October 2021 Activity: Dawn at the Tide Pools

Please join our president Alexander S. Kunz for our October 2021 photography activity, for which we’ll meet in La Jolla to make photos at the tide pools of Hospital Point, at dawn.

As usual, this is not a Sierra Club outing. You may join, leave, participate as you wish on the scheduled date, and at your own risk. Please continue reading for the details.

The La Jolla tide pools at Hospital Point with their fascinating bedrock full of channels, tide falls, potholes, puddles and concretions are one of the most-photographed features of the San Diego coast line. Most photographs are made there at sunset, but sunrise can be an equally or even more rewarding time, even though we’re facing away from the rising sun: the tide pool features will be in even light, and the dawn sky to the west won’t be as bright – offering a more controllable contrast range for photographs.

Details

• Date & Time: Saturday, October 23rd, 2021, meet 6:15 AM (sunrise will be ~7 AM)
• Location: ~402 Coast Blvd, La Jolla (Google Maps “Concrete steps to the beach”)
• Street parking, no admission
• No RSVP is necessary – be there and join the fun!

Depending on the weather, the tide pools will remain shaded until about 7:30 AM. If we have high clouds we’ll get beautiful color. When it’s cloudless, the belt of Venus and twilight colors will add beautiful purple and pink. When it’s overcast, we’ll focus more on the details and make use of the even light, maybe for some long exposures. We’ll postpone the event only if there’s rain.

Suggested Gear

In addition to your camera (always helpful to have that one!), Alexander suggests the following gear for this activity:

• Camera with wide angle lens (full frame: 16-35mm or similar, crop: 12-24mm or similar)
• Sturdy tripod
• Neutral density filters for longer exposure times to blur the water (3-stop/6-stop, 10-stop for really long exposures)
• Polarizing filter to control glare, if needed (polarizers also add between 1.5 and 2.5 stops of exposure time)
• Remote/cable release

ATTENTION: the rocks, especially when they’re covered with algae or just a little bit of sand, can be VERY slippery. You need stable footing, wear good shoes, and walk carefully. This is NOT a Sierra Club outing; you participate at your own risk.

Hope to see you there!

On that same day in the afternoon, join our member Jodie Hulden at the artist reception of the exhibition “Visions4 – Narratives in Photography”, featuring Jodie herself together with works by Will Gibson, Charles Ingham, and Kurt Lightfoot.

• Location: Gallery 21, Spanish Village Art Center, Balboa Park, San Diego
• Exhibition Duration: October 20 through November 1, 2021 (open daily 11 am to 4 pm)
• Artist Reception: Saturday, October 23, 1 pm to 4 pm
• More information: www.kurtlightfoot.com/visions4