It was overcast, and the sun hadn’t yet risen. Those were just the conditions I was hoping for as I headed to the seashore to do some long-exposure seascapes along Ocean View Blvd. in Pacific Grove.

I had my black and white camera on a tripod, and was shooting with a 35mm or 50mm lens, stopped down to f/11. Other settings were ISO 160, and shutter speeds of around half a minute.

The challenge was finding compositions where there was enough water to get the long-exposure effect, but also interesting rock formations. For this first one, I found a channel leading out to sea that’s also a curve. I think this was the most successful composition of the day.

A different spot with a rock in the center of the flowing water.

This one is more about rocks than water.

A strong rock foreground, then lots of sea and sky.

In Monterey, the sea lions are not afraid of people. I think, unfortunately, they’ve been fed by tourists.

They lie in a “raft” together to sleep.

I’ve taken long-exposure seascapes in Pacific Grove before, and that saved me scouting time on this trip. When I got up at 6, before sunrise, I pretty much knew where along the seashore I wanted to go. But because I have only a short time before the sun comes up, I can shoot for just half an hour or so. When I go back, there are still several good locations to visit.