I struggled to find a good reference photo for the gothic mermaid I want to paint
(even spending hours on photoshop trying to do a composite). I realized what the problem is...When I go to the ocean, I'm nearly always walking along the bluffs above it. The mermaid, in such a scene, would be tiny. I need to be beach-level.

We have plans to go to Carmel a week from Tuesday (when the pink flowers are blooming) so I'm going to try to take photos with mermaids in mind (there are various places to access the beach and it's rocky--I may even get a good shot with a seal). I don't want just the ocean & the mermaid. I'd like to have a bluff or something in the background. Half Moon Bay would be nice for that too--all those interesting cypress trees.