Edge of San Diego: Capturing the 100-Mile View
Captured on-site, Alex Seger, 2017.
Most San Diego landscape photography focuses directly on the coastline. This shot actually uses it as more of a boundary, adding effect and range to the image.
I was driving a windy mountain road miles east of the city when I caught a glimpse of something through the dense treeline. It was a natural break in the branches looking straight West toward the Pacific.
I immediately flipped a U-turn, pulled over, and walked back to find that exact sliver.
The Setup: Telephoto Landscape Compression I set up my tripod, pulled out my Sony a7III, and mounted the 70-200mm lens. Autofocus struggles when shooting through foreground obstacles, so I used manual zoom focusing to guarantee the horizon line was tack-sharp past the blurred branches.
Telephoto landscape photography is all about compression. The 70-200mm pulls the background forward, squeezing miles of geography into one cohesive frame.
The Geography If you look closely, the details emerge. You can see the distinct silhouette of the downtown San Diego skyline, the curve of the Coronado Bridge, and the Islas Coronado floating off the coast of Mexico in the distance. From the dark mountain peaks in the foreground to the ocean, it is a 100-mile view of Southern California.
Why Black and White? Shooting over that much geography means dealing with atmospheric haze, which inevitably washes out color. Processing this as a black and white landscape photograph was a necessary and intentional choice. Stripping the color away forces the focus onto the contrast between the heavy mountain shadows and the bright reflection of the water.
Get the Print This piece is available in the store as a fine art landscape print. It is professionally printed on premium archival paper to museum-quality standards. The deep blacks and sharp contrast translate exactly how they should on the wall. All orders ship free. Link
Join the List Want a shot at free art? I run monthly print giveaways and send out exclusive discounts to my email list. Check out the link here to enter the current giveaway!