Living Wilderness: McWay Falls, Big Sur, California, Stormy Sunset

Dramatic nature photography that captures a living wilderness. By Kevin Ebi.

Stormy Sunset, McWay Falls, Big Sur, California

The 80-foot-tall McWay Falls, surging after several days of heavy rain, is colored by the setting sun as rain clouds continue to hang overhead. McWay Falls is one of the few waterfalls that empty directly into the Pacific Ocean. Such waterfalls are called tide falls. McWay Falls is located in the Big Sur region of California, south of Monterey.

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Stormy Sunset, McWay Falls, Big Sur, California

Notes from the field

This was my second attempt at photographing McWay Falls. My first attempt resulted in a nice golden sunset, although the flow of the waterfall was a little less than what I would have liked. No such problem this time: It rained so hard during the two weeks before this image was captured that portions of the coastal highway were closed because of mud slides. It was raining really hard on this day, too, but I saw a small amount of glint from the sun way out on the ocean. Amazingly, that break in the clouds coincided perfectly with sunset.