Classically, landscape photography has focused on the natural landscape that has not been modified by humans. Little by little, however, photographers have started to balance the pristine beauty of the land with anthropic elements in a movement loosely known as “contemporary landscape”. 

Last Monday, February 8^th, when I visited the Portuguese Beach for photography, I initially tried to avoid photographing the houses on the cliffs and along the beach.  However, they were so ubiquitous and so conspicuous that not only I surrendered to their presence, but I also made them an important component of my compositions.

Location: Portuguese Beach along Highway 1, Sonoma County, CA, USA

Equipment: Nikon D750, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200 mm; tripod, Lee filters (polarizer, Neutral density, Graduated Neutral density, blue);

Settings: 200 mm, f/20, 5”, ISO 50 ;

Tips:  Get there early. Sonoma Coast is a very popular place, and it gets really full of people. Be careful on the cliffs, it can be dangerous to approach the edges. Take different grades of neutral density filters, because the light in this location changes fast, from overcast and dark to bright and sunny. A polarizer and graduated ND filters are also advisable.