tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34436021219479304072024-03-13T08:03:43.554-07:00The Blog of FreyPhotos.comCharles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-30303795050120928362011-06-20T16:40:00.000-07:002011-06-20T16:40:12.475-07:00Los Angeles Skyline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yeT6E_IYEpZ4HZUQDuzWZwvmAy-KtkloWBp4G7Azoxk_F8ipcF5K1nErLgaoJPDmepigVvw18G0Wv0i6lwYUMr-9zWbARUHmpNUqy_27uGV2e0Ynha-YfzVL0nkt-3rsDJSsDyjTjnXz/s1600/CFRY6171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3yeT6E_IYEpZ4HZUQDuzWZwvmAy-KtkloWBp4G7Azoxk_F8ipcF5K1nErLgaoJPDmepigVvw18G0Wv0i6lwYUMr-9zWbARUHmpNUqy_27uGV2e0Ynha-YfzVL0nkt-3rsDJSsDyjTjnXz/s640/CFRY6171.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-14551102218729494542011-05-31T07:12:00.000-07:002011-05-31T07:12:12.851-07:00Squeezing In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRim5wmxFf-b3owQ_lAWiTyJNwiPwP4aNlCuvDVDc573Js7oMHQ9F2F-OVcavgjCGLvTmKQfaWCz2877o2mwLDKs14zVyLweoMMEjsDKoQWawUBvdqnrHH8m-dunExNDUjN9pi0TPg2VH/s1600/FREY2708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRim5wmxFf-b3owQ_lAWiTyJNwiPwP4aNlCuvDVDc573Js7oMHQ9F2F-OVcavgjCGLvTmKQfaWCz2877o2mwLDKs14zVyLweoMMEjsDKoQWawUBvdqnrHH8m-dunExNDUjN9pi0TPg2VH/s1600/FREY2708.jpg" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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...<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-47647963545332697432011-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:002011-05-23T07:26:05.613-07:00Up Periscope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5VyzUIXem7anxbb9szPv2QnPp-w_9DTPnoIdcIHFEblxCocANBITT2YUvkKj5j5IX_pyK7hJR0em4t63HWY9KR1TgOpz6jtenlUX7nDv2ixlZnfx5WIFMPBSqHHYX1x0CJ6-CUYWI3H5/s1600/CFRY9465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5VyzUIXem7anxbb9szPv2QnPp-w_9DTPnoIdcIHFEblxCocANBITT2YUvkKj5j5IX_pyK7hJR0em4t63HWY9KR1TgOpz6jtenlUX7nDv2ixlZnfx5WIFMPBSqHHYX1x0CJ6-CUYWI3H5/s640/CFRY9465.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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This was taken aboard the USS Dolphin submarine, which was just decommissioned in 2007. It is now a part of the <a href="http://www.sdmaritime.org/">Maritime Museum of San Diego.</a><br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-6806487087057858862011-05-15T09:52:00.000-07:002011-05-15T09:52:31.147-07:00Wine Storage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G-_E3e8ZIOi7nVa3u7tfzs1PU4i47ck9RhOnvsSnO1-k0CfI299HhQ_9I0KMe0wET4sgX1FTxSN3rhjDF39SSlESXK400pQABoDvaUXvYKiHLHxSV46eqGjPUxCfCPgBpRW_bqpOfBn7/s1600/Wine+Storage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0G-_E3e8ZIOi7nVa3u7tfzs1PU4i47ck9RhOnvsSnO1-k0CfI299HhQ_9I0KMe0wET4sgX1FTxSN3rhjDF39SSlESXK400pQABoDvaUXvYKiHLHxSV46eqGjPUxCfCPgBpRW_bqpOfBn7/s1600/Wine+Storage.jpg" /></a></div>This past Saturday, I met up with one of the photography groups I am a member of; <a href="http://www.sandiegodslr.com/">The San Diego dSLR Group.</a><br />
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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.<br />
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This month, our group shoot was held at the <a href="http://bernardowinery.com/">Bernardo Winery</a>, located in the San Diego community of Rancho Bernardo, about 25 miles north of downtown San Diego.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Anyways, once I get the hang of this new lens, I think I am going to really love it.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-85661151424204955072011-05-01T11:44:00.000-07:002011-05-01T11:50:14.233-07:00Lube Oil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hyaKAPbZeoS_MGcVESXrVPLvAjAoShpWvtw9E1yrRhYiymEDpcjqLyeOMHlX6DEoE_JuYNB-8Mb5ZO0ZqgYguYzlpMt4u1hAzPnIg2dOp1PsiPuNW3kTQuNJ2h9QK1psOMFqzVwJz9pe/s1600/CFRY9649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hyaKAPbZeoS_MGcVESXrVPLvAjAoShpWvtw9E1yrRhYiymEDpcjqLyeOMHlX6DEoE_JuYNB-8Mb5ZO0ZqgYguYzlpMt4u1hAzPnIg2dOp1PsiPuNW3kTQuNJ2h9QK1psOMFqzVwJz9pe/s640/CFRY9649.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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).<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-26180667933426355272011-03-01T23:02:00.000-08:002011-03-01T23:02:08.680-08:00Winter in San Diego<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8y0oD6VrNOljXhyphenhyphenzPLGES4UqwdzPwfqedHLkPbe-0ouvRna0kZn69Ea-z6L-vugmh0gc1uUJpl7FVDi0KIQbg_YN7ZOeBYbcs8XtLTVhXOPdsKcDTexMnI74YMXCmEHtcAeagq55TKyW/s1600/CFRY2274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8y0oD6VrNOljXhyphenhyphenzPLGES4UqwdzPwfqedHLkPbe-0ouvRna0kZn69Ea-z6L-vugmh0gc1uUJpl7FVDi0KIQbg_YN7ZOeBYbcs8XtLTVhXOPdsKcDTexMnI74YMXCmEHtcAeagq55TKyW/s1600/CFRY2274.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Wait! Snow in San Diego?<br />
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Yes! We do get snow in San Diego county.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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What's the best part about all of this? In an hour, I was back in 60 degree weather.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-19277299804701364692011-02-20T21:59:00.000-08:002011-02-20T22:01:44.780-08:00Waves of Color<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjig2ulDukUqyZ7OdPeUR-xT8TQipFYuIbVy_pvdQHS8zwfgGMgqTcCjNbrSNWh2J9HBNbxhNU71U9UQg0xvgHEFksMfCeCSNucn8ZaXtxTJA110iFdGFp-D5boKPlG2Fe3L9EPy1rE2H/s1600/FREY7143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjig2ulDukUqyZ7OdPeUR-xT8TQipFYuIbVy_pvdQHS8zwfgGMgqTcCjNbrSNWh2J9HBNbxhNU71U9UQg0xvgHEFksMfCeCSNucn8ZaXtxTJA110iFdGFp-D5boKPlG2Fe3L9EPy1rE2H/s1600/FREY7143.jpg" /></a></div>During the months of February thru April, I am the official photographer for the WinterGuard Association of Southern California (WGASC).<br />
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What is that? You might say.<br />
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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?<br />
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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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-15784463551407512262011-02-17T00:38:00.000-08:002011-02-17T00:38:21.426-08:00Endless Possibilities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ95gIh55b_GToVVd2jc7Z71ge53Kl5JVnLuUqbgeLRlk_optgLj74r41D1hSb-5KSHa_EW26IAZrKpsYcAmvR7gikq7rsBogQdXI0sHhwlaZxbi0WtiKTurjFYICN6tTF-d3qDPC5y7Qf/s1600/FREY7616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ95gIh55b_GToVVd2jc7Z71ge53Kl5JVnLuUqbgeLRlk_optgLj74r41D1hSb-5KSHa_EW26IAZrKpsYcAmvR7gikq7rsBogQdXI0sHhwlaZxbi0WtiKTurjFYICN6tTF-d3qDPC5y7Qf/s1600/FREY7616.jpg" /></a></div>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).<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Exploring can be such fun!Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-51555539929449042892011-01-22T04:28:00.000-08:002011-01-22T22:39:00.845-08:00Come Inside to the Past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNKFaqmdD1hWfshP8Z8pLwitTykRcT5T5m7uR73u1vRXBg2mI1fUtNoXyBaLLosKowswzG07evW95KRHaYi6ef-KJ1Jjrqf35Yntwt41sTjg5HHvSWtjOyleUzVyqFAX4bUnOCMAuZI0N/s1600/FREY1733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqNKFaqmdD1hWfshP8Z8pLwitTykRcT5T5m7uR73u1vRXBg2mI1fUtNoXyBaLLosKowswzG07evW95KRHaYi6ef-KJ1Jjrqf35Yntwt41sTjg5HHvSWtjOyleUzVyqFAX4bUnOCMAuZI0N/s1600/FREY1733.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://www.agsem.com/">website</a> and perhaps, stop on by and see for yourself.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-8011167470569405032011-01-18T18:29:00.000-08:002011-01-18T18:29:57.549-08:00El Capitan Rockslide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-3QrNMBmZZ9sGnz23xRXH-pCXmP9UxSsfruHhfuNqMXs7RJUbENP51ZHJ2Hc1a8TK1PTmVZBH1jXZGHipTkSttktl5iTCSyW4wb_Wu37OrDwxkp1InFJRNzhta5OhLRpN6JtT0bk72kN/s1600/FREY8965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-3QrNMBmZZ9sGnz23xRXH-pCXmP9UxSsfruHhfuNqMXs7RJUbENP51ZHJ2Hc1a8TK1PTmVZBH1jXZGHipTkSttktl5iTCSyW4wb_Wu37OrDwxkp1InFJRNzhta5OhLRpN6JtT0bk72kN/s1600/FREY8965.jpg" /></a></div> Another recent blog post, by bay area photographer, <a href="http://www.gdanmitchell.com/2011/01/18/sunset-avalanche-half-dome">Dan Mitchell</a>, captured one of those very rare moments, when you are in the right spot at the right time.<br />
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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.<br />
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If you are a big fan of Yosemite national park, you must check out his photo. It's absolutely gorgeous!<br />
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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. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybazUYGIdSXkEiNMyMuW7ny_MOnAklAgik-PVJj6mOrTZlZj92_ecLGTuO5NzL_CdCQLiD79xmScPzeBDX7TcDVsHc76dJnA5BAo8B5Ihcaps1SgmUHRdVFzU1ZJ-czggayvDj7Gt_pru/s1600/FREY8971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybazUYGIdSXkEiNMyMuW7ny_MOnAklAgik-PVJj6mOrTZlZj92_ecLGTuO5NzL_CdCQLiD79xmScPzeBDX7TcDVsHc76dJnA5BAo8B5Ihcaps1SgmUHRdVFzU1ZJ-czggayvDj7Gt_pru/s1600/FREY8971.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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.<br />
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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?<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-8942505294644626882011-01-04T07:27:00.000-08:002011-01-04T07:30:09.140-08:00El Prado<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwOtrEIqqmfGDEiCitEPdu3aSkk9hy6FiU7Wo6KUvcBGMACbaZ51-I1J3ixFa5O1LRqdoAU6l1Uu1lvRAx6WW8ojuNFb30zY_GBKVhKtpoyB0lVODzuG1GuoHECtY9gu1zz7GPL5jFj3C/s1600/CFRY6160.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwOtrEIqqmfGDEiCitEPdu3aSkk9hy6FiU7Wo6KUvcBGMACbaZ51-I1J3ixFa5O1LRqdoAU6l1Uu1lvRAx6WW8ojuNFb30zY_GBKVhKtpoyB0lVODzuG1GuoHECtY9gu1zz7GPL5jFj3C/s1600/CFRY6160.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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."Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-54331472902489529652010-12-31T11:38:00.000-08:002010-12-31T11:38:19.454-08:00Precision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIMqg3dSnjBT9M5hz0S1wyuoMvpbcAQ0oYi1ZXGnH6heEHZmMQ6NnFkfeYug9YKk4p6YZZSTFQrqTS63sJTyEkktbTYqrayiFW0ZUUpDMf39cJPpkIvZs7NK9rnxQ_3v9M6hJZSwda-jO/s1600/FREY1499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyIMqg3dSnjBT9M5hz0S1wyuoMvpbcAQ0oYi1ZXGnH6heEHZmMQ6NnFkfeYug9YKk4p6YZZSTFQrqTS63sJTyEkktbTYqrayiFW0ZUUpDMf39cJPpkIvZs7NK9rnxQ_3v9M6hJZSwda-jO/s1600/FREY1499.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-64114221929411046882010-12-27T01:19:00.000-08:002010-12-27T01:25:28.036-08:00Rising Into the Heavens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F2UUMCA4IJJ9M-XXOyrpFDg9wEdOHiy3KjIjymVN7pyqXNQh5ekE6MzeOVLUH1PDIwqPDfHvkc6jaIWDS_EgVPhKELcJjEBaRaUsipa4I3T4HVzTNhAhyphenhyphenIB92N6CIocTmMhnfZWQpxni/s1600/CFRY2483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5F2UUMCA4IJJ9M-XXOyrpFDg9wEdOHiy3KjIjymVN7pyqXNQh5ekE6MzeOVLUH1PDIwqPDfHvkc6jaIWDS_EgVPhKELcJjEBaRaUsipa4I3T4HVzTNhAhyphenhyphenIB92N6CIocTmMhnfZWQpxni/s1600/CFRY2483.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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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?<br />
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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.<br />
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Later during the flight, I whipped out my camera, yet again, when we flew by Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra mountain range.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-49557212209599033002010-12-23T18:58:00.000-08:002010-12-23T19:02:21.360-08:00Spanish Allure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfjwzhKIn8XWWJbXvHd7vtFYALplr4cxrLYaNkmY0ELJAaFc7Wzh8PducvpuUp6il96aYQjOhZu6tSWjlC-scOmlSxtijdOGICiSd4eO0j_DIUA8QBQiMU2N6OXtipHLrLnh1YMuTslkN/s1600/CFRY6087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjfjwzhKIn8XWWJbXvHd7vtFYALplr4cxrLYaNkmY0ELJAaFc7Wzh8PducvpuUp6il96aYQjOhZu6tSWjlC-scOmlSxtijdOGICiSd4eO0j_DIUA8QBQiMU2N6OXtipHLrLnh1YMuTslkN/s1600/CFRY6087.jpg" /></a></div>One of the famous landmarks in San Diego, California, is found just outside downtown, at Balboa Park.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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If you are a fan of Spanish style architecture, there is plenty of allure here for you.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-48427621721995358802010-12-13T08:49:00.000-08:002010-12-13T08:52:21.344-08:00The Other Falls From Sol Duc<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N6nKmxWTgd4lF8zhIZCciNGukphsdVLw8dpuusVAJSrLNGlXn7xFMXzLxb-1PmoPOzDJOxgWRocsv8ONZmUM9ExhwP7jCHN5415iCw3wMzv9PTKvfFWtAOnPhSAmwXr4vHukeTeYMf_e/s1600/CFRY2392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5N6nKmxWTgd4lF8zhIZCciNGukphsdVLw8dpuusVAJSrLNGlXn7xFMXzLxb-1PmoPOzDJOxgWRocsv8ONZmUM9ExhwP7jCHN5415iCw3wMzv9PTKvfFWtAOnPhSAmwXr4vHukeTeYMf_e/s1600/CFRY2392.jpg" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Again, you can find all of this in Olympic National Park, in western Washington state.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-51083900052054043482010-12-10T23:13:00.000-08:002010-12-10T23:13:11.251-08:00Sol Duc Falls<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZiS9eJi6npU1pcYhCwQ6mcQrHwA81xRT85NW9rCcreXUdow-qIPm71_EKzqZBn55JY-7MD5BpKlcadhqyHkvmP0ZqYOPGeaba93xsP6H2ja805wd-aMvt4KSqgfL54YO_yQYYiZZ8EoS/s1600/CFRY2373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgZiS9eJi6npU1pcYhCwQ6mcQrHwA81xRT85NW9rCcreXUdow-qIPm71_EKzqZBn55JY-7MD5BpKlcadhqyHkvmP0ZqYOPGeaba93xsP6H2ja805wd-aMvt4KSqgfL54YO_yQYYiZZ8EoS/s1600/CFRY2373.jpg" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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The Sol Duc Falls are located in Olympic National Park, in Washington state.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-21550486290132934272010-11-28T09:31:00.000-08:002010-11-28T09:31:21.596-08:00The Rock<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRm3jjbmJNorRoEEiN1Bl8K7REVfev64pysqZKRiDIHEDutbbdc60_vLBPgC8OAI0A65zdb5ys9e5APg-ZwSTNPUKP2ObTiG37LZgEb8RLhtP8KaKTP7J8TRcXzDvGBwsoYS8uVDIKHmz/s1600/CFRY5838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiRm3jjbmJNorRoEEiN1Bl8K7REVfev64pysqZKRiDIHEDutbbdc60_vLBPgC8OAI0A65zdb5ys9e5APg-ZwSTNPUKP2ObTiG37LZgEb8RLhtP8KaKTP7J8TRcXzDvGBwsoYS8uVDIKHmz/s1600/CFRY5838.jpg" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-71550468251085497182010-11-05T07:46:00.000-07:002010-12-10T22:58:55.706-08:00Autumn Along Soleduck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIF2r-M2HP2F4pKHXykELuzbbxF9D-f5W0hsNex5N0f4zyB8_tJA4U2VkXjFBqUg5rFblkya_hrObfCD0KZ0LoFUgLwcsskyBbNHrJSnWXYA8oIcdjGIpKmhKoFgreUGeMpcdTwf-wZh-/s1600/CFRY2390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIF2r-M2HP2F4pKHXykELuzbbxF9D-f5W0hsNex5N0f4zyB8_tJA4U2VkXjFBqUg5rFblkya_hrObfCD0KZ0LoFUgLwcsskyBbNHrJSnWXYA8oIcdjGIpKmhKoFgreUGeMpcdTwf-wZh-/s1600/CFRY2390.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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?<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-37772723028685127802010-11-03T23:54:00.000-07:002010-11-03T23:58:57.969-07:00Bottles Of Fun At Bodie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13wjhmAzp8BcBWuTZ_XZVA7W2Y70XB8N-ldlXSILUKlpkL4A8DKmq-PqDImNEw9BiEpNGP2EchLjcvkSRvZDL6o8IWP4NjPbcJLpmU46qoLkIHgFczgGD5F1w3CK4o5Nj8bR-zfeO_XSh/s1600/FREY7385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg13wjhmAzp8BcBWuTZ_XZVA7W2Y70XB8N-ldlXSILUKlpkL4A8DKmq-PqDImNEw9BiEpNGP2EchLjcvkSRvZDL6o8IWP4NjPbcJLpmU46qoLkIHgFczgGD5F1w3CK4o5Nj8bR-zfeO_XSh/s1600/FREY7385.jpg" /></a></div>Here is another photo from my recent trip to the Eastern Sierras. This one is from Bodie Historic State Park.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-7903197471348294842010-10-19T17:33:00.000-07:002010-10-19T17:34:58.941-07:00Olmsted Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWouHMtCQK3PbKTCIBoOFPUmxWPvIMo0cdZ6pfZuYPRycgtl-GyZyO0_yhaN1d_eeVH52HpOJlbv5-JqfeAFddFfwUyUxH7Z9tmWtdAR6COWsmHV8gjARmvHvaspbqJG8R7wSvhtwmWR6J/s1600/CFRY4438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWouHMtCQK3PbKTCIBoOFPUmxWPvIMo0cdZ6pfZuYPRycgtl-GyZyO0_yhaN1d_eeVH52HpOJlbv5-JqfeAFddFfwUyUxH7Z9tmWtdAR6COWsmHV8gjARmvHvaspbqJG8R7wSvhtwmWR6J/s640/CFRY4438.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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).<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-80082824164757526252010-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:002010-10-15T10:08:58.442-07:00Tioga Pass Autumn Splendor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiu6YWG46BStCAxOaxSqVSl_dpx7ABfKIr7w6-XyMDKMaiFTA87dzN3CiXRDfEzLQ8riYy71k1kHbbkXtnsEvcIdiTOItNJL4rsALe2-SGqnK7ocYW0xOR_ilbHdiqw46VTHNLr8OuDLV/s1600/CFRY4267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJiu6YWG46BStCAxOaxSqVSl_dpx7ABfKIr7w6-XyMDKMaiFTA87dzN3CiXRDfEzLQ8riYy71k1kHbbkXtnsEvcIdiTOItNJL4rsALe2-SGqnK7ocYW0xOR_ilbHdiqw46VTHNLr8OuDLV/s640/CFRY4267.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-770075742895684172010-10-11T22:00:00.000-07:002010-10-11T22:02:31.841-07:00Aspen Surprise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq-BwucBVQCUHauws7C9_NUUIoG1UUKhPiuVUrYd_FS9Mv5EENisQupCsmTEFxuyxQUpeuM5yU-8m4XueaGMVtwRDG_2OimalCx-5lUYV8xV45s_nZ96cWc5cfdshzr84L7GZHVdtO4UF/s1600/CFRY4281.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMq-BwucBVQCUHauws7C9_NUUIoG1UUKhPiuVUrYd_FS9Mv5EENisQupCsmTEFxuyxQUpeuM5yU-8m4XueaGMVtwRDG_2OimalCx-5lUYV8xV45s_nZ96cWc5cfdshzr84L7GZHVdtO4UF/s640/CFRY4281.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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?"<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-69865645945149745192010-09-29T07:28:00.000-07:002010-09-29T07:29:17.416-07:00Heading Back to San Diego<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxow4J0ZcyyD1ggZmwKN8Kgpk0c2d6Q_kYy68h3Q-_odyK6nTpyBVnx2nldQPSyx1zUmdQwtR5LDo6M4pKHGxGvdlDr91n3OReKz1-8pEjDjQBANySU8UwvZikUiEjeqm1s2hLJ6V_pxB/s1600/CFRY0661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxow4J0ZcyyD1ggZmwKN8Kgpk0c2d6Q_kYy68h3Q-_odyK6nTpyBVnx2nldQPSyx1zUmdQwtR5LDo6M4pKHGxGvdlDr91n3OReKz1-8pEjDjQBANySU8UwvZikUiEjeqm1s2hLJ6V_pxB/s640/CFRY0661.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjormwgcNud12Ft9ksWs9lkJYIMVautGd8kDWJKRGbgBmlYDU3dXZOOwq9D0Cx417hsH_tOM2PJmxDSqaMGFgi-R8a4UuuP5g9648veSI6-INOu9ArEVktkqRw9VR493Qfq3SSl_HFQAXZc/s1600/CFRY0662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjormwgcNud12Ft9ksWs9lkJYIMVautGd8kDWJKRGbgBmlYDU3dXZOOwq9D0Cx417hsH_tOM2PJmxDSqaMGFgi-R8a4UuuP5g9648veSI6-INOu9ArEVktkqRw9VR493Qfq3SSl_HFQAXZc/s640/CFRY0662.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-21645752441995057662010-09-17T10:57:00.000-07:002010-09-17T10:58:13.180-07:00Remembering 9/11<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdH9QMomWmJRwZSr4Bn58iccinzP9MgmeCgN7M14dt9w8T0eURZ9MYDF5EcnqYgUM1geoGCYmzODb2yiZ_twlm4Ylb4Ryri2wBWX4cpD9WtsyZDw3NCvw4MfKkjh3-AKHzghssRj04JEv/s1600/CFRY9499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdH9QMomWmJRwZSr4Bn58iccinzP9MgmeCgN7M14dt9w8T0eURZ9MYDF5EcnqYgUM1geoGCYmzODb2yiZ_twlm4Ylb4Ryri2wBWX4cpD9WtsyZDw3NCvw4MfKkjh3-AKHzghssRj04JEv/s640/CFRY9499.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Well, you have this weekend to check out this site. Otherwise, you will have to wait till next year's 9/11 remembrance.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3443602121947930407.post-32799522272038962992010-09-07T00:17:00.000-07:002010-09-07T00:19:28.844-07:00Shelves & Layers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8Qb_QZG7b4ynMcru8UQVwMHzHEhcOsmDUeCaQYby42NtxUNScr0X2jiu5378bpXQ-da_CoqKbVoXg5Dwo9ndIhBQebnkm22JrmEWXHdc9ZwS8fyLN5gmKhUzVm0CrlHetuvjBmZU-O00/s1600/CFRY8585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8Qb_QZG7b4ynMcru8UQVwMHzHEhcOsmDUeCaQYby42NtxUNScr0X2jiu5378bpXQ-da_CoqKbVoXg5Dwo9ndIhBQebnkm22JrmEWXHdc9ZwS8fyLN5gmKhUzVm0CrlHetuvjBmZU-O00/s640/CFRY8585.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.Charles Freyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00176947577833838378noreply@blogger.com0