Around this time last year I posted an article detailing the annual pilgrimage of hundreds of landscape photographers who have been making the drive up to Big Sur each December in an attempt to catch the magical light pouring through the keyhole arch. My last attempt was in January of 2015 and I came back with mixed results. The tide was much too low and I wondered if I came back on a day closer to the actual solitce if I would have better light.
With this in mind, I set off for Big Sur last Wednesday which was not only Winter Solstice but also promised a 3 foot high tide right at sunset. “Optimal conditions” I told myself, so with a quick look at the satellite to make sure I would have some sun to work with when I arrived, I was off for Big Sur.
Several hours later my Prius was bouncing down Sycamore Canyon Road and I dutifully forked over my $10 when I got to the gate at the bottom. Even though it was only 3 PM, I was lucky to get one of the last two parking spots. I looked around and it seemed that everyone else was pulling out tripods and cameras. Another photographer was unloading his gear next to me and we smiled at each other grimly. “It’s going to be a bit crowded down there” I offered before we set off down the trail to the beach.
Fast forward 90 minutes and there had to be upwards of 50 photographers clustered around the beach along with 2 drones all vying for position as the sun streamed through the Keyhole. I shot for a while down in the crowd and then headed once again up the bluff behind the phalanx of photographers where I could see the angle of the sun in addition to the pathway of light and what I found surprised me. There was still a good 10 minutes of sunlight left, but the stream of light coming through the keyhole was gone. When we shot the keyhole in 2015, the last light of the day was still making it’s way through the archway. When I left to shoot the arch this year, I was assuming that high tide would be optimal for getting the spray to come through the archway and for getting the surf to wash up over the rocks in the foreground, but it seems that if the tide is TOO high, the waves cut off the last few minutes of orange sunlight that otherwise would be coming through the arch.
I made some other observations while I was up there shooting this year and thought I would share them with you, in addition to reiterating some of my tips from last year:
1) Although the sunlight only makes its way through through the Keyhole arch a few weeks out of the year, Pfeiffer Beach is a great location to shoot year round, and is well worth the drive down from PCH if you are in the area. I have seen some amazing sunset shots that were taken outside of the December-January window that still pulled some glow through the archway along with some very cool shots of the Milky Way at night. I think many photographers try to get here during a 2 week window to get optimal sunlight, but they could be missing some amazing opportunities in Spring and Summer. The Keyhole is NOT the only arch on the beach with sun streaming through in December and January. While dozens of photographers were jockeying for position just a hundred yards away, a handful of us noticed the light streaming through another arch a bit further South.
2) The view from up above was WAY more popular this year, but be careful to not get too close to the edge.
3) Don’t assume that the first photographer on the beach knows where the “best spot” will be and camp out the whole time next to him or her. The change in view from center to left to right is dramatic, so be sure to experiment during the 15-20 minutes when the light is the best. If you want a sunburst shot, keep in mind that the light trail coming up the beach will eventually move.
If you shoot in January, you can expect that trail to move a bit to the South as the sun sets.
4) The tide level is definitely an issue, so be sure to check the tide before making the trip up. It might not be a deal breaker for you, but it will definitely impact your shot. If the tide is too low, there won’t be enough water coming through the arch, and that is some seriously ugly coastline without the water, especially if it is one of those afternoons where the seaweed washes up and is covered in brownish foam. On the other hand, if the tide is too high, the light disappears as the size of the waves and tide level eventually will block out the last 10 minutes or so of dramatic sunset light. I watched that happen this year for the first time, and I am assuming that the light died at the end due to the high tide.
5) Try not to be a jerk while you are shooting with what could be 50 other photographers. If you have a good spot and you feel like you have nailed your composition, it might be a good idea to move around and look for another shot, giving your spot to someone who maybe had to walk down the 2 mile road and just arrived. Some of these folks are on a tour or have traveled from halfway across the world to shoot PCH and Pfeiffer may have been very high on their list. At the same time, be respectful of the unofficial perimeter that the group has set before you arrived. I watched some idiot with a european accent a few years ago march in front of the entire group and set his tripod down 20 feet in front of the rest of the group, effectively ruining everyone else’s shot. Don’t let this be you. If you want to move the line up closer, ask around. Otherwise, you might see World War III break out on Pfeiffer Beach with tripods swinging in all directions.
6) Don’t be in such a hurry to leave after the sun goes down. At least 80 percent of the photographers all left at once as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon. I watched them move past me in one large migratory herd while only a couple of them broke off to shoot the reflection and color that was now to their South. It was almost like they had blinders on. In addition to grabbing a couple of shots of the sunset, I moved back down to the arch, which was now deserted. I could now move way down the beach, into the surf with my fisheye without getting in anyone’s way. Even through the sun was down, the light coming through the arch was still beautiful, and I wondered why everyone else was in such a hurry. I knew I had a 6 hour drive back to Orange County, but I wasn’t about to take off if there were more opportunites on the beach. When I finally limped back to the car in my soggy boots, there were only a couple of other cars left in the parking lot.
7) As I mentioned last year, if you are planning a trip to Pfeiffer Beach during the December to January window, be sure to arrive early, especially if it is a clear afternoon on a weekend. I arrived just before 3 PM on a Wednesday (Solstice) and I got one of the last two spots. I think they closed the parking lot behind me as I was heading to the beach. When I was driving out, I passed 20 to 30 hikers who were now toiling up the 2 mile Sycamore road back to PCH. Some of them may have found some roadside spots to park on Sycamore, but the parking is almost non existent on that road as the pullouts are really reserved to let cars pass as it is a single lane road. And that two miles back to the top is all uphill.
8) It is also a good idea to check the road conditions before heading up there, especially if the 2 mile hike is not an option for you. That one lane road is poorly maintained, and I believe the residents prefer to leave it that way. As you get to the bottom a creek literally flows across the road, and water is almost flowing in it during the Winter months. There are several spots where mud flows across the road during heavy Winter rains and it is not uncommon for the road to be covered in mud and debris in December and January. From what I could see, most of the residents down there have 4 wheel drive or high clearance vehicles as they expect the road conditions to be bad. If they do close the road, you can usually find updates at the park website at: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578
In addition to shooting sunset behind Pfeiffer Arch, you might also consider shooting the Milky Way. This shot would probably work better from March through September while more of the galactic core is above the horizon, but I was surprised to find how visible the Milky Way was as late as November. It is not unreasonable to assume that a similar shot could be taken in December or maybe even in January. This particular shot was taken on November 11:
If you have any specific questions or comments, please feel free to post them below. For more info on shooting the Keyhole Arch and Pfeiffer beach, including what to expect when driving down Sycamore Canyon Rd, please feel free to check out last year’s post at:
Hi Bill/William/Mr. McIntosh (trying to be polite here =))
Hope you can take a minute to answer couple questions for me as I’m having a difficult time finding answers online about Pfeiffer Beach…
Would the month of May or June be a bad month to try and shoot sunset there?
I’m using Photo Ephemeris to figure out the sunset direction and stuff, but not sure what the angle of the keyhole arch is to the beach. Also, park website says it is closed at 8pm and sunset time is after that, so I’m not sure if I would get kicked out before I get my shot. Would you be able to advise?
Related question to park closing time, if the park closes at 8pm, are you able to stay at the beach to take milky way shots (love your’s btw) as long as you entered the park before 8pm?
Because I’m not 100% certain if May/June would be a great time to shoot this beach, I’m also considering McWay Falls instead. Would you recommend on over the other for a particular reason(s)?
Thanks in advance for your time.
Looking forward hear back from you.
Best,
Hobin
Hi Hobin! Thanks for your question. May and June are going to be difficult for a couple of reasons. The main challenge of shooting anywhere along the California Coast in May and June is going to be dealing with what we refer to as “May Gray” or “June Gloom.” Anything can happen from year to year, but what typically happens along the coast in late Spring and early Summer is that the marine layer will move in along the coast and there are days where it never lifts at all. Even on days when it might break up in the early afternoon, it typically will roll back in before sunset and linger long after sunrise, killing off some of the best photography times of the day.
Secondly, as you get toward June, you are now dealing with the sun approaching the Summer solstice which will place it pretty far to the North. Some of the sunlight might make it into the arch at this point, but not much will make it up the beach. I’ve never shot Pfeiffer at sunset during May or June, but I would guess that most of the sunlight from May to July doesn’t make it into the arch.
That being said, it you can manage to catch a clear night, the galactic core of the Milky Way will again be up in the sky. I would guess that somewhere around 1 or 2 AM in May and around midnight in June, you should get some spectacular shots as the Milky Way will eventually drift over that arch. I was concerned about getting kicked off the beach at sunset, as that is the posted time of closing, but I was surprised that no one swept the beach. It wasn’t long until I was the only one left.
And you are correct about McWay Falls. I’m STILL after that Milky Way shot. I thought I would have some opportunities last year, but PCH washed out in both directions and stayed closed right through May and June. If the road is open this year, McWay looks SPECTACULAR with the Milky Way behind it, and it usually rises just behind and to the right of the falls. The trick, again, is to try to get up there without the fog AND without much moonlight, i.e. around the new moon. If you can get the perfect conditions, you might be able to get both shots in one night, i.e. start at McWay as the Milky Way is rising and then book it back up to Pfeiffer. At that hour, I think you could just park off on the side of the road down there and walk in past the gate, but I’ve never tried it. 🙂 If it is too far to walk, you might need to do that on two different nights, but two nights without fog in May would be rare.
Good luck, and please let me know how it goes! Depending on the weather and my teaching schedule, I might run into you up there!
You say you weren’t kicked off the beach at sunset but what about the parking lot? Were you able to continue to park there? Do they close a gate?
Hi Arwin,
They left the parking lot open on one side so that visitors can drive out after the park attendants have left for the day. Keep in mind that it is a pay lot and there are only a limited number of spots down there. While 40-50 spots may seem like quite a lot of parking, those spots will go quick on a big weekend in December where entire workshops will show up to shoot the sun coming through the arch. If you want to be there around Solstice, I would suggest parking mid afternoon just to ensure that you’ve got a spot and then plan to hang out until sunset. Parking at the top and walking down can be a real bummer. Weather will also mess you up as that road is pretty much washed out after every decent rain storm. Parking might be around $10…their website will let you know for sure.
How busy do you think a Mid-week evening would be? I’m thinking about heading up the coast to visit some friends and would probably arrive on a Wednesday or, Thurs.
Thanks!
Hi Ted – If it’s around the weekend of Dec 21, I think you can count on pretty sizable crowds…if the forecast is for sunny conditions. A Wednesday might be your best bet, depending on the weather. Because a ton of photographers and workshops aim for Solstice, I would think Dec 20 – 23 would be the busiest this year, followed by any time during Christmas Vacation. That being said, keep in mind that the light will still be pretty good through that arch for pretty much the rest of January…just not as far up the beach. The crowds die down fairly quickly on weekdays after that first week of January.
Hello,
Your blog post is quite informative. Thank you for writing this. I am planning to shoot the arch on Dec 28, which is a Friday. I plan to arrive at the beach by 1 or 2 PM. My main concern is the tide. From the tide charts the tide seems to be around 3 ft close to sunset and dips to around 2.5 ft at sunset.
Is this much tide going to be ‘too much’ like you said ? I can come back again on Dec 29 but the tide will be higher that day. I only have 2 days to spend in Big Sur, 27th and 28th December.
(I have two locations that I want to shoot: Pfeiffer arch rock and McWay falls, in that order of priority. After reading your post I will do the arch rock first and then McWay falls the next day.)
Thanks again for writing such a great informative post.
Hi Seemanta – Thanks so much for your comments and your questions. From what I can recall, it depends on what type of shot you are going for. If the tide is too low, the beach can really look pretty messy depending on how much seaweed and foam wash up….especially after a big storm. On the other hand, if the waves and tide are too high, the light can get blocked out at the end of the day as relentless waves will continue to block the sun from the arch. Off the top of my head, I think you would be OK with a 2-3 foot tide level. 7 or 8 feet would put you pretty far up the beach and much of light could be blocked out. I think your chances of getting a shot of the light streaming in and lighting up residual mist from the waves will be much higher during a rising tide and the waves typically have more energy with the tide coming in compared to the tide flowing out. It’s been a while since I was up there, but I think 3 feet would be enough to get a decent shot. The bigger question will be the weather as the sun could easily get killed by either fog or December storms. My best advice would be to get down there and shoot if the sun is visible. If it is sunny on both days, you might still be OK with the higher tide. I’m going to go way out on a limb and guess that 3-4 feet would be ideal. If it’s 1 foot or below, there might not be any water coming through the arch at all and if there is no water, you won’t have any mist for that streaming light effect. If it’s 5-7 feet or higher, or if it is stormy and the waves are coming in high behind the arch, that’s when the light can get blocked. Again….just guesses on my part. Sorry I can’t be more specific. 😬 Good luck out there! And be sure to check road conditions on the park website before heading over there. That’s a LONG walk if the road is closed!