Holy Mackerel, part 5

This is the view of Pacific Park, from the observation deck at the western-most end of the Santa Monica Pier.

Check out more about the pier's history at:
http://www.santamonicapier.org/
http://www.westland.net/piercam/

Holy Mackerel, part 4

There was a huge stack of white smoke, billowing upward, and then out to sea. I didn't see any flames, and I couldn't tell if it was a brush fire, or if some structure was ablaze. Some people on the pier noticed the smoke, and others only did as they saw the others pointing and talking and exclaiming Oh My!. I kinda chuckled at this too, because I was probably one of the first ones to see the smoke, but didn't carry on too much, as I was more interested in the fishermen I had been observing and shooting.

Then, I heard the sirens screaming up the PCH. The firemen were dousing the flames just moments later, as a huge water canon drenched the fire. I suddenly felt very tired and decided it was time to head home.

Holy Mackerel, part 3

Most everyone from the fishing group had sat down for a late lunch, or early dinner... I couldn't tell. I was impressed with their spread because I remember the colorful salad they were all munching on. No sooner had my mouth started salivating when one of the baited pole's reel began dragging, as something big had taken the bait. I saw the pole bend and fidget under the weight of the fish at the other end of the line. Everyone in the fishing party dropped their meal and grabbed a rod around the pole that had the fish on, so as to keep the lines from tangling. The man who had grabbed the pole with the fish on readied himself to set the hook. There was a sense of urgency in the air, as it was apparent that there may not be much time to land the fish. He decided to set the hook after momentarily sizing up the situation, even while everyone was still frantically reeling in their lines.

As he was setting the hook, I maneuvered in closer to the rail, to see if I could get a shot of the fish as it surfaced, and sure enough, there it was... a big, nasty-looking brown thing! I had no idea what it was... I thought it might be a shark, but it was shaped funny, like an arrow. Maybe it was a halibut... same sorta color? No, too warm here. I didn't know! I determined that I would ask later, because by this time, the fisherman was hoisting the flailing fish from the water and up the eighty feet or so, to the deck of the pier. Everything was happening so fast! I snapped the shutter a few more times as they brought the catch onto the pier and slammed him down on the deck, to stun him and keep him from flopping around and hurting someone. The crowd that had gathered all exclaimed with oooh's and aaaah's in an almost naive surprise at the sight. I chuckled at this, even though I was a bit naive myself.

I chatted with the man from the group that seemed to be kind of the father figure. He was very nice, and I showed him a few of the shots from the back of my 10D. He told me that it was a shovel-nose shark that they had caught, and I asked him if it was edible, even though I figured it was, since his daughter had run off to clean the shark. He told me it was a delicacy, very sweet tasting meat... better than crab! We chatted a little more and I let him get back to his dinner once his daughter had returned with what looked to be about twenty pounds of meat. Some other people were still milling about, trying to guess what kind of fish it was, rather than just come out and ask someone. Too much!

I poked around a little while longer, but felt it was time to mosey on down the road. I scanned the pier again for anything I may have missed, when I caught sight of a huge plume of smoke coming from up the coast.

Holy Mackerel, part 2

One of the members of this latino group that were fishing the Santa Monica Pier told me he was from Palmdale. They were down for two days of fishing and spending time with family and friends. They were planning on spending the night on the pier and fish all night. I took many shots of them and they didn't seem to mind at all. They even caught a decent sized shovel-head shark while I was there!

Holy Mackerel, part 1

I spent some time in Venice and Santa Monica today. It was so hot in the Valley... I just needed to get away. Halfway over the hill, on the 405, I realized it was Labor Day Weekend and I immediately started crabbing about how busy it was gonna be at the beach. I calmed down after a few moments, figuring it would be better than sitting in 100-degree heat!

I roller-bladed from Pico, off Ocean, all the way to the Venice pier, and then back. I decided to get the camera from the truck and take a walk, to see what photo opps I could find, or create. It is in this process of spontaneous, unassigned, and just-for-fun shooting that I really get in touch with my creative soul. I feel inspired from within, seeing light and vibrant colors that speak to me, evoking a spiritual sense of poetic license. I guess what I am really trying to say is that it was a great day!

I walked west, or north, (depending on your Angeleeno-displacement) on the beach, toward the Santa Monica Pier. I took in the sun and surf and wind... watching all the kids digging tide-pools in the sand. I saw some white roses washed-up in the foam and seaweed. I studied a few for a short time, and, determining my frustratin with the scene, I continued on toward the pier. Once I got on the pier, I focused on all the people that were present. Families walking by, boyfriend/girlfriend's, park employes, and street performers. I started seeing the light giving form to everything around me. All the sharp contrasts, subtle shades, and colorful energies were presenting a palette of life surrounding me.

I found a group of people fishing on the end of the pier, a family with some friends perhaps. They were having a great time, the men baiting their hooks, a few women watching after the kids. They had an arsenal of fishing rods, bait, tackle, ice-chests with food and sodas. They were definitely fishing! And having a blast, even while the rest of the world were watching them all as if they were street entertainment. It was pretty cool to observe.