Big Sur coastline in Northern California has some very interesting rock formations. At some places the coastline is rugged while at other places large sea stacks and rock formations have interesting erosion patterns such as the one shown in this image. This rock at Pfeiffer Beach, with it's interesting hues and textures, has a naturally formed passage that opens up to the Pacific ocean on the other side. The passage was created by the erosive forces of crashing waves over hundreds and thousands of years.

During winter months the angle of the sun is such that at sunset a beam of light can be seen passing through the opening in the rock face. In addition large waves constantly gush through the opening creating splashes with the small rocks in the front. I was happy to capture all of these natural phenomena in this image.

I shot this image on the last day of Year 2009 and particularly for that year I liked how symbolically this image represented how my year was coming to an end. It was a great end to the year and a ray of hope for the coming year... hence the title!

Tech Info and Tip:
Lens: Canon EF 70-200 f/4L IS @ 93mm
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Exposure: 1/3sec at f/13 and ISO 400
Filters: LEE ND Grads 0.9 soft edge for rock face and 0.75 hard edge for foreground rocks
(Merzeta photo of the day winner on Jan 05 2010)

Big Sur coastline in Northern California has some very interesting rock formations. At some places the coastline is rugged while at other places large sea stacks and rock formations have interesting erosion patterns such as the one shown in this image. This rock at Pfeiffer Beach, with it's interesting hues and textures, has a naturally formed passage that opens up to the Pacific ocean on the other side. The passage was created by the erosive forces of crashing waves over hundreds and thousands of years.

During winter months the angle of the sun is such that at sunset a beam of light can be seen passing through the opening in the rock face. In addition large waves constantly gush through the opening creating splashes with the small rocks in the front. I was happy to capture all of these natural phenomena in this image.

I shot this image on the last day of Year 2009 and particularly for that year I liked how symbolically this image represented how my year was coming to an end. It was a great end to the year and a ray of hope for the coming year... hence the title!

Tech Info and Tip:
Lens: Canon EF 70-200 f/4L IS @ 93mm
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Exposure: 1/3sec at f/13 and ISO 400
Filters: LEE ND Grads 0.9 soft edge for rock face and 0.75 hard edge for foreground rocks
(Merzeta photo of the day winner on Jan 05 2010)