My beach going days truly pre-dates the pandemic. The last time I went to the beach was the last time I visited SoCal (southern California), which was the summer of 2019. I think out of all the trips to SoCal over the years, this was the most unique because usually, we visited the same places, ate at the same restaurants and just circled around the so-called “Asian hotspots”.

During this trip, however, I got to see some amazing new places like Santa Barbara, Solvang, and the Getty Museum. I didn’t enjoy the crowds at the beaches though. Partly, it was because my minor claustrophobia. Also, as a landscape photographer, I preferred my photos to not have people scattering all over the place. So trying to find an empty spot to photograph wasn’t at all easy.

I did somehow managed to witness a surfing competition and boy, was it fun photographing these youngsters riding the waves with my long lens.

Sunday Stills