Aliso Beach provides another opportunity for photographer Scotty Carter to look out at the world from this pristine water cavern! It’s simply gorgeous! How could it be that anyone in the moment wouldn’t trade places with the man that captures some of the most beautiful wave images on the planet but also has the best seat in the salt liquid arena.
Once again Aliso shore break flares under the influence of backwash rushing back towards in coming waves. This one is interesting because the water that is flaring is so clear that it is nearly invisible. I could not have ever imagined seeing a wave like this and it is obviously because what we see in motion happens so quickly that you could not process this. Perhaps this represents the magic of still photography in slowing down those moments to see and capture what the naked eye cannot. This one is incredible! Anyone looking to redo their windows there is plenty of glass in this one! ]
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This is a really incredible perspective from Scotty Carter stuffed way back in a barreling wave at Aliso Beach with a great view of a skim boarder tearing it up down at the south end of the beach. The curtain of this breaking wave seems to be made out of beaded crystal that almost looks like shattering glass. From behind the lens we see what Scotty does and so often he finds himself sitting in position to capture something amazing! Aliso Beach and the sport of skim boarding were a match made in heaven!
I have made it a point to communicate how well Scotty Carter understands the nuances of wave formation and how the different beaches receive the waves. This wave is a demonstration of one of the influences of Aliso Beach in South Laguna. That wave’s size is actually deceptive because that berm from the previous high tide is steep. The waves push water up the berm and it retreats back out towards incoming waves with enough force to do spectacular things to the waves. When backwash sent back from a sloping beach and berm it meets breaking waves in a collision that often throws a wave skyward. As a wave rider and a photographer the violent zone where backwash and wave run into each other forces us to be acutely aware of our surroundings. Even people with years of experience dealing with these beasts get hurt! My best advice to parents is that when Aliso is like this keep a close eye on your kids. This wave is unforgiving!
The first thing that Scotty said to me when he showed me this shot at Wedge is that its bigger than it looks. There is a lot of energy in the water when it gets all the way down the beach. This is a classic example of an extreme sloping beach and a structure in the jetty at Wedge that creates reverberations of energy in the form of a side wave that moves perpendicular to the wave headed towards shore and colliding in a way that makes for a much larger and much more dangerous wave. If you have never seen Wedge on a day when its big and the shoreline is wall to wall people watching surfers, body boarders, tray surfers and body surfers take on these powerful mutant waves you should watch the surf reports and head down there to soak it all in. It is a scene. Wedge may be the closest thing there is in Southern California to people lining up along the North Shore of Oahu to see the brave take on the most dangerous wave in the world in Banzai Pipeline. Just like Pipe, Wedge is no joke!
Gotcha! Though I will make reference to the 11th hole on the golf course that is on the property of the Monarch St. Regis Hotel I am not talking about golf. This shot actually lines up with the 11th hole of the golf course and I can assure you that the glory of this wave existed well before you picked up the sticks and swung them on this prestigious golf course’s 11th hole. Eleventh Hole is a part of Salt Creek Beach Park and the quality of the waves down there definitely requires sand being in the right place and waves perfectly placed. The winter of 2011/2012 definitely had its fair share of days down there and for those that have ridden or photographed this spot when it is good know how magical it can be. Without question, it is a fickle, fickle wave!
This shot is awesome! I like the perspective of looking out across the sand with footprints from the previous days use of the beach and a beautiful wave pitching over perfectly at Aliso which is located in the 7.5 mile stretch known as Laguna Beach. If you notice the wave is folding over in the center much like an envelope that you would mail. I realize that many of you believe direct mail is antiquated but certainly you see and envelope on occasion and are able to see the similarities. If you aren’t drawing the correlation you can either go get an envelope and look at how it folds over to seal in preparation for sending or you can simply enjoy another amazing ocean wave image from Scotty Carter taken at undeniable his favorite Laguna area beach in Aliso!
One of the most intriguing aspects of waves in the shore break region of Laguna with its extreme sloping beaches, coastal headlands and inter-tidal reefs is the energy that is redirected at the waves as they make their way towards shore. What you will see is the slope of the beach, coastal headlands and reefs deflect energy back up the wave creating an incredible flare to the wave. Sometimes it throws the wave up and out creating a barrel so big that you could park a semi-truck in there. Sometimes the collision is so violent that to be in that wave’s path comes with great peril. One thing is for sure, it makes the shore break zone in Laguna Beach an amusement park for wave riders and a spectacle for everyone that watches. This Scotty Carter photo is brought to you by the the backwash that is so prevalent at Aliso Beach at higher tides!
Photo Credit: Scotty Carter
Let’s face it. Much of Southern California is so developed from a residential and commercial perspective that you can be at the beach and feel like you never left the city. In addition to the natural human adoration for the ocean, people flock to beaches to escape the city, heat, traffic and congestion. In a world gone mad people look to the beach for a get away day of relaxation. The problem is that the experience of going to the beach is not quite as calming as it should be in most beach towns. When it is warm the beaches are crowded and the traffic is ridiculous. Many of these beaches are lined with bars where it is a race to see who can throw up first or a start a fist fight. These are not the kind of beach experiences that relax us. If anything it only takes an environment that we love and poisons it!
Laguna Beach is a magical place. The fact that the city is built into a mountainous coastal geography that is not suitable for over-commercialization makes all the difference in the world. 7.5 miles of jagged sea cliffs, small sandy coves, inter-coastal reefs and headlands that jut out into the water. The pristine waters of Laguna Beach are rich with marine life and the reefs and plant life give them a tropical blue-green color that is tranquil and inviting. While I appreciate all of the beaches in Southern California, Laguna Beach has a special place in my heart. When there it simply feels like you are somewhere in the world on vacation. It is very difficult to describe how that feels but I can tell you that Laguna Beach comes with a peace and an incredible display of perfectly molded coastline that is extraordinarily beautiful and awe inspiring!
Scotty Carter has documented Laguna Beach through photography and cinematography for over 25 years. Today his work is focused on capturing amazing wave images from the vantage points of the shore, in the water and in a lab. This talented photographer offers absolutely stunning images on canvas, metal and bamboo as well as modern display in acrylic and frames with special matting. His work focuses on natural phenomena, ocean waves from land, ocean waves from within the shore break zone, coastal hydrodynamic waves and reef science waves. The team at Scotty Carter Fine Art has the goal of transforming your special rooms at home or in the office that add color, style, and good vibes. When our clients tell us how much the work adds to their homes and offices it really does touch us because we strongly believe in the need for people to have rooms and places that provide sanctuary. Adding Scotty Carter imagery to those special rooms will do the trick. Inspired by 25 years of learning how storms thousands of miles away push energy our way only to have the inter-c0astal reefs, headlands, sea cliffs, small coves, sloping sandy beaches and river mouth sand bars of Laguna Beach bend and shape them to their will, Scotty is able to duplicate these processes in the lab. This work represents his celebration of Water, Light and Energy!
All of the work that Scotty had done and continues to do is a result of the inspiration he found in Laguna Beach, California.
Article By: Rob Brack
Seal Beach in the Winter turns into a war zone. The sloping beach and the angle of northwest swells turns the south side of the pier into a thumping ground. Those that take on the waves are sure to get thumped. The waves at this small slice of north orange county beach are brutal for a lack of a better way to say it. It doesn’t stop some of the best body boarders, skim boarders, body surfers, tray boarders and surfers from testing their meddles. It is entertaining to say the least!
Scotty Carter snapped this photo in the Winter of 2012 at the very southern most area of the beach. Cut off by a rock jetty the beach ends abruptly in favor of the entrance to the harbor. While this particular Scotty Carter Fine Art wave image is nice, the fence is what is so attention grabbing for me. It has the mysterious and dark look to the picture and the wave is feathering back with the morning offshore winds. The wave looks inviting and this part of the beach has an attitude with backwash, side waves and danger built into every wave. It is a place where experience and paying attention are crucial to leaving a surf session in one piece and sometimes that isn’t even enough!
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Ocean Wave Images 