The Central Coast of California

“En Plein Air”

Wednesday-Saturday, May 6-9, 2025

– A Photography Tour –

With Ken Rockwell and Dave Wyman

The Trip: En Plein Air is the French expression for "in the open air." Turner, Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro are some of the classic artists who favored painting outdoors. And there are many contemporary en plein air artists. For our photography excursion, we’ll also interpret and record the spectacular landscapes and seascapes, the historic architecture, and the people of the Central Coast of California.

In the process, we'll learn to see and experience the world around us in familiar and new ways, and perhaps we’ll learn something about ourselves, too.

Note: To view some of the photos Ken made on the 2024 outing, plus information about how he made his images, go here.

Our locations in the field will include the the rocky coves at stunning Montana de Oro state park, rural lands along the back roads of San Luis Obispo county, the views from Irish Hills, elephant seals near San Simeon, and picturesque piers. We’ll look for wildlife and macro subjects, and impressive seascapes and landscapes. We’ll probably find more than a few human subjects, too.

Who is This Trip For: Do you enjoy exploring the natural world? This is your trip. Do you like looking for wild creatures, from spiders to elephant seals? Do you like to watch the setting sun drop into the sea, or look up to see a hawk or an egret or a turkey vulture take wing? This trip is for you. Do you like the sound of the surf as it pounds against a cliff, or the hiss of a wave as it rushes from the beach to return to the sea? Do you find serenity in the mountains, or a connection with the earth in pastoral landscapes? This trip is for you. Do you like nature and travel photography? Do you revel in the company of fellow photographers? This is the trip that is for you.

This will be the weekend to stretch our creative selves, to learn to see - with our inner as well as our outer eyes - and to make a connection with the wider world around us.

The cost of the trip: $650.

Cancellations: $50 charge if a refund request is received by April 20th. No refund will be made if the cancellation comes after that date, unless another person takes the cancelled spot, in which case, the charge will be also be $50. If you cancel and no one takes your place, we will grant you a $600 reduction in the cost of any upcoming trip through 2026.

Accommodations: Ken and Dave will stay at the Best Western Casa Grande, in the town of Arroyo Grande, where we’ll meet each morning. You're invited to join us there. We’ve stayed at the Casa Grande several times over the years; we find it comfortable and reasonably priced and a good breakfast is included. There are many other accommodations in the general area, and it won’t be difficult to link up with us if you’re not staying at the Casa Grande.

Trip difficulty: None; conducted at a leisurely photographer's pace. There will be a fair amount walking; participants should be able to walk up to four miles over the entire course of a day (although we may walk less distances).

Who can attend: Anyone; however, participants need to be at least 18 years of age.

What will be provided:

- Trip leaders
- Guided field sessions
- One group meal
- Help with finding a carpool partner to the Central Coast

What You Need To Bring:

- Clothing for warm and cool conditions, with items to include: mittens, ski or knit cap for cool mornings, comfortable walking shoes, and clothing for warm weather. A cap or hat to block the sun and sunblock.

- Money for meals not provided.

Camera Equipment: If the truth be told, a basic digitial camera (including the camera in your smartphone) or a 35mm camera point-and-shoot camera will work well for most of the locations on this outing. For those with more equipment, this is the trip to bring it along: super-wide angle lenses, telephotos, filters, medium format cameras, macro and fisheye lenses.     

- Consider bringing along a tripod to make blur-free images of static subjects if we find ourselves in very low light situations. (While Ken does generally eschew tripods, he does bring one.) If you plan to use your smartphone, you can purchase adapters for your tripod (easily found online, e.g., at B&H photo).

- Digital Memory: Make sure to have enough storage in your camera.

- Film: If you’re into analog, bring more than you think you’ll need, freeze what you don’t use.

- Battery power: Bring enough to last through a day.

- Filters: For photographers who’d like to use filters, choices are endless. That said, either or both a polarizer and a graduated neutral density filters are good choices. For color film photographers, the 81A or 81B can warm up bluish tones found in the shade or under overcast skies. If you’re an aficionado of black and white film, a red filter can dramatically darken the sky and put you on par with Ansel Adams.

Ken and Dave are minimalists in our approach to carrying camera gear; while we might bring a variety of camera bodies and lenses and a cornucopia of accessories, we don't carry much when we’re out and about photographing. Instead, we’ll vary what we want or need at any particular field location. Our bodies thank us at the end of each day.

Note: To see some of the photos Ken made on the 2024 outing, plus information about how he made his images, go here.

Weather: Expect warm sunshine, but be prepared for fog and mist. Inclement or cool weather will not cancel the trip, inasmuch as "bad" weather can produce some of the best pictures.

Basic Itinerary (subject to change):

Tuesday is the travel day. Arrive at the Casa Grande about 3 p.m. to meet Ken and Dave in the lobby. After introductions, we’ll head into downtown San Luis Obispo (SLO) for photos and an early dinner, provided by Ken and Dave. Then we’ll drive south to photograph late light on the sand dunes at Oceano.

On Wednesday, we will travel at dawn up the Irish Hills for some spectacular views. Then we’ll motor down the other side of the mountains to Avila Bay, where we will walk the old pier and have breakfast at a nearby cafe. We’ll spend the rest of the day at Montana de Oro and the little community of Los Osos, before heading for late light and dinner in the town of Morro Bay.

On Thursday, we’ll ramble up the coast to visit the tiny town of Harmony, Moonstone Beach in Cambria, and view elephant seals near San Simeon. We may visit an unusual resting place for some old motor vehicles. If time permits, we’ll drive as far as the southern end of Big Sur. We’ll visit the awesome SLO Farmers Market for photos and dinner (with an assortment of places to dine, on and off the street).

On Friday, we will explore some backroads before breakfast, then check out of our motel and head south along old Highway 1, to photograph unusual Oso Flaco Lake. Then we’ll bid adieu to each other.

Note: The itinerary is subject to change, depending on weather, group dynamics, etc.

Note: Want to share some of your own images with the group, on any subject? Bring a few images on your phone, tablet or your laptop, and prints are welcome, too. We'll view them as time permits. We can also share photos we make on the trip. 

The Slant: While this is more of a tour than a class, we will learn much over the course of our travels. Ken and Dave will have some basic tips and techniques to share, and our entire group will interact with each other as a force multiplier for creativity. Most of our days will be spent in a hands-on enterprise, rather than spending time looking at our photographs during daylight hours, except on the backs of our cameras as we’re at our various locations.

We’re going to concentrate from the time we see the photograph we want to make, up to the time we release the shutter on our cameras. While Ken and Dave both enjoy editing their photos, sometimes and little and sometimes a lot, that won’t be emphasized during our time together.

What About Walking? This trip includes some walking. We won't walk very far at any one stretch, and much of our photography will be next to our cars. However, we will walk to a number of locations, and the weight of a tripod, lenses and camera bodies can add up. Participants should be in reasonably good shape, able to amble for up to four miles or more over the course of the day, although we may not walk that far on any day. As per above, consider limiting what you carry when we’re out and about.

Transportation: By private auto. Contact Dave; he will help arrange carpooling for participants who’d like share a ride to Arroyo Grande, and where possible, we'd like everyone to carpool once we are on site.

When you send payment: You'll receive via email a receipt and any possibly additional information. We’ll also send liability form.  

Ken Rockwell (kenrockwell.com) is a well-known – some might even claim notorius – web presence. Love him or hate him, he is a force to be reckoned with, as Ken's voluminous website offers a cornucopia of lens tests, camera reviews, and his clear-sighted, if not occasionally contrarian viewpoints, about the meaning of art and photography. He has the training of an engineer and the soul of an artist and Ken is willing to share his encyclopedic knowledge of photography with all-comers. He has conducted numerous workshops in California's mountains, deserts and coastal regions, in the canyon lands of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, and along historic Route 66.

Dave Wyman has conducted photography workshops and natural history outings since 1984. He brings unbridled passion and commitment to his photography and his travels. He originated and directed the travel photography program at the University of Southern California, taught nature and travel photography for the UCLA extension program and has worked on behalf of several natural history associations. His articles and photographs have been published in magazines; his pictorial guidebooks include Backroads of Northern California, Backroads of Southern California, and Yosemite in Photographs. His latest book is “Fearless Photographer - Nature.”

Where is Arroyo Grande? It's north of Los Angeles and south of San Francisco, and west of the town of Paso Robles. Contact Dave for any questions about travel to or help with making travel arrangements.

If you have questions, call Dave, at 323 377-7565, or send e-mail to: davewyman@imountainman.com.