Oceanside Pier
Blah, blah, blah, passion, blah, blah, blah, follow your dreams. That's the usual inspirational speech, isn't it? Or at least something along those lines. Until the day when you find something that, as an artist, you are super excited about. Then it all makes sense and you might even start speaking your own blah blah blah's. That's kind of what's happened to me with my Into The Ocean project because when I start telling people about it I just can't stop. So, continuing the project, this is Oceanside Pier. It's the closest pier to me so I go there often.
It's been really exciting to see people's response to my Into The Ocean project and I feel like I have really found something that I am destined to do. See, there I go again blah blah. Back to the story: Oceanside Pier. Oceanside is an easy to access pier. It's relatively close to I5 (or as we say in Southern California) "the five". There's lots of paid parking right next to the pier or, if you want to save a few bucks, you can walk a block or two and park for free.
On the weekends it's a popular family destination and it gets busy. On the week it's pretty low key. It's also a popular surf spot so if you're looking to photograph (or just watch) the surfers from the pier it's great for that.
One of the unique features of this pier is the ramps that take you from street level to pier level. There's a beautiful and intricate design of ramps and stairs that I've never seen anywhere else. At the end of Oceanside Pier there is a Ruby's Diner. The story behind Ruby's Diner and piers is quite interesting and worth a read.
On one rare occasion I was at the pier during low tide and was able to get this shot from underneath. I was stoked - and, yes, I've been living here long enough to be able to use that word.
At other times I have been there when the clouds are just perfect. And clouds are kind of a big deal for me.
The nice thing about a close-by pier, is that I don't really have to be prepared to go. I can grab my gear and be there in a few minutes if it seems like the waves are good or the sky will be interesting. As I mentioned before, this is part of my Into The Ocean project which you can read about here. Next on my list, Ocean Beach and Huntington beach. Check the map to see the locations and where I still have left to visit.