The Monterey Wharf photo above shows the harbor of the Monterey Bay. In this popular fishing bay there are sailboats bobbing in the water, many huge pelicans searching for morsels to consume, and a host of fascinated tourists, gazing on the water for a new sight and experience to take home with them.

A brightly painted shack announces fishing and whales. "Get your Whale Tickets and Information Here." This salty wharf with its earthy scents is ideal for standing and gazing to the sea.  People watching is also quite easy in a spot that channels hundreds, if not thousands of tourists through daily in high season.

Monterey Bay is known for its ecological focus. Part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay is where employees from the Monterey Bay Aquarium work with sea animals to train them life's necessary lessons of feeding and swimming. It's where kayakers love to paddle through the waters as diners from Bubba Gump restaurant look on. 

It's where people shop, dine, and and take tour boat rides from this wharf. Be sure to stroll around this area on your next visit to Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach.

About photographing the Monterey Bay: You'll be hard pressed to find a more scenic, colorful beach destination to take pictures of in California. The landscape includes famed Monterey pines that offer unique, dramatic shapes and silhouettes against the ocean and sky. Add to that the bluest skies or foggy day, and everything just seems to be touched by magic when looking through a lens.

When visiting Monterey, don't forget your camera!  Several shops in Pacific Grove offer cameras and supplies, as well as a professional photo shop in downtown Monterey.  It's a photographer's paradise!