Martins Beach is probably one of the most unique and picturesque beaches along the California coast with its unmistakable jagged rocks. The beach has been in the news recently with a wealthy landowner trying to make it a “private” beach, so I was a little unsure if we’d be able to make it down to the beach for photos. Luckily, we met a very nice person charging a small amount to allow you to park and then walk down to the beach.

I timed the tide perfectly wrong for sunset photos with a massively strong tide coming in right when we arrived. Not wanting to be trapped by the incoming waves that were set to peak around sunset, this photo was taken slightly earlier in the evening. Thankfully, a sunset never materialized, so I didn’t have to have regrets about leaving early. The storm clouds and churning ocean begged for a moody black and white edit.