favorite spots in the Mendocino area, and that's why I went there twice leaving behind some other places.

The first day I got rain and fog. The second time I got Sun and a very bright day.

As you can imagine, this image was made on the first day. It's a long exposure of some sea lions hanging out on those rocks. I was hoping they wouldn't move too much for a few minutes so they'd still look sharp enough. And looks like I was right, they didn't move a lot.

You can find more photos from Northern California in the archive.

"Ghosts of Mendocino" - Mendocino Headlands, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 80mm f/2.8
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Kodak D76

You can't go wrong with the Mendocino area at sunset time. This photo was taken from the Mendocino Headlands, a long exposure of about 5 minutes using an ND Filter.

You can notice a person on top of the rock. I thought he'd be there for just a few seconds and leave, so he wouldn't be in the image at all. But that guy stood there for more than a couple minutes - or half of my exposure. I knew he was going to be there, somehow.

But I like the result! He's still easily removable from there but I decided to kept the ghostly figure. I think it adds something to the photo and maybe... just maybe... even tells a story (stories in landscape photographs is something I've thought a lot about, and I don't think it's a thing... but this might be a good topic for a whole new post).

Mendocino Headlands, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5+
Exposure: 800
Developer: Kodak D76

The coast of Mendocino is stunning, showcasing incredible rock formations and intimidating cliffs.

Compared to the coast just a bit further north, you can notice an obvious difference: the lack of trees.

This can be a blessing for landscape photography, since you don't have to go down dangerous slopes trying to find a vantage point. It comes with disadvantages though: the landscape can look dull at times.

Here, I found a nice spot where the combination of some (but not too many) trees and the coast create a frame that I really like. I actually took a few exposures here trying to create the effect I was after.

I knew I wanted no details on the trees, just almost pure black silhouettes against the rough sea in the background. The trees were not as simple as I'd wish for, so I tried to include some empty space -both in the foreground and the background- to make the photo a bit less busy.

Mendocino, November 2017

Camera and Lens: Bronica SQ-Ai, Zenzanon PS 150mm f/4
Film stock: Ilford HP5
Exposure: 800
Developer: Ilfotec HC