The Blog of FreyPhotos.com

Los Angeles Skyline

2011-06-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

One of the places I love to visit is the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The Getty Center is a great place to behold the fantastic art and especially, the architecture of the center itself.

I like to drive up there on days when it might rain. I just feel that a raining day, there are opportunities to catch some unique photos. One of these unique photos is the photo you see here.

This photo was taken from the Getty Center, looking past Westwood with the skyline of downtown Los Angeles in the thin sunlight, that broke between the storm clouds.

Was I lucky? I sure was. But, you have to put yourself in position to have luck pay off for you. If I would have went on a typical, hazy, clear, blue sky., this photo would not have the drama that the storm clouds gave it. You have to be there to be lucky.

Squeezing In

2011-05-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a few days trip into Arizona and one of the obvious spots to visit was the Grand Canyon National Park. This was my second visit here.

There is a lot to see here and it might not seem so, if you just visit the south rim. Shooting from just the rim, it is very easy to have one photo look just like another. So you have to find different angles, interesting subjects, etc...

Here, I knew this was going to be one of my better pics from this trip into the Grand Canyon. This photo conveys an emotion.

You would think with all this space, this tree could have grown anywhere. But when it is all hard rock, that is not so. Or maybe this tree wanted one of the best views to stare at each day? Who knows? I always find it interesting how some trees can find the most odd spots to grow.

I took this late in the afternoon. The shadows behind the tree and just in front of the tree really make the tree stand out. Obviously, the rocks split like they are will draw the viewer's eye immediately.

When you visit the Grand Canyon, you will naturally get your grand vista type of photos. But, find the intimate spots to take your photos, as well. You will find these just as grand as the canyon itself.

Up Periscope

2011-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to get use to my new Carl Zeiss 35mm f1.4 lens, for my Canon EOS-1D mark III camera. I am still mainly testing it out at f1.4 and trying to nail my focus dead-on. With the new EC-S super precision matte focusing screen installed in my Canon EOS-1D Mark III camera, I am having a lot more success.

A great environment to use a 35mm wide open is inside a submarine, where everything is very close quarters. Trying to isolate your subject from the rest of the background clutter with any other lens and to have this same field of view is basically impossible.

With this lens, I am able to blur out the background, but not totally obliterate it. I still like having a sense of where I am. So this lens, the periscope is certainly spot on in focus, while everything else is out-of-focus, yet, still recognizable.

For composing this image, I liked all the dials and instruments in the background. There are a few different possible variations in this control room. This is just one of them. You can still move this periscope and look thru it. So I turned it this way to get the image you see now.

This was taken aboard the USS Dolphin submarine, which was just decommissioned in 2007. It is now a part of the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

Anyways, I am going to keep practicing using my 35mm lens and getting a good feel for it. It just takes a lot of practice.

Wine Storage

2011-05-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I met up with one of the photography groups I am a member of; The San Diego dSLR Group.

Every month, we get together for a group shoot. It's a nice way not to only talk all things photography, but to also snap a few shots, for a few hours, have lunch, and share our shots from the day.

This month, our group shoot was held at the Bernardo Winery, located in the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo, about 25 miles north of downtown San Diego.

The winery isn't all that big, at all. But, it is very intimate, with lots of odds and ends, crafts, a nice cafe, wine tasting tours (of course), and this wine storage area which has these century old huge containers (barrels) of wine. This is my favorite place to get photos at this winery.

This room has a very good mood. The lighting in here is excellent. The texture on these containers is awesome. Plus, the whole room wreaks pleasantly of fermented wine.

Pretty much, you are going to be photographing nothing but barrels, or containers, whichever you prefer, in this area. So the challenge is to find some interesting compositions to go with the spotty light.

For this shot, I liked the play between the little barrel with the huge container in the background. I did not manipulate the lighting at all.

This was also a good test of my new Carl Zeiss Distagon, 35mm, f1.4, ZE lens for canon mount cameras. This was shot at f1.4 and it is amazing how a lens this wide can blur the immediate background. The sharpness is also amazing at this focal length.

The one challenge is manually focusing the lens. The plane of focus is so razor thin. I think I am going to get another focusing screen to help me obtain precise focus much faster. I was using live view and the zoom buttons to ensure critical sharpness. That process is pretty tedious, to say the least. But, it is another great use of the live view feature on my camera.

Anyways, once I get the hang of this new lens, I think I am going to really love it.

Lube Oil

2011-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, since I posted. I just finished up another season of winterguard photography. So now, I have time again to gallivant around, shooting odds and ends. I think lube oil qualifies as an odd-and-end. I took this photo on my most recent visit to the Motor Transport Museum, located in Campo, California (50 miles east of San Diego).

They say that photography is all about light. I think this photo, once again, proves that. A few things I like about this photo, besides the beautiful back-light, is the tones in the photo, as well as the variety of containers that the lube oil is in. But, without the rim light lighting up these containers, I absolutely would have no interest in taking this photo. But with good light, even lube oil can be made beautiful.

I shot this with a medium 135mm telephoto lens, at f2. That knocks out the background and keeps any background distractions from interfering with the subject. Also, this was not a staged photo. I did not arrange the containers or even touch them. There were more containers on this ledge, but I chose this group, which showed a great variety and I liked that yellow one on the right side, with the information. Of course, the 2nd container from the left is a must have. That is the classic lube oil container.

Winter in San Diego

2011-03-01T23:02:00.000-08:00

Wait! Snow in San Diego?

Yes! We do get snow in San Diego county.

This was the scene about an hour's drive up into the local San Diego mountains, after this past weekend's storm just dumped a couple of feet or more in some spots.

This is Cuyamaca Lake, which is about 6miles from the town of Julian. It sits at an elevation of around 4,600 feet. As you can see, it was a winter wonderland.

This was the most snow I have ever seen up there. The snow level was consistently up to my knees and it certainly gave my legs a good workout. But it was well worth the effort.

This was shot just before sunset. It certainly changed our perspective of what we usually are accustomed to seeing up that way. It is always fun to shoot a scene you are so use to and when a rare weather event happens, it is like visiting the same place for the first time again.

What's the best part about all of this? In an hour, I was back in 60 degree weather.

Waves of Color

2011-02-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

During the months of February thru April, I am the official photographer for the WinterGuard Association of Southern California (WGASC).

What is that? You might say.

Basically winterguard is colorguard shows held indoors, usually in high school gymnasiums, during the winter season. Most of the performers are high school, middle school, and some collegiate. Pretty simple explanation, eh?

What is not simple is photographing these guards. The challenges of photographing these shows are numerous. For one, the action is definitely not predictable. It is also fast and quick. Then you have the challenges of poorly lit high school gymnasiums. I could go on and on. Trying to maintain auto focus, though, is the biggest challenge of all.

So many factors come into play which affects auto focus. Cameras weren't specifically designed to shoot this activity. I have tried many different custom auto focus settings and each has their perks and downfalls. Plus, it really depends your style of composition. That has a lot to do with all of this, as well. Try maintain auto focus when the uniform is all black. Uniforms which are colorful and contrasty are much easier to maintain auto focus and keep it locked on, vice solid black. You also have shiny flag poles, sabers, and bright white rifles being tossed all around and in front, which can throw off the auto focus. Auto focus systems love to lock on those things a lot. Again, I could go on and on. Catch my drift?

While all of this is difficult, this pageantry arts activity is simply a joy to shoot. You have the colorful uniforms, the thrill of performing displayed all over the performer's faces, and of course, the thrill of capturing that special moment in the show.

This was one of my favorite shots from this weekend's performances. This part had great visual effect, especially if you sat up high in the stands. But as you can see, it has a great effect from my point-of-view, as well.

Endless Possibilities

2011-02-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

On my way back, last Fall, after my trip up the Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway, I made a stop in Lone Pine, California and decided to finally see the Alabama Hills (Yes! We are still talking about California here).

Alabama Hills, as you can see, is very scenic and it's no wonder why Hollywood has used this area over 150 times to film movies and TV shows, especially westerns. They even have a road named Movie Road. There is no cost to enter this area. It is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management.

For a photographer, this is a place of just endless possibilities, as far as composition goes. I really enjoyed driving my car along these dirt roads. Talk about a scenic drive! Layers upon layers of rocks.

I really like how this dirt road winds, as well as how it clearly shows the layers of rocks, which is what you will see all over here. The challenge of this area is to not take the same photo as any other photographer.

The curvy road, as it disappears around the rocks, sort of leaves you guessing where it continues to weave through and around the next set of rocks and so forth. This is no photographic trick that fools the viewer. I had this same exact feeling as I was driving, wondering where this dirt road will lead next.

Exploring can be such fun!

Come Inside to the Past

2011-01-22T04:28:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like to do, to practice up on my photography, is to visit museums which have a lot of old relics of odds and ends. One of these fine places is the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in Vista, California.

At this museum, you can find a lot more than just engines. You can find old cars, trucks, tractors, lawnmowers, etc... which housed these engines. There is also this neat wooden barn, right as you enter the museum grounds.

As you can see, there looks like there are some neat old goodies inside. Every time, it seems, when I have visited in the past, these barn doors were always closed. It was a nice surprise to finally see the doors open.

There are 3 things I really find appealing about this scene. One is obviously the vintage car. Another thing I find appealing is also the barn itself with all the wood boards framing the car. Lastly, I really like all the old wooden wheel spokes.

For this image, the barn acted as a nice "frame inside a frame." The wheel spokes also further framed the car. Also, with the car being parked just barely inside the barn, you had nice light on the car and I liked how the light just tapers off the further your eyes look into the barn.

Finally, I processed this as a black-and-white image, with a touch of sepia tone. There is another car parked right behind and it had a vibrant green color, which easily had about the only color in the scene, that really jumped out. So naturally, I wanted to neutralize that would-be distraction.

This museum is really a nice place to visit and they offer many events, usually on Saturdays, for both young and old alike. That is also a time when they operate some of the countless relics found on this property. If you are into this kind of thing, then check out there website and perhaps, stop on by and see for yourself.

El Capitan Rockslide

2011-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

Another recent blog post, by bay area photographer, Dan Mitchell, captured one of those very rare moments, when you are in the right spot at the right time.

Dan was on his way out of Yosemite, on his most recent trip, when he pulled the car off at a common turnout, and decided to take a few snaps of a Yosemite icon, Half-Dome. The late day sun was displayed brilliantly in his scene. But to his delight, when he got back home and looked at his photos, he discovered a little bonus. In one of those shots, there was a mini avalanche captured in one of the series of shots he took of Half-Dome from the turnout.

If you are a big fan of Yosemite national park, you must check out his photo. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Dan's photo reminded me I was in a similar situation, on my first trip ever, into Yosemite, back in May 2009. It was my last day on the trip and I was in the meadow just below the other Yosemite icon, El Capitan.

I had just finished taking all the photos I wanted and I started walking back to the car, when I heard what I thought was the crackle of thunder. It was clouding up, so I assumed that it was indeed thunder. But while walking back, I saw many tourists heads looking back toward me and looking upwards at El Capitan. When I turned around, I realized it was a rockslide instead.

I hurried a few shots to try and get the plume of smoke or dust. Unfortunately, right as this happened, the sun partially disappeared and left the meadow and most of El Capitan in the shade, yet the sky and right where the rock-slide was occurring, it was still in the sun. It's not like I had time to put on a graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure out. Rock-slides don't exactly last all that long. Know what I mean?

Anyways, the sun did eventually come back out, but only after the dust dispersed quite a bit. In these 2 photos, I did my best to process these and chose black-and-white conversion for both, as the color versions were pretty drab. Still, it was pretty cool to have a front row seat to one of nature's powerful displays.

El Prado

2011-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:00

When visiting San Diego, one of the city's gems is the historic Balboa Park. Balboa Park is where you will find most of the city's museums, along with some gardens, and next door, the world renown San Diego Zoo.

One of the shots I love to get at Balboa Park is the view from the one end of El Prado, by the fountain. Here, the fountain is still shut off, during the morning hours. I believe it turns on at noon. From here, you can see the natural history museum on the near right, then all the way down to the California Tower.

Now, for this shot, I used my 21mm lens and got quite low to the ground and right at the water's edge. A lot of people like to just get the reflection of the natural history museum, by taking the photo from a spot further left and filling the reflection and frame with just basically the museum itself. I kind of like leading the viewer all the way down the Prado and the California Tower is a nice ending spot. I just think it's a nice "placeholder" in the image. The moon setting is just "icing on the cake."

Precision

2010-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

I took a trip during a soggy, rainy day in Southern California, up to the Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California. I couldn't believe how many people were there that day. I guess it was the many out-of-town visitors here for the college bowl games.

At the Getty Center, there are a few themes found throughout the museum grounds. Some of them that I can think of are clean, white, pure, squares, stone, shapes, texture, curves, and not the least, precision. Everything seems to have a very precise purpose in design at the Getty Center.

Even the garden and the landscape here takes on the theme of precision, such as this row of pepper trees in this photo. They are trimmed to make one tree look just about as identical as possible as the other trees in the row. I believe they also keep the trees cut flat as to not obscure the views of the architecture of the Getty Center.

It was gray most of the day and it was a natural idea to convert it to a black-and-white photo. I processed this with some high contrast and exposed it just a tad on the bright side, as to knock out the clouds and most of the background, as to make the trees pop out all by themselves.

Rising Into the Heavens

2010-12-27T01:19:00.000-08:00

On my trips up to the Pacific Northwest, one of my favorite places to go, if I have time, is to Mt. Rainier National Park. Unfortunately, there has been little or no free time to make a drive out that way, the last few trips I have made. It was pretty much going to be that way, yet again, on this last trip.

I was on my flight back to San Diego. We had just taken off from cloudy SeaTac airport. Just as we rose above the clouds, I saw my baby, Mt. Rainier, smiling at me, as if the mountain knew I had been far too deprived of her for far too long.

Luckily for me, I had my small camera bag with me on this trip and therefore was able to stow it under the seat in front of me. Of course, having a window seat on the left side of the plane helped, also.

When I saw this, I scrambled for my camera bag, grab my camera, popped my 24-70 lens on and took a few hurried shots before the plane passed on by or the clouds once again obscured her. The plane was still in it's take-off posture. I didn't care. I was pulling out my electronic device and taking this beauty. Nobody ever said a word. Cool!

Not only did I get a clear shot of Rainier, but I got some very nice atmospheric conditions, with the clouds in the foreground. Wow! Did those help or what?

I was able to take a few different compositions. One which I really want to show, but I have to fix it first. There was a noticeable scratch on the other window and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I will have to remove the scratch in post-processing.

Later during the flight, I whipped out my camera, yet again, when we flew by Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra mountain range.

Spanish Allure

2010-12-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

One of the famous landmarks in San Diego, California, is found just outside downtown, at Balboa Park.

Balboa Park was created in time for the 1915 Panama Exposition, as San Diego was the host city that year for the exposition. The park was named in honor of Spanish-born Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, the first European to spot the Pacific Ocean while on exploration in Panama. Hence, the park is dominated with beautiful Spanish architecture, almost everywhere you look.

In this photo, this was taken inside the courtyard of the Prado. The Prado is very popular for it's restaurant, as well as for it's wedding receptions.

I wanted to capture many features of the Spanish architecture found in Balboa Park. Easily the most dominating and repeating feature found throughout the park are the arches.

In this courtyard, not only do you have the arches, but you have these flowerpots on the rails, which look like geraniums, surrounding the courtyard. They survived all the rain and wind San Diego got battered with the last week. I decided to selective focus on one of the pots and throw everything else out of focus, but still easily making out other striking features.

This image also demonstrates that if you just walk a few steps further, you can get a fresh perspective of a common place. Most people walk into the courtyard, take their pics by the water fountain (statue in the bottom right-hand corner), maybe go into the restaurant and eat, and then leave.

If you are a fan of Spanish style architecture, there is plenty of allure here for you.

The Other Falls From Sol Duc

2010-12-13T08:49:00.000-08:00

I think from the photos I took of these "other" Sol Duc Falls, this is my favorite one or two. Right now, it is my wallpaper on my new 25" wide-screen monitor. It definitely looks very impressive on a screen that size.

I think shooting these falls looking slightly down is better than the vantage point from just a little downstream. I like seeing the water dammed up between the two logs and seeing the full cascade effect. The downstream vantage, the top log sort of gets hidden and the cascade effect does not have as strong of an impact.

I really like again, how the green moss on the log frames the path of the cascade. Also, when composing this shot, I tried to make sure to place some ferns in the shot, as they are as much of a staple of the rainforest, as the water, green moss, and lichen are.

I am more proud of the photos I got from this spot along the Sol Duc Trail, then I am from the Sol Duc Falls themselves. These "other" Sol Duc Falls are quite a gem.

Again, you can find all of this in Olympic National Park, in western Washington state.

Sol Duc Falls

2010-12-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a place I had wanted to get to for quite some time. As promised in an earlier blog post, here are the Sol Duc Falls.

Now, the Sol Duc Falls might not be the most spectacular falls, the largest, tallest, etc... But, these falls certainly have an originally look. They empty out into what basically is a slot canyon, at this point in the river.

Conditions were prime for shooting these falls that day. Overcast and even some mist in the air made the colors come alive. I also shot this from the opposite side of where most people take this shot, which is the walking bridge.

I always try and take at least a slightly different shot of a famous landmark. In this case, I got right up at the edge of the river, with my lightweight carbon tripod, and shot this in landscape composition. I shot this with my Canon 24-70mm lens, as I did not bring my Zeiss 21mm lens with me on this trip. At the time, I was really wishing I had it, as that little bit of wider view would have helped shoot these falls the way I exactly wanted to. Nevertheless, I think the photos came out okay.

The Sol Duc Falls are located in Olympic National Park, in Washington state.

The Rock

2010-11-28T09:31:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has been to Torrey Pines State Beach, in San Diego, knows of this very familiar site. It was like this rock was put here as a viewing platform to watch the sunsets or just a popular place to have your photo taken. When the tide is low, this rock is easily accessible.

I took this photo on "Black Friday." Me and my friend went and walked around the Torrey Pines State Reserve, which has a trail which leads you right down the cliffs to the beach at this spot. I thought with the chilly weather and it being the biggest shopping day of the year, there wouldn't be too many people here. Well, I was certainly wrong. The parking lots were jammed pack. I guess perhaps the shoppers had seen enough of marked down prices inside a Walmart or Target store and wanted to see something with a little more visual appeal.

I took this photo about a half-hour before sunset, when the golden sun brilliantly makes the bluffs glow in the rich golden light. I had composed this photo with the foreground rocks in mind. But, what made this shot was the group of people on the rock. It's funny how they were aligned from shortest to tallest, with the tallest person waving their hands. I don't believe this rock has any name, but it is certainly a scenic magnet, in the San Diego landscape.

Autumn Along Soleduck

2010-11-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

Autumn in most places in the world, you associate leaves turning into vibrant yellows, oranges, and reds. In the Pacific Northwest, this does happen, but what also happens is the rain returns and the rain forests become wet and lush green.

I finally had a few hours to make a trip out and check out the Sol Duc Falls. The Sol Duc Falls are located in Olympic National Park, in Washington state.

Now in this photo, these are not the Sol Duc Falls. This though was found along the trail, heading to the Sol Duc Falls, along the Soleduck Trail. I know. I know. Is it Sol Duc or Soleduck? It is both. The trailhead says "Soleduck." Since these are not the Sol Duc Falls, I will go along with Soleduck, since it is right off the Soleduck Trail. Had enough Soleduck?

Anyways, this is just a part of a small little stream cascading down and through green mossy rocks. You will see these as you cross a small, wooden, walking bridge (~10 feet long). Now from the bridge, these falls look pretty, but you really just need to gallivant a bit up these falls and find some nice pockets, like I did here.

What I really love about this photo is how the 2 logs which fell created a very spectacular, makeshift waterfall. Usually logs falling into a waterfall scene can really obscure and really sometimes ruin the photo. In this case, they are not obscuring the falls, but rather creating a waterfall.

It was a perfect time to photograph this scene, as the clouds moved in and it was even a bit misty around, which is typical of rain forests, of course. Everything was lush green, damp, and beautiful.

The Soleduck Trail is about a .8 mile hike from the parking lot. It is a pretty easy hike and not much hills at all. Be sure to check out my blog again soon, as I will show the actual Sol Duc Falls.

Bottles Of Fun At Bodie

2010-11-03T23:54:00.000-07:00

Here is another photo from my recent trip to the Eastern Sierras. This one is from Bodie Historic State Park.

This was my first visit ever to Bodie. I heard and seen images from this place, but they were generally the same image, over and over. When I arrived here and started walking around, I could not believe the abundance of photo ops here and wondered at the same time why there wasn't a much larger variety of photos available to view, on the internet. There are the wide angle scenes and the plentiful amount of details, as well. In the photo, I used my 135mm lens to focus on the details.

The bottles on the window sill caught my attention. What I like was the wide variety of bottles. A secondary subject in this photo is the rickety, wooden picket fence. If you walk around Bodie, you see this wooden texture everywhere. Therefore, when composing this image, I included the fence, but still didn't blatantly give away the place. I left some intrigued. At the same time, if you have been to Bodie before, you might be able to recognize this.

Now, I could have just composed the bottles in the window and that might have worked just fine. But, I felt like a little more context might be needed and make the image, once again, more intriguing. The context being perhaps a worn, old, vintage, abandoned place, etc... A place perhaps that once was bustling with activity. I also just liked how this fence was and the tones of it really pop out and the missing pickets in the fence, really work well. When we see a fence, of course our curiosity makes our eyes want to look past the fence. Here, you eyes see the fence, and then walk right through the fence, where the opening is, due to the missing pickets. Your eyes then scan and examine the long row of bottles on the window sill. Even in an image like this, where I have used a medium telephoto to isolate on some details, there are many photos within this photo, as well.

Bodie is truly a photographer's paradise and there are plenty of bottles of fun to be had here. My recommendation is if you visit here, you do it during the weekday and right as it opens. It does tend to have many tourists around and once noon hits, you are really dodging them.

Olmsted Point

2010-10-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to Yosemite National Park, you certainly recognize one of the iconic features of the park, called Half Dome. There are many places in the park which present you a view of Half Dome. In this image, I took this shot of Half Dome from Olmsted Point, along the higher elevation of Yosemite, on the Tioga Pass (Rte. 120).

Now, the challenge of photographing Half Dome is trying to find a different view of it. In this case, I went the opposite direction. Instead of being predictable and heading down to the overlook, I instead walked across the street from the parking lot and up the granite hill. I put my 135mm telephoto prime lens on, walked around the granite a few minutes and then saw this view.

Now, anyone who has been to Olmsted Point, will certainly recognize yet another iconic feature in this photo. In this case, it is the pine tree that grows right out of the granite, very close to the parking lot. It is a magnet for point-and-shoot amateur photographers and tourists. The challenge with that icon is just taking a pic of it without tourists all around it, posing all weird, and whatever else.

I shot this photo late in the afternoon. I really like the sun backlighting, slightly from the right side, the pine tree. The huge granite slope in the shade behind it really makes the pine tree stand out. Lurking behind that granite hill, is of course, Half Dome.

I took this approach, after the clouds started dispersing, leaving a blank sky. Therefore, I needed to find a way to fill the frame up well. I think I have accomplished that. I can't recall anyone else using this perspective of the 2 icons, at Olmsted Point.

Tioga Pass Autumn Splendor

2010-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo taken just as the storm was moving in. I again took this just a few miles outside the entrance to Yosemite National Park, on CA Rte. 120, otherwise known as the Tioga Pass. This is along a turn-out. I stopped here when I saw the aspens back and side lit by the sunshine. That light disappeared within 2 minutes after this photo was taken.

The peaks of these mountains really caught my attention as well, and were vital in how I was going to compose this shot. I like how the peaks from left to right kept ascending. I also liked the little blue sky opening above the tallest peak, in this photo.

There was a lot of dynamics happening in this image. You had the brilliant foliage of the aspens, the recent snow on the mountains, and the storm clouds moving in. A definite sense that the seasons are changing.

Aspen Surprise

2010-10-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

This week, I am off Monday for the Columbus Day holiday and this week is my scheduled off Friday. Therefore, I decided to take the entire week off. I decided to take a drive up US Rte. 395 along the Eastern Sierras for my first visit this far north, along the 395.

Now, after seeing all the aspen photos on the photo forums this autumn and years past, I finally decided to join the fun and see it for myself, and of course, take a "few' pics...here and there. So why is this blog entry an "Aspen Surprise?"

Well, I hadn't really began my hunt for the aspens quite yet. That's why. I saw that the color was pretty much late in many areas this fall and the few areas that did have color, were overrun with photographers. Therefore, I was putting off the "aspen hunt" for a few days, to give the aspen leaves a few more days to become more yellow. Right now, I have seen a lot of green aspen leaves mixed with some yellow. But, I had hardly seen much of the yellow-vivid orange aspens. Only sparse amounts, which weren't worth the effort.

So, on my first full day up here, I decided to do Mono Lake for sunrise and then head over to Bodie State Historic Park and spend the day there and then head into Yosemite National Park, and perhaps do sunset at Olmsted Point. Well, that was the plan and I was able to do most of it, except Olmsted Point.

The day started out clear, of course, for our sunrise, no clouds in sight and no pastel hues right before sunrise. So it was just an average sunrise at Mono Lake this morning. Of course, after that, the clouds started appearing. Now, it made for a great day of photography. Puffy white clouds sprinkling the sky and giving spotty sun lights and some diffuse light, as well. The sky was not boring. So I figured that sunset was going to be great and with the clouds, I thought, Olmsted Point would be a great place to be for it, with the dynamic sky.

So, I started driving up Tioga Pass (rte 120 heading into Yosemite). As I am driving, I am about 5 miles from the entrance booth, when I spot this brilliant aspen grove off to my side and pulled the car off the side of the road abruptly. The aspens were backlit and really popping. Not 5 minutes there, the gray clouds moved in and the rains came shortly after that. But, what it did do was diffuse the entire scene and the colors were vibrant, since the sun was not washing them out.

Therefore, the surprise was of all the places where the aspen color was still green, the one hot spot was heading into Yosemite, which is definitely not known for it's fall aspen foliage. An aspen surprise, to say the least.

Heading Back to San Diego

2010-09-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we had a very warm, humid, and tropical day in San Diego. We had these sort of tropical high clouds all throughout the day. Therefore, after work, I decided to head over to Coronado Island and take late day and sunset pics of San Diego, from there.

When I got there, the light was gorgeous and with the clouds, I was sure we would have a gorgeous sunset. That was until this one patch of clouds decided to follow the sun and obscure it rays from lighting up the rest of the sky. Ahhhhh! What could have been.

Regardless, I still came away with a few photos which I thought turned out just fine. I was really lacking some foreground subjects, as the bay was unusually very quiet. Finally, I got the ferry heading back over to San Diego and that was a foreground object I sorely needed. As you can see, the sky was set for the sun. It just never happened. Next time, I guess.

Remembering 9/11

2010-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

This past week, I was on a business up in Oxnard, CA. After fighting through the typical Los Angeles traffic, I like to take the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH or Highway 1) the last 40-50 miles to get to Oxnard. You get nice vistas of the Pacific Ocean, as well as the rugged coastline, and the mansions in Malibu.

On my way up, I noticed all these flags (not all are USA flags). All these flags were posted on the grounds of Pepperdine University, in Malibu, CA. I didn't have time to stop on my way up and I hoped that they would be still there, when I was traveling back down to San Diego, later in the week.

After some research online, I found out that Pepperdine University puts on this display every year, in memory of all the fallen victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This year, it is on display from 9/11 till 9/19. It is a very striking scene, when you pass by on the PCH. You will see some foreign flags amongst the American flags, as it is about all the victims of the 9/11 attack, not just Americans who lost their lives. I think that is very nice they did that.

Well, you have this weekend to check out this site. Otherwise, you will have to wait till next year's 9/11 remembrance.

Shelves & Layers

2010-09-07T00:17:00.000-07:00

One thing that I really like about living in San Diego is how quickly you can be surrounded by the tall buildings of downtown and then in about 15 minutes, be at a place like you see in this photo. Quite the contrast between the two settings.

This was taken at the tide pools at Cabrillo National Monument, in Point Loma. At Cabrillo, you can get your money's worth. It is only $5 per car. You get 7 days visit from the time you pay the $5 entrance fee. Definitely one of the better bargains.

The tide pools are one of the most popular attractions at Cabrillo. The kids really love it there and the views are just spectacular. You can really see the power that water has, when you look at the cliffs along here. What I love looking at are these shelves that extend out from the cliff walls and all the layers these shelves have. I also find the round boulders, that seem totally out of place, laying in the most peculiar spots, very interesting.

If you ever find yourself taking where you live for granted, then spend a few hours at a place like this. I am sure you will feel rejuvenated and great about this great place you call home.

WIPEOUT!!!

2010-09-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

The last two nights, I have been going through old photos, as far as 5-10 years back. Most I was pretty horrified at what I was taking photos of. I certainly have assembled quite a collection of photographic garbage. But then, I came across the gem.

I took this photo around 5 1/2 years ago. I cropped it from it's original landscape composition. To me, this could almost be a sort of movie poster.

Now, I reprocessed this and applied some cross-processing to it. I really wanted a bluish tint to this photo, to accent the water.

I took this shot from the Ocean beach pier, which is quite a long pier and a great spot to get a good vantage of the surfers, when there are good swells. You really don't need that much zoom, unlike if you were shooting from the beach.

The elements that I really like are the kid's expression. I also like how he is flailing his arms. The surfboard is really powerful here. Finally, I really like the water action surrounding the bottom of the surfboard. Almost makes it look like I was in the water with my camera.

Well, I am going to continue to look through more old photos and see if there are forgotten gems, besides this one.

Rising Above the Old

2010-08-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

All around downtown in recent years, there has been a steady diet of condo high-rises being built. One of the places that certainly has seen high-rises pop up has been along the Pacific Highway, next to the historic Santa Fe Depot, in downtown San Diego, California.

I am not sure if folks are familiar with Andrew Hudson. But, he is the author and contributing photographer for his series of books, called Photo Secrets. In his series of books, he has a book titled, Photo Secrets San Diego. It was published I believe in 1999. But still, it is a great book or resource for photographers not only visiting San Diego, but photographers, such as myself, who live here in "America's Finest City."

One of the photos you will find in this book is of one of the signature Santa Fe domes. Now, back in 1999, these condo high-rises filling up the background were obviously not there. But, the shot that Andrew took years ago was shot facing downtown San Diego and using one of the downtown glass-window buildings as a background. The building had a very interesting pattern and worked perfectly to contrast against the dome.

I decided, since there has been a lot of new buildings rising up, why not take another look and a try a similar, but different take on the one that Andrew took. Now, it might be similar, but sort of has a different mindset than Andrew's photo.

For this photo, I wanted to portray the feeling that the old is being squeezed out and being dwarfed. The new is bigger, modern, better, etc... I really like how the condo high-rises in the background not only rise above the Santa Fe Depot dome, but fill in the background. Your guess is left to wonder how much higher these high-rises rise above the old Santa Fe Depot. Of course, it is a classic example of the contrast of old versus new.

This is a great reason why it is a good idea to not only take a wide-angle lens with you around the city, but also take a telephoto lens. This was shot with a 135mm lens.

Lines and Lines of Windows in Windows

2010-08-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

The last 2 weeks, I have signed up for the special Horton Plaza photowalk, in downtown San Diego, CA. As I was waiting at the main entrance to the Horton Plaza, I looked back and saw the Westin Hotel reflecting in the windows of the NBC building.

This shot interested me because it certainly had a strong theme of lines. Then you have the column or line of windows from the Westin in perfect harmony with the line of windows in the NBC building. I added in the foreground, this bus shelter (I think that is it's purpose). The lines of it had the same flow as the lines in the NBC building.

I think you get the idea. Lines, windows, more lines, more windows, etc...

Crazy Carnival Rides

2010-08-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

I went with a friend this past Saturday to the Orange County Fair, in Costa Mesa, CA. This was like my first time to a fair since I was a kid. So in essence, this was my first time photographing subjects, such as carnival rides at a fair.

One of the key ideas with these rides, when photographing them, is to bring them to life in still photography. That is easier said than done.

One of my favorite and most intriguing rides at this fair was one called "DiskO." This ride had a couple of different motions occurring simultaneously. Not only did it go back-n-forth, higher and higher, and at faster rates, it also rotated while doing this. Therefore, I wanted to capture this ride at it's peak time of all this action. That meant to capture it at the highest point on the track. But, it also meant to capture the rotating motion of this ride.

Anyways, my friend wanted to know how I was able to capture the "DiskO" sign almost perfectly in focus, while it seems that the rest of the ride platform is blurred, due to the motion.

So how was I able to do this? First, I didn't have a tripod with me and I also didn't have neutral density filter. That meant, I had to adjust the camera aperture way down to f20, to maintain 1/10sec on the shutter speed (I took a few test shots to figure out what a good shutter speed would be). I was at ISO 50 on my camera. I used an advertising sign to lean up against and to provide better stability. I set the camera to AI Servo focusing mode, on my Canon EOS-1D Mark III body.

Ok. I know some of you probably understand that. But, how did the sign more or less stay in relative focus? Well, when shooting action, there are always those peak moments in action, where there are slight pauses that occur when there is about to be a change in direction. Here, the ride has reached it's peak height and is about to come back down the track. The focus point was tracking on the sign. Now the luck is having the sign facing you so you can read it, when this happens. Now, I did take many shots of this ride. It wasn't like I nailed this shot in a minute or two.

For composition, I used another ride in the background, called the Mega Drop, which is a free-fall ride, to add interest and fill in the frame much better. My goal was pretty tricky. Trying to time these 2 rides up to where I had the riders at or near the top of the Mega Drop, while capturing the DiskO ride as such. In my opinion, the riders at the top of the Mega Drop are important. Again, to add more life to the shot. It also kind of sums up the craziness of carnival rides. Here, you have riders being dropped, turned, pushed, and pulled in all sorts of directions. Quite the craze!

For post processing, my tower wasn't tact sharp. Therefore, I decided to give these rides, which are very colorful, some old school film look, with some of my own frames and crud to overlay onto them. For me, the various colors at a carnival lends themselves perfectly for alternative post-processing options.Gives them that vintage film look of distortions, color shifts, and aging. Hope you like the final product.

Park It Anywhere

2010-08-03T07:14:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I went with a friend up to Manhattan Beach, California to check out the 2010 International Surf Festival. We got there right before 8:30 in the morning. Needless to say, we got there when you could find plenty of parking spots. Later in the day, even finding a parking spot for your bike was quite the challenge.

For this annual event, it drew around an estimated 60,000 beach-goers. So many folks who live near this area rode their bikes, probably figuring it would be much easier to park a bike, instead of having to wake up hours earlier to park their car and pay the parking fees. As you can see, there was additional parking set aside for the bikes. You can barely make out the bike racks in the photo. After a while, it seems the "park it anywhere you could" philosophy set in. You can see bikes atop of other parked bikes in this photo.

For composing this photo, I wanted the utter confusion and sense of clutter. Not really hard to do, in this case. But, I also decided to leave a bit of open sand and also let the end of Manhattan Beach pier poke through, to just give a hint and sense of where you were at. People who are familiar will recognize the aquarium and cafe structure that is at the end of the pier and is shown in this photo. Finally, yes! There is a beach under all these bikes.

Waving the Red Flags

2010-07-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

I had another opportunity this past weekend to shoot some more drum corps. There was a drum corps show in Corona, CA on Friday night and another, on Saturday night, at Paramount High School.

For both nights, I decided to shoot with the sun backlighting my subjects, rather than trying to go the typical route of shooting with the sun to my back. For one reason, at both stadiums, the stadium was running mainly east to west. So the sun was going to set on the endzone side of the stadium. This makes for extreme contrast situations. In both cases, the sun did set off to the side, but a little behind (not exactly behind the endzone. Another reason why I shot with the sun backlighting the subjects is because I find the results a lit more dramatic.

In this case, I finally was able to fit the guy in the frame entirely. You can see how the light paints just the edges off him, almost like a highlight maker.

Stay tuned, as I have a lot more examples coming of the benefits of shooting with the sun backlighting the subject.

The Eye of the Cymbal

2010-07-06T23:56:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite activities to photograph is pageantry arts. I love taking photos of marching bands , colorguards, and in this photo, drum corps. There are endless photo possibilities. It is so expressive, emotional, and action-packed. You can throw many adjectives at these kinds of photos. Anyways, every summer, drum corps across the world comes alive.

Drum corps is a marching activity that takes place on a football field during the summer months. It is an advanced marching activity, in which performers must audition for, to just make it to the corps of their choice. When they make it, they have to pay their own way. For a chance to make the top corps, the price can be steep, since the top corps travel across the country performing for die-hard drum corps fans from every corner of the USA. But these performers have such determination and drive that they find ways to fund their summer of drum corps every summer. It truly shows the passion and devotion they have towards this activity and they leave it all on the field, when they perform.

Drum corps is slightly different from your average marching band. The most glaring difference is that there are no woodwinds instruments in drum corps. Drum corps is made up only of brass and percussion, on the musical side, with colorguard supporting the visual side.

Design of a drum corps show is much more demanding, as well, and very sophisticated. As soon as one summer of drum corps is over, the wheels are already turning on the design on next summer's production. Unlike many marching bands, which have more than one show design during the course of the year, a drum corps spends the entire year working on only one show and perfecting that show to the best of their abilities.

One reason, besides entertaining fans, to work on perfecting their show is because it is judged. There are different classes of drum corps, depending mainly on the size of the drum corps. The best corps will usually reap the benefits of getting the "cream of the crop" talent, during the audition phase. But, regardless of the level of the drum corps and the scores, these performers truly just love performing for the fans and the experience of a lifetime, that they gain from it.

If you want to find out more about what drum corps is all about and to find a show near you, check out the Drum Corps International website, DCI. They have all sorts of goodies for your enjoyment, such as videos, information on all the participating corps, show schedules, scores, and general news and announcements. Check it out!

You can also find thousands of drum corps fans at Drum Corps Planet (DCP). DCP has forums there for fans to discuss all there is to talk about, in the drum corps world. You will also find articles and photos. In fact, I am one of the contributing photographers at DCP.

For this photo, it was taken at a recent drum corps show in Riverside, CA, on July 5th, 2010. This is the Velvet Knights drum corps from Pasadena, CA. This year, their cymbal line is one of the most photogenic parts of their show. As you can see by their hair, they are not shy to show off their skills.

Now, photographing cymbals is not easy. Trying to get their face to show is challenging. First, the cymbals are usually in front of their faces a lot. Secondly, keeping the auto focus on the face is difficult. The auto focus sees the shiny contrasty cymbal and just wants to "grab" it. The focal plane is so narrow that if it acquires focus on the cymbal, then the face will be out of focus.

In this shot, I was fortunate I had great light, as it was near sunset. I was also able to get the cymbals apart and see their face between the plates. Anyways, I think the photo speaks for itself.

Sails and Steel

2010-06-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

I went back to this spot I have been checking out lately, since in San Diego, during June, we have what is called "June Gloom." Which is, we get a lot of marine layer, the "gloom," during this month.

Now, what I really like is what you see in this photo. I really like when the marine layer is coming into the bay, but it is only half-way in. Therefore, you get a hazy, cloudy background, yet, the sunshine is still apparent where I am at. If you look closely, you can see Pt. Loma in the background. This type of conditions really creates some interesting lighting conditions, which I like a lot.

Now, if you didn't read my previous post on this similar shot, during the late afternoon-early evening, this light reflects nicely up onto the bow of the USS Midway. This condition last around 45 minutes, in optimum condition. But, the marine layer, where it is at, is what makes it extra special. I like that it basically hides the background land strip. It gives it a nice atmospheric mood, as well.

Now, I have been scoping this spot and looking for unique or interesting subjects to compliment the carrier. This time, I found that the sails worked nicely here.

Tomcat and Her Sidewinder

2010-06-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Of all the expensive pieces of glass I have (lenses), for this shot, I used sort of a toy piece of glass, called a Lensbaby. Now why would I put such a cheap piece of glass on such a professional camera? Well, hopefully this image shows why.

I went with a group of people to the USS Midway museum last Saturday. This is the decommisioned USS Midway aircraft carrier and her flight deck.

For this shot, since there was a lot of clutter in the shot, I thought it would be ideal to use the Lensbaby and focus the attention better on the F-14 Tomcat and her Sidewinder weapon. Now, I could have used a regular lens and chose a very wide aperture, which would have blurred out the background also. But, here, the blur would have been linear. What I mean is, everything would be the same blur. By putting the Lensbaby on, I am able to direct you attention to where I exactly what you to, by drawing you over to that spot, not just blurring everything else out. I hope that makes sense.

The trick with the Lensbaby is not overdoing it. That is so much easier said than done. For scenese like this, you have to be very subtle with it. For this shot, I used the f5.6 aperture disc and the Lensbaby double optic insert.

You can check out the Lensbaby itself at their website, http://www.lensbaby.com and see if this might work well in your arsenal, as well. It can be very frustrating, many times in fact, but can be very rewarding when you get a couple really great shots. It takes plenty of time and practice to master.

I hope you like how this turned out.

The Massive USS Midway

2010-06-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

So, this is my 100th blog post. And to mark history, what better way than to do this than to have a shot of the historic aircraft carrier, the USS Midway. Ok! I know I am not famous. But, the USS midway has certainly gotten around, in her almost 50 years of service in the fleet.

The USS Midway decommissioned for the last time in 1992. For about 10 years, she sat up "mothballed" in Bremerton, WA, until finally making her way to San Diego, in early 2004, to become a permanent museum which not only shows off the carrier itself, but also a lot of the vintage aircraft that once flew off her flight deck.

For this shot, I did what is usually not the best idea. Shoot straight towards the bright sunshine. Now this wasn't sunset time, yet. It was about 1 1/2 hours or so away. But, what attracted me to this shot was how the light was reflecting off the water and onto the bow of the ship, by the anchor.

I sat for a while and waited for a perfect foreground object to make the shot even better. I waited probably around 20 minutes. I actually lost a little of the light reflected on the ship, but when these 2 couples appeared and they both simultaneously pointed at the ship, I knew that was going to be the best shot of this today.

This shot was going to be nothing but a black-n-white shot. Even the original color version of the photo is very hard to see any color. What I like is the scale between the ship and the people. Also, the marine layer was coming in, yet the sun was still above it. I did not mind at all that the sky is a bit overexposed. i didn't care. In fact, it made the shot clean.

The components, besides the people in this shot and the carrier itself, that I liked in this shot were the little sailboats off in the distance. I thought it was a nice touch without cluttering the shot at all.

I have another idea for this shot. It just needs the right foreground subject. Stay tuned if i am lucky to get that shot.

Majestic Maintenance

2010-06-18T23:30:00.000-07:00

One of the things any photographer should try and do is capture something when it is not in it's usual form or normal self. In this case, this would apply to the San Diego California temple, situated just off the I-5 freeway, in La Jolla. The temple is undergoing some preservation type of maintenance.

What drew me to the photo was the intricate scaffolding surrounding the temple. I have had this on my "radar" for the past few weeks and I figured I have better get this shot, before the work is complete and the scaffolding disappears and the temple returns to it's normal look.

I had stopped here on my way back during the early afternoon last weekend and took some shots. Immediately, I knew that I would need a shot of this at dusk. Now, if the temple was in it's normal state, then an afternoon shot would be ideal, as well. But, in this instance, the scaffolding sort of hides the pristine white. Therefore, I needed the lights inside and outside the church, at dusk, to really bring out the magic in this shot.

I think the scaffolding is blocking some of light rays and therefore is not quite as bright as it usually is. But, the scaffolding really shows up, due to the same lights. At dusk, the deep blue sky contrasts nicely with the warm yellow tungsten color inside the temple. The incoming marine layer just barely held off long enough for this shot, to get those nice deep blues in the sky.

I took this shot from the other side of I-5, in a strip mall parking lot. I met another photographer, who had the same idea. She was kind enough to let me borrow her tripod for a quick few minutes, as I need to find a new tripod. She also let me use her little step ladder to shoot over the chain-link fence, to make it easier than to use the live-view mode on my camera. You have to like a photographer who really comes prepared. She was nice company and I hope to see her photos of this, as well.

This is a famous San Diego landmark. With or without scaffolding, it is a beauty no matter what.

Ducting

2010-06-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

Now, for all the photos that there have been taken of the USS Midway, I would venture to say, that this isn't the most popular of them. In fact, I am quite positive I am the only one who has a pic like this of the Midway.

The USS Midway is an aircraft carrier museum, that sits docked in San Diego. You can tour the carrier, seeing not only the carrier itself, but also vintage aircraft parked on the flight deck and also in the hangar bay.

For this shot, I was walking along her starboard side (right side) late in the evening sun. The marine layer had started to diffuse the sun and roll into San Diego Bay. I was actually trying to compose shots of the USS Midway's bow with the aircraft carriers at North Island in the background. As I was looking around for better angles to photograph that, I notice this ducting up high on the side of the ship.

The thing that caught me first was that there was ducting on the outside of the skin of the ship, in the first place. It's kind of unusual to see. But, the sort of rate maze design of it, with the interesting shadow play, really made it stand out.I really like how the shadows fall right on the "Y" shape part of the ducting.

I just think that this ducting takes you on an interesting journey inside and out of the USS Midway. But, just like that rat, confused and wondering where it might lead out or end.

SS Moonlight & SS Encinitas

2010-06-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

One of the more peculiar icons, on a lesser scale, in San Diego county are these 2 boat-houses that sit in a residential area of Encinitas, California. These are apartment complexes that were built to look like boats. Therefore, these were never boats on the high seas during any portion of their existence.

Anyways, for this shot, since the boat-houses, are identical, I decided to get closer to one boat and then use the other boat to "fill in the blanks." It also fills the frame better.

I like this composition, because it is like the boats have literally crashed the neighborhood during the last high tide and ran aground. I decided to leave just enough off to the left side for the next buildings along the street, to give the shot some needed context. I also find the tiny palm tree interesting as well as the palms that are framing right around the "SS Moonlight" sign. In my opinion, it is what you would expect, if a ship ran aground in a lush tropical scene . The first thing you would see is the bow of the boat busting out of the greenery.

Anyways, I wonder what these boat-houses contribute to the neighborhood property value?

Sailing Out

2010-06-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

The Portuguese tall ship sails out of San Diego, California, after her week-long visit to "America's Finest City."

This ship is a training vessel for the Portuguese navy. It is on a current around-the-globe voyage and her next stop will be Hawaii. They pulled into San Diego last Monday and I was able to go aboard her and take some pics of her. They offered free tours to the public. It was parked next to the San Diego Maritime Museum.

For this shot, I headed out to Shelter Island, in Pt. Loma. My goal was to get the ship sailing out of the bay, with the skyline in the background. I wanted a part of the skyline, in which people who are familiar with San Diego, would recognize. One of these buildings is the One America Plaza building. It is the building off to the right which slants inward slightly and has a pointed top. If you look closely, you'll also see the Sante Fe train depot, with the "Sante Fe" sign visible.

There were a few challenges with the shot. To get this angle, one of the unknowns is the public boat traffic also in the bay. Finding a good angle on the ship, where the public boats add just enough, yet don't impair the vision too much of the vessel was one of them. The other challenge was the marine layer coming in right at this time and causing the sun to appear/disappear a few times.

The idea was to really showcase the splendor and size of the ship. I could have chosen a high vantage point to look down, but I wasn't sure if the ship would really "pop" out in that composition. Therefore, I chose a water-level shot instead. I wanted to also get the ship on an angle sort of coming at the viewer, which gives it a 3-D view of the ship. I also wanted it to soar high above the skyline, to really showcase it's size.

I used a 300mm lens on my Canon Mark III (1.3X crop), at f8, to take this shot. There will be more photos of this fabulous ship to come.

Pole Positions and Electric Boxes

2010-06-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have been doing my usual downtown San Diego strolls, once again. This time, I decided to head into the less scenic part of downtown. Then, I found this gem. A gem, in that it's kind of funny and makes you think.

For one, the first thing that caught my eyes was the unusual electric box, with the rooftop-like covers on them. Then, there were the metal poles protecting these boxes. I guess, obviously, we see why. I guess commercial drivers cannot park or drive.

The unusual really makes for great photos. The unusual electric boxes just happen to have a complimentary color behind them, as well. Also, for each box, a pole gets knocked down even more, almost looking like dominoes falling. I left the 20 minute yellow commercial parking lane, as yet another protection device for these electric boxes.

What really is surprising is that there is no tagging anywhere in this image. Again, odd, concerning how much attention this spot got for everything else.

Totally Rad in San Francisco

2010-06-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

I had to get away for a few days and since I had 4 days off for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, I took a quick venture up north to San Francisco. The weather was not the typical San Francisco weather. It was very warm and blue skies. Therefore, many folks went to the beach.

Now, taking photos of the Golden Gate bridge is certainly an iconic shot and nothing original. Therefore, with people around and probably going to get in your way anyways, why not use them? This dude I think was the perfect candidate. You have to take a different approach when shooting iconic shots, such as the Golden Gate bridge.

I really love how this guy was standing. His posture couldn't have been any better. I love the light coming in from the side and really spotlighting his face (black wetsuit helps emphasize that). I love how he is gazing out and the position of his board. Lastly, I had a perfect trail of folks along the beach surf that carried you to-and-from the bridge.

So many folks tend to try and keep folks out. I like including them in shots of the bridge. I like the life that it provides in the shot and makes it much more interesting, rather then just another typical empty shot of the Golden Gate bridge.

This was taken from Baker Beach, in the Golden Gate Recreational park.

A Perfect Match

2010-05-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

I went again for a stroll around downtown San Diego. I am really trying to improve my urban lifestyle type of photography. So I have been doing this type of shooting often, of late. I am finding some cool shots, but I think the number of quality shots is where I need to improve.

Anyways, this old Volkswagon van happened to be in the perfect spot, parked along the side of the street, with the perfect various paint along it's side, and the perfect building and tree to go with it. I'd say that's a perfect match.

Scooting By

2010-05-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I was once again at Balboa Park, in San Diego. I kind of use this place as my personal practice grounds, especially during the work week. Therefore, trying to find some new and original shots is the challenge. That is why I go there.

I pretty much know all the classic shots of Balboa park and I try and look for something that is quite different and unique. I think this little boy who was on his scooter, is quite original.

Now, the fountain area is definitely a great area to shoot some candid shots. It certainly has that magnetic pull towards children. I had been in this area, for about 10 minutes, trying to actually line up this guy with his son on his shoulders. That shot didn't pan out. But then along came the boy and his scooter.

Now, the composition between the fountain and the California Tower (in the backdrop) is what I had lined up. Trying to find someone or something to fill in the immediate foreground was my goal.

For the exposure and overall look, obviously, this shot is backlit. So I had a black-n-white, silhouette type of shot in mind. I decided to purposely overexpose this shot,. I wanted to see just hints of detail on the boy, while still being silhouetted.

The other reason why I overexposed this shot was to eliminate a lot of other potential distractions. There might be a chance of seeing something through the water or other distractions in the sky. This leaves me with 3 distinct elements of the photo, the water spray, the California Tower, and the boy on his scooter. I really love the separation this gave me.

Lastly, I did some 2-3 burst shots as he scooted by. I chose the shots where his legs were really pushing off and supplying that man-made propulsion.

It's really nice finding new shots at a place where I have shot countless times. This made my evening of photography at Balboa Park wonderful.

Oh No! Billabong

2010-05-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

I decided to head out to Balboa Park last night. My objective was to photograph the Jacaranda trees. Unfortunately, the Jacarandas at Balboa Park are past their peak and there wasn't really any shots to be made with them there.

As I was walking past the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA), these couple of young ladies encouraged me to come inside and check out the clock displays. I replied, "Clocks?" They said yes. What it was, was children who had made these clocks carved out of wood, to be ladies, in various poses, with the clocks somewhere on their bodies. Hey! It was free. So, I came inside.

As I was checking out the clocks and seeing what photos could be had from that, I saw this skateboarder next to this photograph on display. Immediately, I saw this interaction between the little girl in the photo and the skateboarder. Of course, I thought in terms of humor. It was like she was saying, "Oh No! I was put on display and look at the kind of people who are looking at me!"

In all seriousness, this kind of candid photo, taken in a museum, of a person looking at a piece of art has certainly run it's course. But, this skateboarder was not your typical looking visitor that you would find for this type of shot. His attire I found to be very intriguing and with him in the museum, he was sort of out of place.

I loved what he was wearing and how he was posed. From the hat, to that eye-catching Billabong tee-shirt, to the skateboard along the side, and the sneakers, it was a very cool outfit for this photo. It was different, which made this sort of generic shot, something I think would make people pause and take a second look at.

Finally, are you thinking what I am thinking? What is he looking at? It seems to me he is staring at the white wall and not the picture itself. Maybe that is what the girl's expression implies.

This is a photo that has many various interpretations, that one can come up with.

A Surprise Figurehead

2010-05-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Located along the waterfront in San Diego, we have the Maritime Museum, which has a good variety of ships that you can board and check out. The most famous one that San Diegans are familiar with is the Star of India. But next to her, moored perpendicular to her is the HMS Surprise (the ship that the museum purchased after it was used in the Hollywood film, "Master and Commander," starring Russell Crowe).

One of the more popular features of these old ships are the artistic figureheads at the bow of the ships. The most common way to photograph these are usually head on or at a slight angle. Well, one obstacle you run into is a lot of clutter, due to the lines that tie the ship up. This is very true of the Surprise.

As I was walking off the the floating dock that takes you to the HMS Surprise, I thought of a good way to finally compose this shot. I decided to use the Star of India to fill in the background and to make it appear that the female figurehead of the HMS Surprise was watching over and guarding the Star of India. I composed the shot, as to ensure that the frame was filled with just these 2 shots.

If I composed this with the camera leveled, then the figurehead and the Star of India have some separation and more distractions enter the frame. If you look between the figurehead and the Star of India, you will see a structure, which is a restaurant in the distant background. Of course, I wanted to squeeze this out as much as possible. Then, by tilting the camera, I brought in some good features of the Star of India, such as the sails, which I definitely wanted to get as much into the shot as possible. I also paid close attention to the "Star of India San Diego" and wanted to ensure you could read this. The last thing I wanted to ensure is the lines would be the least intrusive.

I was fortunate, as it seems they did some maintenance on the figurehead, as she did not have the usual green discoloration and instead was bright and shiny.

Anyways, this was a surprise find, as I am usually looking at this figurehead,...well...head on, of course.

"Save" the Jacarandas!

2010-05-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

During our "May Gray" & "June Gloom" months along the coastline of San Diego, one of the events that occurs to help counter the marine layer gloom, is the annual bloom of the Jacaranda trees.

One of the prime areas to find plenty of these trees is along Ash Street, in downtown San Diego. This is the best display of these blooms in the downtown area.

The challenge of photographing these trees is composition. Trying to find compositions which translate well into photographs is not that easy. Trying to find shots in which really shows the fullness and color of the bloom. I also like to show just enough downtown elements, to give it that urban beauty aspect, as well.

In this shot, there was a recent demolition of an old school and the vacant lot gave me access to check get this shot. A bonus was how the "save" spray-painted on the wall lined up with the Jacaranda tree. The "save" was for the demolition team, so they would not knock this wall down. Finally, I love how the fallen flowers filled up the area right next to the wall.

I am glad the demolition tree "saved" this Jacaranda tree.

Anza Borrego Desert Vista

2010-05-03T07:17:00.000-07:00

On my way to take photos again of the wildflowers along Sunrise Highway, I got sidetracked and decided to check out this one road (maybe a 1/4 mile strip) that adjoins Sunrise Highway, just as you enter the Anza Borrego portion of Sunrise Highway. Now many folks are familiar with the turn-out miles before, which even has a nice viewing platform. BBut, in my mind, this scene here offers a much better view and I am glad I found it.

This road I mention dead-ends. I guess for obvious reasons. At the dead-end, you will notice that the road use to come to this edge, with the view you see. I am guessing years ago, the constant unstable rockslides made it to dangerous and they brought this portion of the road further inland from the cliffs.

Anyways, the view you see is of the Anza Borrego Desert floor below. This was taken just maybe 30-60 minutes after sunrise and the sun is still breaking through openings in the mountains. This light really gives good definition to the mountains and hills (and I guess bumps) down below.

The challenge was finding the composition I liked best. Choosing the best foreground rocks, which would still give me a great view of the desert floor and beyond. I think this is one of the better ones I came up with.

There are a number of reasons why I like this photo. One, the foreground rocks are pretty impressive, yet, you can see how fragile they are, as well. It's as almost you can see where the portions of these rocks has fallen (right below along that crevasse). Secondly, the crevasse (maybe it's a stream) is a very nice leading curves and lines to lead your eye further onto the desert floor below. Lastly, I love how the sun is just lighting the top edges of the hills on the very right side.

I think this is a pretty impressive vista, that maybe not as many folks, even local, know about here, an hour from downtown San Diego.

California's Gold

2010-05-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

If anyone has ever seen Huell Howser's show on PBS, you will know it is called "California's Gold." Here's a view which fits that description perfectly.

I took a trip up again to Sunrise Highway, which is up in the mountains, east of San Diego. I decided to leave a little before sunrise, so I can get better light and have a better blue in the sky. Well, I got sidetracked along Sunrise Highway. So this photo was taken 2-2 1/2 hours after sunrise. Still early enough to get some nice shots of the wildflowers.

The wildflower you see dominating the landscape in this photo is called Blennosperma, which is Greek for "slimy seed." But, this is more commonly known as Stickyseeds. I went up last week, as well. But, this week, I noticed this wildflower move more across the landscape. I also started noticing the other dominate wildflower, which we should really start seeing in the next few weeks, the Tidy Tips, starting to sprout up. There will also be some nice lavender, reddish, and purple flowers popping up shortly. So the stickyseeds will have some company soon enough.

I plan on taking another drive up this way next weekend and to check out the progression of the other wildflowers I saw breaking through all this yellow and gold tones. Along Cuyamaca Lake, I started seeing patches here and there. That should really start popping up by next weekend and be fuller. I think this will be pretty good throughout most of this month. If you are local, take a drive up this way, preferably early in the morning.

The Heavens Shine Down

2010-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of the most popular places in San Diego, to have a wedding, or a wedding reception, or after wedding photos taken is the historic Presidio, in Old Town.

One of the area you might miss, when you drive up that way is this statue of Father Junipero Serra. (Father Serra was a famous for the California missions. I am not here to give a history lesson, There is Wikipedia for you all to read up on him. Gotta love Wiki!) Anyways, you probably will notice the brick cross on your drive up to the Presidio, but as you see, you will not notice the statue of Father Serra, unless you walk back that way from the parking lot.

Now, I sought out to capture a different perspective on the cross, initially. Then, I started thinking of lining up Father Serra and juxtaposition the cross. Then, I have my Zeiss 21mm ZE lens on and knew it handles flare really well and can just about shoot start at the sun, with minimum flare. I also know this lens gives great starbursts, when you have the aperture at f8 or smaller.

So, the feel I gave this photo should be very clear. A beam of light shining down from the heavens is a common theme, when dealing with religious figures. I didn't care about blowing out the background. Again, bright, white, glaring light from the heavens fits that feel. Also, the background would possibly show interstate 8. I am sure that would not work with this photo.

I took this photo a the right time. I tried switching to landscape feel, but the sun had just moved enough to where the starburst wasn't lining up right anymore.

Anyways, it's a Monday and I hope someone is looking down upon you, from up above.

Rocks and Mountains

2010-04-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well, for the first time in almost 3 months, I had the weekend all to myself. I finished up another great year of winterguard photography. It actually felt strange, to have the weekend all to myself. After shooting weeks of thousands of performers, I thought getting out and doing some landscape photography was a great way to decompress. Not to mention, I got this nice Carl Zeiss 21mm f2.8 ZE lens for my Canon camera. I had not used it really since I bought it a few months ago. Today was a great day for it.

I must say, I love my new Zeiss lens! The color and details from it are great. It also really controls flare great and seems to give me better dynamic range, for whatever reason. Anyways, if you want to know more about this lens, leave me a comment or send me an email.

Now, for this photo, this was taken along the Pacific Crest trail, along Sunrise Highway, in east San Diego county. It's less than 10 miles from the town of Julian, which is known for their great homemade appliepies. But, enough about food.

There was pretty good visibility today and that mountain in the backdrop, in the upper right, really popped. Then I saw all these rocks, which looked like oversized arrowheads, stuck in the ground, at an angle. You can see these slanted rocks in the middle of the image, in the far background, off to the right, and of course, in the very foreground. I believe this is actually a part of the Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The desert floor would be below those mountains in the background.

Anyways, i just thought it was neat how this relatively plain ground had these interesting slanted rocks. that's about it. I know. Rocks can be sooooo exciting!

Aspens in Ahwahnee Meadow

2010-04-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

Now, anyone who has been to Yosemite or has just casually looked at photos from Yosemite National Park, are very familiar with these aspens, which are located in the Ahwahnee Meadow, in Yosemite Valley. Now, most people who take photos of this take them with perhaps Half-Dome in the background or just the cliffs in that direction. I thought I would try something different.

I decided to shoot towards Yosemite Falls. I was aiming for a sort of juxtaposition here. I like that the falls are in the shade. Everything pretty much is, besides the meadow and in particular, these aspens. I think many avoid this photo, because the houses and the road are in the background. Take a look? You can barely see them in the shade. I chose a black-n-white conversion, even though this was taken on November 1st. The aspens just really popped in the black-n-white. True, the aspens popped in the color version, as well. I believe though that the black-n-white conversion really minimizes the distractions in the background and really make you look at the aspens and trail back to Yosemite Falls. Your eyes never really want to go anywhere else. That was my objective.

Hope you enjoy this slightly different perspective of a smaller Yosemite icon.

Busting out

2010-04-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday and another day of photographing the pageantry art known as winterguard (indoor colorguard).

This is the start of this winterguard's show. It has an amazon feel and they are breaking out from their cage. Now this might seem like an easy photo to take. Looks can be deceiving. The key is to sit where I can get decent depth of field as well as proper composition.

Now, I saw this show like a week earlier. So I had an idea of how the show starts. That helps quite a bit. Still, it's a challenge on my memory, when I photograph over 300 guards during only a couple months. Knowing between which bars she would come out is vital. A smaller detail is they start lifting another girl in the background up. I did not want her getting chopped off.

Anyways, I got fortunate because the performer busting out has the perfect look. I can only do so much making the photo. The performer has to do their part, as well. This photo certainly draws an emotional response. I think this is a photo that would be perfect for a program cover or poster.

Well, next weekend is championships and that will conclude my weekends of winterguard photography until next February. It's always fun, but at the same time, I am ready for the rest. So are my cameras. I certainly wear them out, as well. But photos like these and seeing the kids loving them makes it all the worthwhile.

Masquerade

2010-04-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Well, another winterguard season is just about over. 2 more weekends to go and the season is over with.

Here is a photo from a very fun and entertaining show, performed this past weekend in Riverside county. They start off the show in this formation and this is like a few seconds after the show starts. I really like the facial expression, where the mask is at this point, and I really like all the arms over to the right side. When the performers have as much fun as the show portrays, it makes for some really great images. This was one of my favorites from the weekend.

Creative Poppy

2010-03-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I decided to head out towards Lake Elsinore, in search of poppies. Needless to say, it was a very disappointing result. There were only a few good patches of poppies. I hiked up the hills to try and find more, but all that did was rip apart one of my boots.

Oh well! Can't always hit the jackpot. Right? Well, it had been some time since I have put my Lensbaby Composer to use. For this shot, I used one of my creative aperture discs. Lensbaby has a package of 10 blank discs, which you can cut out shapes in the disc, to give some very interesting results. Yes! It is an artistic effect, but I really like it for flower shots. I mean, how many of the same flower shots has one seen. Don't you think it's time for a different approach? I certainly do. I thought this came out well.

Who Needs Professional Lighting?

2010-03-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

I recently met up with a local fashion model after work to go over some ideas for a photoshoot. While going over some ideas, I couldn't help but notice the incredible fill light bouncing off all the downtown San Diego buildings. It was everywhere. So after our discussion, I took a few quick shots of her. This is what she wore to work. I wanted to take advantage of this lighting, while I had a model with me, looking absolutely stunning.

I am a big time lover of backlight. I also was using the light bouncing off the buildings like I would use a fill-light reflector. That was great. I didn't need to have an assistant with me, holding a reflector and I was able to snap off some quick shots.

As I was taking shots of her, I saw the San Diego Trolley pull into the One America Plaza station. Instantly, I knew the train would make a great backdrop. The red and black of the train complimented her red sweater and black purse and skirt. The red just pulls you into the image, as the other colors are basically hardly in existence here.

Who needs professional lighting? Right? Well, in this instance, the photo gods were very kind.

Colorguard Fun

2010-03-09T07:37:00.000-08:00

Colorguard is a pageantry art, which many times is performed, with a serious manner to it. So what's wrong with having fun in pageantry? Well, this colorguard certainly does not have any problems with having fun. Their show is all about it and it was quite entertaining to watch and photograph.

This was one of my better "peak action" shots of the weekend. I tried a few new custom function settings (recommended) by Canon for these type of conditions (low light, low contrast, fast action, etc...). I found out that these settings had a side effect, which was they seemed to slow down the auto focus or tracking. I am not sure how. But it seemed to always be a hair behind and many "peak action" shots weren't crisp enough. Therefore, back to my settings I have been using for years.

What I really like about this shot is how the flags are suspended in air and they are in sync. Of course, I like how the performers are staggered. I also really like how the balloons form a triangle. Lastly, of course, I love the contrast of colors here.

Iconic Revelation

2010-03-03T07:36:00.000-08:00

So here is a shot that sort of breaks a rule of photography. One of the things that photographers try not to do is to place a tower, tree, etc straight in the middle of the shot. Why? Well, it tends to split the image into two halves. But, why did I break this rule? Well, I hope you can see why and agree when you see this photo.

This is a photo actually taking on the banks of the Merced River, in Yosemite Valley, facing Yosemite Falls. I was strolling along this river this morning, because I was chasing the fog and seeing what things it would reveal and hide. Layers of fog can always make the usual scene appear much different. Definitely adds an element of mood to the photo. So while it may be yet another photo of the iconic Yosemite Falls, there is more to it than just the falls. In fact, the focus is on the fog and clouds.

If I had composed this shot, basically framing the Yosemite Falls still, but with the middle tree now on the left side of the frame, I feel it would have really hurt the impact that the fog gives the shot. In my opinion, the tree in the middle actually makes you look at both sides and to me, the fog then grabs the viewer and guides you behind the trees on the right and reveals itself much more on the left. You can see how the fog is traveling. For this shot, you can see how the fog layer has revealed the iconic Yosemite Falls.

After you have spent a few days in Yosemite, and you get to see the fog a few times, you learn and understand where the fog starts and how it rolls in and also out in the morning. That is when you can really anticipate great photo opportunities and capture the usual scenes in the not so normally viewed context.

How It's Spun

2010-03-02T00:31:00.000-08:00

Another Saturday and another full day of shooting winterguard. Again, winterguard is all about the colorguard and it is done indoors.

Once again, one of my favorite images of this past weekend was a rifle shot. This time, this performer was spinning the rifle, which creates a nice visual effect, when viewed from up in the stands.

When I shoot winterguard, this is a type of shot I love to capture. I call it the hand-eye coordination shot. You can really see the concentration while she spins this rifle.

When I compose colorguard photos, I tend to shoot most of them at an angle. I do this for a few reasons. One of them is that the depth-of-field is razor thin and if you shoot straight on them, there is a good chance the camera's auto focus will lock onto the bright white object in front. If that happens, the face will be slightly out of focus. By shooting at an angle, the rifle and performer are almost in the same focus plane. Thus, even if the auto focus locks onto the rifle, the performer should be well enough into acceptable focus.

Another reason why I shoot at an angle is that it fills up the frame better. It also reduces limbs from being chopped off at bad spots and it also makes the shot more 3D-ish and more dynamic. By dynamic, I am referring to motion and not dynamic range.

Lastly, I decided to use a different method of noise reduction. I left the contrast noise in tact and only concentrated on the color noise. The color noise is what bothers me. The grain type of noise doesn't. I have come to the conclusion that no matter how great the noise removal software is, it will noticeable soften your image and you will also lose that subtle detail and make your image look a little plastic. That is why I only remove color noise from now on.

Wawona Covered Bridge Crossing The South Fork Merced River

2010-02-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

I decided to go back and look at some of the photos I have not processed from my last trip to Yosemite, the last week of 2009. This was the last place I visited on this trip to Yosemite, before heading back south to San Diego.

In this area, it's an area of Yosemite that not many photographers take many photos of, to my surprise. This is in Wawona, in Yosemite National Park. The famous Wawona Hotel is right close by to this location. Which, makes it all the more surprising. Not to mention, it has the best outdoor toilet of anywhere I have found in Yosemite, thus far.

In this photo, you see the Wawona covered bridge crossing over the south fork of the Merced River. There is also the Wawona stables (not seen) off to the left in this image. This is where you can make reservations, during the Summer months mainly, to take a half-day horseback ride to picturesque Chilnualna Falls. But, don't overlook what is right in this immediate area.

I found the sparse snow mixed with the green moss on the rocks interesting. Then I was fortunate enough to get a bit of diffused sunlight splashed on the covered bridge. I tried to get out as far as I could into the river, so I could lead the river to the bridge and place the bridge appropriately in the shot.

I didn't quite get to where I wanted, but I think the log cabin off to the upper right really was a crucial element in the photo and really tied things together in this shot. I believe that, because it gives the viewer some info as to what is across the bridge, but without telling too much at all. It leaves the viewer asking, "What is over there?" Many interpretations can be made about what purpose the bridge actually serves, which leaves intrigue in the shot.

On your next visit to Yosemite, check out this little area.

Right Outside My Window

2010-02-19T19:37:00.000-08:00

I really went far for this photo. Ok. I just clicked the sarcasm off. This was taken at one of the entrances to my apartment complex.

There were obvious things that attracted me to this photo. One of them is the circular shape when you walk through the gate, as you look up. I then use the shape of the shadow, as well as the path that leads back into the complex, to create a lead-in line. Kind of almost looks like a keyhole shape. The other things that obviously stands out is the orange stucco against the blue sky.

Anyways, sometimes it is very easy to walk out in our immediate neighborhood and forget that it can be photogenic, as well. That great photo can literally be right outside your window.

Aaaargh!

2010-02-17T20:55:00.000-08:00

Some days, we all feel like this swamp monkey. Aaaargh!

The monkey was actually yawning. But I liked where he was perched and seems the monkey picked that high spot on the branch to let out a loud screech for all to hear.

This was taken at the world famous San Diego Zoo.

Fierce

2010-02-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, during the months of February thru April, every weekend I shoot what is called winterguard. Winterguard is basically indoor colorguard. These shows are held indoors, mostly in high school gymnasiums. Each colorguard program last anywhere from 5-7 minutes long. I thoroughly enjoy shooting pageantry arts. It doesn't get old, especially when you get great performances and the performers are really into the show they are performing.

In this photo, I decided to shoot in landscape orientation, rather than the usual portrait orientation I usually do for rifle shots. I did this because I saw a nice line trailing into the back. The added bonus was her fierce look and how the rifles were all basically aligned. This was caught in a sequence of action shots I fired off. Therefore, they were not posing and just standing there like that.

During the early portion of the winterguard season, it is the most challenging for me to photograph. I have not seen the shows and a lot of the shows, the performers are still learning and are not quite finished. So I have to rely solely on anticipation. As the season progresses, I will have seen the shows a few times and hopefully remember the next time I shoot, what shots I can get. That is a challenge itself, as there are over 300 guards I photograph, by the end of the season. So my memory is the biggest challenge of all.

For the technical side, high school gyms are notorious for terrible lighting. I am usually shooting at 3200 or 6400 ISO, at f2.8. I try to maintain a shutter speed of 1/500sec. We are not allowed to use strobes, because of the restrictions to ensure safety to the performers, when they toss rifles or sabers. I have to say that this is one of the most challenging subjects I have shot in photography. Hands down! I can't think of too many sports which are as unpredictable, fast, and just all over the place like this is. I would even challenge the best sports photographers on the NFL or NBA sidelines to try and shoot this and under these conditions.

With all that said, I really love when I get great shots. This was one of my favorites from the day and not bad for the first competition of the winterguard season.

Watchful Wanderer

2010-02-09T23:56:00.000-08:00

I was out at the San Diego Zoo earlier in the day and then strolled over to Balboa Park, since it is adjacent to the zoo. Well, I strolled over that way, the evergreen pear trees were in full, white blooms. This is especially evident near the east end by Park Blvd (by the water fountain). It makes Balboa park that much more photogenic than it already is.

As I was taking pics, I noticed this interesting guy in the distance, leaning casually up against one of the evergreen pear trees. His attire was even more interesting. As it turns out, him and two of his friends were messing around doing some video. Not sure for what purpose. Anyways, I thought he was a very interesting character.

Lost in Thought

2010-02-09T01:37:00.000-08:00

One of the things that is a powerful composition is when you can put the human mind or thought process inside that of an animal. In this case, it appears that the gorilla is lost in thought. But, what is it thinking about? In my mind, it seems neither a sad or a happy thought, but just an everyday type of thought. But, that is the beauty of a photo such as this. It is left up to the viewer's interpretation and which gives the photo strong intrigue.

This was taken moments before the zoo keepers at the San Diego Zoo fed them. The gorillas sensed they were close by and were waiting for the head of cabbage to be tossed to them. They love catching the heads of lettuce as well and boasting when they do catch them.

I usually try not to include much of the zoo structures, as possible, when composing animals in a zoo environment. But, I really liked how the solid green wall went well with the green vegetation off to the left side and it made the gorilla very prominent in the frame. It also helps when the gorilla has a pretty neat posture, to go with that stare in it's eyes.

Family Time

2010-02-07T23:59:00.000-08:00

On this trip to the San Diego Zoo, the primates seemed to be the prize of the day. In this photo, the family of Bonobos is spending time together. You could not ask for a much more precious photo. All the different emotions in a single pic.

I decided to process this one a little more aggressive, because it was shot thru thick protective glass and it affected the sharpness and focus of the image. I decided to process this black-and-white (which seems like a no-brainier). But, not only did I do that, but my goal was to bring out detail and to not let the out-of-focus areas in the image distract the viewer's eyes.

You have a lot in this photo which garners an emotional response. So much is open to the viewer's interpretation. I find the one with the hand on the other and looking like it is in deep thought or in a reflective mood, to be the most powerful. They were up against the stone wall and created a nice texture all on it's own.

This photo is more artistic than what I usually do. But, since I knew this image was a natural candidate for a black-and-white conversion, I kind of felt I could get away with a more artistic interpretation.

If you have any questions about the post-processing, feel free to leave a comment.

B-39 Soviet Submarine Control Panel

2010-02-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo inside a former Soviet Russian Submarine, called the B-39. It is now on permanent display at the San Diego Maritime museum.

Obviously, one of the challenges of shooting inside this submarine is the tight, cramped quarters and also the lack of much light. It is also pretty tough to keep photos pretty simple, when composing them. So, I decided to embrace confusion. Wouldn't you be confused when you saw all these dial, valves, knobs, switches, etc...staring at you?

This is the control panel in the diesel engine compartment. I shot this with my new Carl Zeiss 21mm f2.8 ZE Distagon lens. What a fabulous piece of glass it is! I am shooting this right as you enter this compartment. You can actually see the next space at the bottom right, which I believe in the actual engine room. So you can see how tight the space is.

My focus for this shot was the panels. I decided to basically shoot this straight on and use the red wheel, which stands out prominently in this photo. That gives the eyes a comfortable to rest. Now, what does this wheel actually do? Hmmmmm...

Heading Out

2010-02-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

This was a recent photo taken this past weekend, out at the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is located in the Imperial Valley, in Southern California and it has a very interesting and strange history behind it. It was formally called the Salton Sink, until a flood caused by the waters of the Colorado River in 1905-1906 created the Salton Sea. You can read more about the Salton Sea at Wikipedia.

One very important function the sea serves is it is a stopover for migrating birds. During the Winter months, hunters and bird-watchers head out to this area. In this photo, some skittish coots are taking off into the vast, open Salton Sea. That is a very common theme out in this area. There is a lot of...well... nothing.

I was trying out my new Zeiss 21mm lens I received this week. It is a superb piece of glass and I think it will eventually make me compose photos even better than I have in the past. One thing great about prime (fixed focal length) lenses is that it will train your eyes and make you put much more thought into your compositions. With zoom lenses, it is easy to be lazy or fall back into your normal compositions which you have done time and time again, in the past. I think this lens will make me see things differently. By the way, this lens is superb in quality and I can certainly shoot without worrying about any quality issues.

Going....Hunting

2010-01-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, I decided to take a couple hours drive out east towards the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a very interesting place to visit. It's not a tourist hotbed or vacation resort. Let's just say, it has it's little quirks.

During the winter months, the hunters are out in full force, as the birds flocks to Salton Sea. In this photo, this guy is not going out fishing, but hunting. He is taking the boat out to wherever his blind is. Most likely going to hunt for ducks.

Synchronized

2010-01-28T22:15:00.000-08:00

Usually when I go to the zoo, these guys are sleeping. So, it was nice to see them up and moving around for a change. These are Striped Hyenas, at the San Diego Zoo..

In this photo, I used a 300mm f2.8 telephoto lens. These hyenas are really impressive in person and I think they look beautiful. I really love their ears. In this photo, I just got lucky and I really like how they are staggered and basically in sync with each other. Kind of cool and different, especially when you are talking zoo photography.

Yun Zi

2010-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest panda cub, 5-month old, Yun Zi, at the world famous San Diego Zoo.

For most of the morning, he was sleeping away, even during rainfalls, curled up in the trees. On my third check right before it was time for Yun Zi to come off exhibit, Yun Zi finally awakened and was practicing his tree climbing skills.

For this shot, I used a 300mm with a 2X extender attached. It was cloudy all morning until Yun Zi awakened and the sun came out, making exposure control difficult, which is why I put the 2X extender on, to minimize the area that might get blown out. It turns out, I liked how Yun Zi filled the frame here. The eyes of a panda cub are captivating and are much easier to get the whites of their eyes when they are a cub, vice when they are a full-grown adult.

Yun Zi is on exhibit at the zoo from 9AM till noon.

Cuddling

2010-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

During a downpour on my visit to the San Diego Zoo, I took brief refuge under the shelter provided by the reptile house. On a rainy day, the reptiles get a little more attention than they usually do.

Once again, what better is there to do on a rainy, cool day? Well, one was to sleep. For these Caiman Lizards, they had cuddling on their minds. Who would have thought lizards to be so cute. Look! They both even have big smiles on their faces.

For this shot, I had a 300mm lens on. I only brought that lens with me and did not have taking photos of reptiles on my mind. Therefore, I had to back up as far as I could so the lens could acquire focus. Not bad results, for not exactly having the right lens for the right subject.

Head Rest

2010-01-24T21:33:00.000-08:00

Here's another from the world famous San Diego Zoo. This is a Golden-Bellied Mangabey. It was a cool, showery day and many animals at the zoo had the same idea as this monkey. It was a good day to just lay your head down and rest.

For this shot, I used a 300mm telephoto lens at f2.8 aperture. You have to use a big telephoto with the aperture opened up wide, to shoot through the fence. At this time, the sky was overcast, which is another key to be able to defeat the fence. If the sun hits the fence, the pattern will show up in the photo.

I took a lot of shots of this guy. Such a cute pose. I also made sure to choose a solid background, without any bright spots. The orange of this monkey contrasts well against the lush green backdrop and makes the monkey stand out in the photo, with no other distractions.

Allen's Swamp Monkey

2010-01-23T20:24:00.000-08:00

We have been stuck in a week of stormy weather, here in Southern California. We are in an El Nino year and the strong El Nino type storms have been hitting us every day since Monday. Friday was more scattered showers and I decided that it might be a great time to visit the San Diego Zoo.

I have a year membership to the zoo. I definitely get my money's worth, since it is only 5-10 minutes away from where I live. I figured that the cool, wet, weather would drive the visitors away and also make the animals more active. Well, it did keep the visitors away, but the animals weren't all that active, to my surprise.

One of the few animals out and active were the Allen's Swamp Monkeys. The little ones especially are very active and are very fast, especially when playing. This appears to be a juvenile Allen's Swamp Monkey. I did take some action type of shots, but I really liked this shot for a few reasons.

In this shot, the greenery and yellow bamboo in the background was very nice and creamy. There were no bright spots to take away your attention from the monkey. I also like how the monkey seems to be contemplating his/her next move. The overcast conditions really made the colors stands out, as well. I always like their orange-reddish eyes. It's cool they are in the same exhibit as the otters and I love when they interact with each other.

Taking A Break

2010-01-18T23:24:00.000-08:00

This surfer is taking a break and enjoying the day before the wave of expected storms hits Southern California, all week long. El Nino is back and it is going to be a very wet week. So this past Saturday, many folks were at the beach, even though it wasn't all that warm. Plenty of surfers getting in their last sets, before probably a week off from surfing, due to the expected storms.

I thought this was a different type of surf shot. This was taken at La Jolla Shores, with the Scripps Pier in the background. I really liked how he was posed and basically taking in the scenery and just chilling. I thought the surfer coming out of the water added a very nice touch to the photo. The pier is just basically a reference point. If you are familiar with Scripps Pier, then you then understand where this was taken.

I converted this in black-and-white. The clouds were in and out all day long. At this point, it was mostly overcast. The shot was basically void of any color to begin with. So it was a pretty obvious photo to convert to black-and-white.

Sunset Bikini Shoot

2010-01-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a definite change of pace from what I have been shooting. It's been a long time since I have done some photography at the beach. This was taken this past Saturday, at Torrey Pines State Beach, located in San Diego, California.

I do not have all the fancy lighting gear to do a very professional photo shoot. Therefore, I have to wait till conditions are just right and optimum. That time happens during the last hour of sunlight and just after sunset. Photographers call this period of time, "The golden hour." During this golden hour, the sun is low to the horizon and the light coming off it is softer, warmer, and much more pleasing of a look, in general, on people especially.

The model in this pic is not a professional or even have any modeling experience. One thing I can't stand about photography in the modeling industry is photos which have been touched up or "photoshopped" way beyond belief. I call these "overcooked" images or photos. The other thing I can't stand is poses which are like a pretzel or just plain not natural looking at all. I like to keep it simple and make the model feel comfortable, not contorted in some weird position. I find it more pleasing to look at.

In this photo, the sun has just set, and you have some wonderful colors, from deep blues to warm yellows and oranges. I love low tide and I placed the model on the wet sand, which would reflect the gorgeous sky onto the sand. During this time, the contrast is not as extreme, as it was an hour prior to this. Therefore, it is much easier to use fill flash, without high-powered studio strobes. I used one Canon 580 EX Speedlight flash, on camera, with a 1/4 CTO gel taped over the flash, just to splash a little warmth onto the skin. The results are not bad at all, considering what limitations I had, as far as lighting goes.

Oh, it sure is fun to live in San Diego. Especially when January here looks like this.

Bus Ride in Yosemite

2010-01-15T12:44:00.000-08:00

I took this as I was heading back to the car, on my latest trip to Yosemite. I was shooting in the Leidig Meadow and mainly along the Merced River. As I was heading back, I spotted this Yosemite bus, traveling down Southside Drive.

Earlier at Tunnel View, I was messing around with these buses and just trying something a little different. I think at a place like Yosemite, you need to really try for something a little different. Since it is so photographed, it can be a challenge, at times. So why take a pic of a bus?

Well, I liked how it says Yosemite on the side. That gives the viewer a place of reference. I really liked what I saw behind the bus. The cliffs and all the greenery overlooking the snowy flat meadow. Without the bus though, I think the shot would not be worth taking.

By the way, I have never taken the Yosemite bus, yet.

The Getty Guide

2010-01-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo I took on my last visit to the Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California. This was taken about a month ago, right before Christmas.

This is just a cute play on the repeating theme of the squares found throughout this scene. You had the play of the square window frames, the the sun creating more of a rectangular play on the shades, then you had the same amount of squares on the Getty Guide monitor.

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View

2010-01-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

Here is probably the most classic shot of Yosemite. This is a view of Yosemite Valley from a location called Tunnel View. Obviously, you can probably guess where this location is right next to.

On this last trip to Yosemite, I decided not to spend much time here, unless there was something interesting happening. Well, I did not have a shot with the fog blanketing the valley. As I was heading out of Yosemite for the day, I decided to stop here and check it out. It was already well after sunset, when I took this shot.

For this shot, I definitely had to have this on a tripod. To give you an idea how dark it was, I exposed this for 30 seconds, at ISO200. I did not have a stopwatch with me to do bulb exposure. That would have been ideal. But, this came out okay.

The Big O!

2010-01-11T00:41:00.000-08:00

Here's another photo from my walk around downtown, mainly in the Little Italy district of San Diego, California. I kind of had a little fun with this photo.

There is a building that is right by the trolley station and train tracks, which is up for lease, by the way. It is very colorful and it says "Ciao!" on this side. Obviously because I am in the Little Italy district.

I decided to focus a little closer and I liked how this neat square window was right in the path of the round "O." Almost like trying to make the square fit in the hole, sort of feel. Then, I also thought that the exclamation mark "!" emphasized the "O," which could be taken in a different context.

Well, that was my attempt at a little humor.

Skyline Reflection

2010-01-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

What's this? Not a photo from Yosemite? I know. I have been uploading one Yosemite photo after another and then some. So, here's a quick break from all the nice shots I got from Yosemite.

This is a photo taken in downtown San Diego. I took this from the condo you see reflecting in the windows. Remember the Cingular commercial for "Raising the bars?" Well, this sort of has that same feel and flow to it. You have the repeating inclining step formation. Then you have the stairs themselves. You also have the squares or rectangle figures throughout the image.

In post processing, I had to correct a little for perspective distortion. It's not perfect, but there is nothing that stands out as alarmingly slanted, crooked, or distorted, well, besides the distortion of the reflection itself. The rest was very straight-forward simple processing for levels and curves. That's about it.

Relaxing Spa at Yosemite

2010-01-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Now talk about a photo which really fools some people. This was taken on my latest trip to Yosemite National Park. Now, are you asking yourself, "Where is there a natural spa in Yosemite?" Well, the answer is Bridalveil Creek. Ok, ok... It is not actually a spa or hot spring, of course. Let me explain.

I was walking along the Bridalveil Creek, from Bridalveil Falls. A large part of this was because the asphalt path to and from the falls was very icy and slippery. Easier to walk off the path. I was actually trying to find some leftover fall leaves frozen or mixed with snow. I ventured past the stone bridge and low and behold, I found this. Doesn't it look like it was man-made? I was amazed how perfect the circular shape was in this section of the creek. The dusting of snow surrounding the pool really reinforced the circular shape. I could actually imagine seeing a person, sitting in this pool, his or her back leaning up against the big rock, and soaking it all in. Well, maybe if the water temp wasn't around 36 degrees or so.

Arctic Yosemite

2010-01-08T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here's another recent photo of Yosemite, which was taken just a little over a week ago. This photo can fool some people. Looking at it, it looks very blustery, cold, and a scene from the arctic.

This photo was actually taken during midday. When the sun comes out and hits the snow, it starts to melt and vaporize the snow, which creates these low-lying fog layers, that you actually see in this photo. So, another reason to chase the sunlight.

Now, I took many shots of these scene. I had a area of young pine trees (more off to the left, just out of frame) and I chose different number of them to included in the scene. I eventually chose the scene with the fewest pine trees. I did this, because I really liked the fog and the atmospheric feel that it gave to the shot.

I tried composing Cathedral Rock (the large pointed rock) in different spots in the photo, as well. I ended up liking it on the left side, because I liked the space off to the right side, which helped include more of the snowy foreground and fog layer, more clouds in the sky in the upper right-hand corner, and the trees in the very background, on the very right side. I always like to trail trees at varying distances from the foreground into the background, especially in a foggy scene. It is a great way to gauge how thick or thin the fog is.

I processed this in both color and black-and-white. I kind of liked the black-and-white just a bit more. When I convert into black-and-white, I love to include grain. Most of the time, if a digital photo is converted to black-and-white, it looks too clean. That is why I add some film-like grain into the photo.

A Few Autumn Leftovers

2010-01-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here's yet another from my most recent trip to Yosemite. Looking at the weather forecasts right now, I was lucky to have gone to Yosemite when I did. Right now, it is warm at Yosemite, with Temps in the 50's. I think most of the snow in the valley has disappeared. Only snow I think you will find right now is in the high country and you are going to have to hike to get to that.

I shot this photo, late in the day, just before sunset. We stopped here for the fog that was rolling in. There is just something much more magical about Yosemite, when the fog rolls in.

In this photo, I like a lot of things. I like the fog in the background, for one. That sets up the rest of the shot, by giving it a great atmospheric mood. I also like the curvature on the branch. Then, you have the group of 3 trees in the backdrop, and the rest of the trees disappearing into the fog, as you work your eyes back. Lastly, I like how the few remaining fall leaves are still on the tree and show up well. It is like the only color in the photo, that is prominent.

Southern Yosemite Highway (State Rte. 41)

2010-01-06T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here is what it was like to drive into Yosemite National Park, last Wednesday, December 30th, 2009. A Winter Wonderland was spectacular. But, within an hour or so, most of the wet snow had fallen off the trees.

This photo was taken right next to the Post Office in Fish Camp, California. Fish Camp is only 2 miles or so from the southern Yosemite National Park entrance. It is on state route 41. This is also known as the Southern Yosemite Highway.

When it snows, it seems that Fish Camp certainly gets a lot more snow than areas only a few miles away. I am not sure why that is. But, it is certainly very beautiful.

Quote the Raven

2010-01-05T00:43:00.000-08:00

Ok. Ok. So the caption for this blog entry is a little lame. But, to quote the raven, Yosemite is an awesome place to visit again, and again, and again. It is a very addicting place to keep coming back to. I mean, when you have conditions such as what you see, Yosemite certainly isn't just for the birds. It's a photographer's paradise.

In this photo, which is an iconic shot, you have to try new things to make your photo stand out against the others. There were these 2 ravens, that were certainly friendly and very use to humans. I think they have had a good dosage of human food from people, in the past. This made it possible to get up close to them.

At first, I just sat in the car while my friend was taking up-close shots of these ravens. But, as I watched the fog roll in across the Merced River, I decided to get out of the car and see how cooperative and close I could get to these birds. Then, my thought was, why not try to include them in a landscape shot.

This shot is mainly tricky for two reasons. Exposure is critical here. It was barely within the dynamic range of the camera's limitations. Also, controlling depth-of-field, was a big challenge. I think I would of liked to have gotten even closer. But, the raven isn't just going to sit where you want it forever. I was fortunate he flopped over to this snow mound, which was where I wanted the raven to go. I wanted the raven right in the opening between the mountains. The fog and clouds in the sky, plus the raven, really added an Edgar Allen Poe or Alfred Hitchcock mood to the shot.

This bird certainly earned it's wings. Ok. Is that enough lame puns? That's what I thought. Never more, quote the raven.

Yosemite Powdered Sugar

2010-01-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

This is another photo taken from my recent trip to Yosemite, the last week of 2009.

I really like images in the winter, where the snow sort of just dusts the landscape. You get the mixture of the normal landscape and snow intermixing. This was taken just behind the toilets in the parking lot for Bridalveil Falls. What grabbed my attention was the log, with all the swirls in it, being accented by the snow lightly covering it. When I walked further back to this log, I like not only the log, but the landscape in this area of woods. It sort of looks like someone threw down some fresh mulch around the tree trunks, It also looks like someone from up above sprinkled some powdered sugar on this landscape. Pretty neat looking, if you ask me.

Brrrrr-ridalveil Falls

2010-01-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

One of the cool things about shooting waterfalls in the Winter is you get all the frozen ice that coats the rocks. This really adds some nice texture to what is already there.

This is Bridalveil Falls, at Yosemite National Park. There is some flow to this waterfall, this time of year, but nothing like it is, during the Spring. Still, it is not a bad flow.

I decided on a landscape composition for this photo, instead of the common portrait or vertical composition, which is typical, for long and thin waterfalls, like this one is. I know. I can hear it now. "You cut the waterfall off!" Well...so what! You do not always have to show the waterfall from the top or show where it lands. I did neither in this case. It creates an illusion that the waterfall is even longer.

By composing this way, I was able to zoom in closer, to concentrate on what is important. In this photo, it is the white icy rocks that surround the waterfall. The landscape composition also gives me a better immediate foreground. If you have been to these falls before, you know how cluttered the foreground can be here. One solution would be to walk the rocks some and get closer to the falls. In this case, it was very icy and a struggle just to walk to this spot, on the asphalt path. No way was I going to navigate the icy rocks. I also think this composition is a fresh look at the falls, which is not so common. I like that. Lastly, by really seeing the icy rocks closer around the falls, you can get a good sense of how cold it was, which is important to convey the seasons of Yosemite. Brrrrrrrr!

Cathedral Rock From Foggy El Capitan Meadow

2010-01-02T02:39:00.000-08:00

When the fog rolls into Yosemite Valley, it instantly makes everything even that much more photogenic. When it happens around sunset, it makes Yosemite magical.

I was about to give up on the day and head back to Oakhurst, where I was staying on my trip. On the way out, I spotted El Capitan meadow inundated with fog. Not having experienced fog before at Yosemite, until this trip, I was uncertain how the fog rolls in and how it rolls out. This has a similar mindset as to knowing what spots are in good light and when, during the day. Once you figure this out, you can chase the fog just like chasing the light. In my mind, fog equals moody.

For this shot, this is a pretty straight forward post-process of the digital file. There was no special filters applied to this shot. When Yosemite is this magical, you do not have to do much in post-processing.

When composing this shot, I made sure the photo had plenty of depth to the shot. I think depth, when it is foggy, is extremely important. By having objects at varying depths in the photo, you can really translate how thick the fog is. In this shot, I made sure I had trees up close and pretty clear, then as you move farther back into the image, you had trees becoming more obscured by the fog, and then back to Cathedral Rock, which is behind the fog layer.

I also like the patterns of these foreground trees very much. That was another reason why I chose them as the foreground trees. I also made sure to leave room for the sky, since it was sunset and had some nice pastel tones to it. I thought the clouds in the sky also helped with the whole foggy cloudy concept of the shot.

Half-Dome and Misty Cook's Meadow - (Black-N-White)

2010-01-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

One thing about shooting in Yosemite during the Winter, is that not only is it just a lot of fun to shoot, but it is a great time of year to do many great black-and-white photos, as well.

In this shot, I gave it a little bit of a Holga look to it, but keeping the highlights within tolerance and not overexposing them. The mist you see is not painted in or exaggerated. This is not the same exact shot from the color version, but it was taken right after the color photo.

One thing about Yosemite this time of year is that you get a great chance to get many moody shots. this is just one of them I got, which has a great moody feel to it.

Frozen Foliage

2009-12-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

I have been to Yosemite both in the Fall and Winter this year (as well as the Spring). Sometimes, when the two seasons collide, it can create some very interesting photos.

In this image I took a few days ago. I found this fallen oak leaf branch on the snow. Well, there was no quick moving it, as it had frozen with the snow pack. The snow pack was very crunchy, as it warms up during the day and melts some and then freezes up again at night. The droplets you see throughout this photo were from the tree above dripping away it's melting snow, as it warms up during the day. It created a very unique texture for this photo.

One of the hardest things to do in Yosemite, for a photographer, is to get away from shooting the obvious icons and look for the smaller details. I am still struggling with that. But, being this was my first year at Yosemite, I am sure with each trip, I will dig deeper and find the smaller details and hidden gems. Many times, it's not about how technically good of a photographer you are that counts, but just knowing when sometimes to keep it simple and just look down and find a gem like this.

Half Dome from a Misty Cook's Meadow

2009-12-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

On my third day of my latest trip to Yosemite, I was treated to probably the best weather conditions, thus far. Now, "best weather conditions" has a totally different meaning to photographers, than it does to most everyone else.

We were treated to a fresh new snowfall, then some fog and mist, then some blue skies, some sun, and finally ending the day with low-ceiling clouds from an impending winter storm, which is expected to hit tonight into tomorrow.

So we just drove around the Yosemite Valley loop about 3 times today and each time, different subject presented themselves, depending on which weather condition we encountered. The conditions were different with each loop we made.

In this photo, late in the morning, there was still some lingering low fog in the Cook's Meadow. As you can see in the photo, a mixed bag of conditions. But, that makes it most interesting.

There was an elm tree in Cook's Meadow that I initially went after, with the thought of using it with Half-Dome. But, I really like this tree just off to the left from the elm tree. It is much smaller, but really stands out against the misty fog .

Youth Movement

2009-12-28T21:16:00.000-08:00

Winter is usually not a time when you think of things growing or new growth. But, sometimes you don't notice how much new growth there is, during obvious seasons for growth, such as Spring and Summer.

In this photo, yet again, from Yosemite National Park, these vibrant young pine trees, really stand out against the snow and otherwise colorless backdrop. Pine trees' color rules during the winter, when annuals shed their leaves during the fall and are bare and colorless during the winter.

I really liked this row or bunch of young pine trees. I liked how right behind them, everything towers over them. Maybe some day, these trees will continue to grow and reach new heights. The youth movement appears to be on in this section of Yosemite.

Feelin' Blue in Yosemite

2009-12-27T23:12:00.000-08:00

Well, another trip to Yosemite I am on. I arrived today and to my delight, Yosemite received some very spotty snow showers overnight and in the morning. Surprisingly, chains were required to be worn on vehicles.

It was my first visit to Yosemite in the winter. I was not let down. I was scrambling a bit, after shooting here in the Spring and in the Autumn this year. I once again had to wipe my hard drive (my memory in my brain) clean. Photos that are there or are great during the other times of the year are no good whatsoever during the winter, and vice versa. So I had to venture with an openmind and find new compelling compositions to shoot. I like this challenge.

In this photo, this is taken at an extremely popular photographer's spot, called Valley View. All the photographers and tourists had their cameras pointed toward the left, mainly at El Capitan and the scene you have seen shot hundreds of times. You might even recognize those rocks or clumps of grass in the Merced River here, as a very common foreground subject, in those photos I have mentioned.

I decided to take a different approach. It was very foggy around the El Capitan meadow and it was foggy here at Valley View, as well. I decided to go against the grain and shoot 90 degrees from the normal shot here. The shot came out a little blue, but I really loved the mood and the blue tint. It's fitting. The fog, snow, and blue make it certainly feel cold. Sometimes it isn't bad to have a case of the blues in Yosemite.

I will be shooting here another few days. Yes! That means to expect more photos from Yosemite in the days and weeks to come. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Pier Cottages

2009-12-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

One of the most unique piers not only on the west coast, but in the world, is the lesser-know Crystal Pier, in Pacific Beach. This is located just about 15 minutes outside of downtown San Diego. Sure, the Santa Monica pier may have all the stores, restaurants, ferris wheel, etc... on it. But, it seems too commercial for my taste.

This pier is actually a hotel with cottages on it. You can sleep over the waves crashing onto the shores. You can park your car on the pier, right next to the cottage, as well. Now, that is awesome, if you ask me. I bet many honeymooners or couples celebrating anniversaries stay in these cottages. I bet it costs a pretty good penny, as well.

I took this shot between passing storms. I used yet again, a Lensbaby to take this shot and focused the attention obviously on the cottages. I didn't zoom in close or crop tight. I wanted the ocean and the ominous clouds to swallow up the pier and cottages. The forces of nature are a big secondary subject in this shot, which ties in well with staying at these cottages.

There are some days that I have great success using the Lensbaby. This day was one of those days.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T00:36:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Christmas in San Diego is certainly a different flavor than having it where I grew up. That would be Cleveland, Ohio. This is a perfect example how Christmas looks a little different.

This photo was taken in Balboa Park, in the Spanish Village section. There is plenty of color in the Spanish Village. I decided to use the Lensbaby for this shot and focus the lens on the ornament. I like how the tree's natural "ornaments" sort of blend in with the violet ornament.

Finally, when I processed this shot, I cross processed this and made the shadows a little more blue. I think this makes the shot pop just a bit more. A little more colorful.

Storm over the Pacific

2009-12-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another from my recent day visit to Pacific Beach, in San Diego. It was a stormy day. Which in San Diego means very interesting skies.

Here, I used a Lensbaby and focused in the center of the frame. If you look closely, you'll see a Christmas tree at the end of Crystal Pier. I used the Lensbaby and I really like it, because in this image, again, it really brings the clouds to life.

Anyways, I hope it isn't storming too bad where you are and you enjoy your holidays! Stay safe and may you find your way without any problems.

Saint Cyricus

2009-12-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

One of the more interesting busts, when I visit the Getty Center, in Los Angeles, is the bust of the infant, Saint Cyricus. The story behind this infant and what he went through is pretty gruesome. So, I will spare you the details.

The eyes of this statue are very captivating. I also liked how the light was falling onto his face, especially from the side view. I think the side view is the best angle, because with his eyes looking upward, towards the light, really comes through from this angle. In my opinion, very powerful.

Now, as you can see, I took some alternative routes not only processing the image, but also taking the photograph to begin with. I do this, because taking a straight forward photo of a sculpture is just that. Nothing too exciting about it.

Since the figures in these sculptures come from several 100 years ago, I want to sort of give the feel of that aged look to the photo.

I initially took the photo using a Lensbaby. Then used a toned black-n-white process and texture layers to create the final result that you see. Lots of blending layers were involved as well as scaling back the opacities on these blending layers. The textures I used were some I found on the internet as well as some I take with my camera. I have a folder just for textures and edges.

The Getty Center

2009-12-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

Here is another image from my visit to the Getty Center, last Saturday. This was an image that was taken right before a security guard told me I cannot be on the walkway square stones. I found that to be strange. Why have a walkway, if I cannot walk on it?

I finally had some nice blue skies and sun on this visit. This created some very nice contrast, as well as made for some nice reflections. It was a gorgeous day. So, I really spent most of my time outside, during this visit.

In this photo, the main entrance is the round building in the far distance, in the center. You come through the main entrance on the other side of that building and you can walk thru into this area. The architecture at the Getty is fabulous. Everything was well thought out and it has a very nice flow to it. Beige and white tones dominant the architecture. When you have blue skies, it really makes these buildings pop.

Swept Away

2009-12-20T23:33:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday, I decided to take a visit to the Getty Center Museum, in Los Angeles, California. I thought it was a much better option, rather than fighting people at the malls, shopping center, or on the freeway. Well, I couldn't totally avoid the freeway.

What a beautiful day it was. Temperatures were around 75 degrees, sunny, blue skies. The Getty Center wasn't crowded at all. So it was nice to relax and take in all the beautiful art and architecture, the Getty Center has to offer.

On this trip, the works of the recently deceased, famed fashion photographer for Vogue magazine, Irving Penn, was on display. The theme for the exhibition was "The Worker." Each photo was a full body portrait of some person, as they would dress, performing their trade.

This was a photography exhibit I really loved looking at. Most of the photos were process on platinum-palladium or silver gelatin Tri-X. I also really loved his backdrop he had in these photos. I would just love to have his backdrop. Anyways, you will have to take a trip out to the Getty to see what I am talking about. Irving Penn was a true master of photography.

Now, one of the banners used to promote the exhibition happened to coincidentally line up with those nude works of art, that get photographed so many times, usually in a ha-ha, funny way, by so many visitors and tourists. Now, take a look at the street sweeper's eyes. Something sort of seems to have captured his curiosity. I wonder what it could be?

Like all men. We see a little flesh, and we all get swept away.

Fly Away Cafe

2009-12-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

I was recently on a business trip and while waiting at the SeaTac International Airport, there is this beautiful food court area with many nice restaurants in it. You get a great view of the runway and planes, while you have a bite to eat.

I really didn't get much of a chance on this trip to take photos I would normally like to take. So I was photography-deprived this week and scrambling to find a few more photos to take, before I boarded my plane to head back to San Diego.

Upon further examination, I noticed that the planes for the most part were lifting off right in plain view of the food court. Sorry. That pun was intentional. So naturally, my intent was to capture a plane lifting off, while capturing people feeding their faces. The trick, of course, was to try and capture the entire plane in between one section of the rectangular frames on the glass. Now, it might appear that the shot is crooked. But, the glass is not flat. It is a curved around the food court area. I just tried to line the tree line up with the one horizontal frame across the image.

Anyways, I certainly didn't expect to get much out of my photography at an airport. But I was pleasantly surprised. I thought this came out pretty good and the activity happening in the food court helped add interest, as well.