Sunset Cliffs

I'd never truly visited Sunset Cliffs - despite having been in San Diego for the better part of 2 decades. Sure, I'd driven along the cliffs, but was always squeezing it in on my way someplace else. Today, I wanted to go to the ocean. And while Sunset Cliffs doesn't scream "Sunrise!", I'll give it a go anyway.

4:00am: Leaving the house, the light is crappy. A thick fog hangs in the air. Driving toward the shore, it's not releasing its grip on the earth.

4:30am: Park the car, walk to the vantage I'd roughly selected the prior evening. Briefly consider scaling down the cliffs to rocky shoreline, but my inner wimp quickly squashes that notion. Not a safe descent in the best of conditions, far more risky in darkness.

4:50am: The fog has lifted, the uniform cloud cover has not. Setup a foot or two from the cliff edge and compose the frame. The wind off the sea is hard and brisk. Worried about camera shake, I stand between the wind and the tripod, shielding the camera as best I can for the 2 to 3 minute exposures.

5:15am: Colors shift from artificial amber to purple hues. A hint of pink in the sky. The wind is even stronger now, my ears are actually getting cold. Forget camera shake - I'm experiencing photographer shake. :)

Sunset Cliffs, San Diego

5:20am: Hues are sliding to blue, but dull.

The main photo taken, I did spend another 30-45 minutes exploring the other areas of Sunset Cliffs, including the one safe access point to the shoreline. I'm sure I'll visit Sunset Cliffs again...maybe actually at sunset next time!