Santa Cruz Lighthouse
I am a year older today. It's one of those birthdays that doesn't count for much ... somewhere between fifty and sixty ... significant enough to go out to dinner with my wife, but not important enough to invite anyone else.
There are lot of things about getting older that don't sit well with me. Every morning I discover a new body part that aches; every afternoon, I find a new grey hair. I'm also starting to contemplate my mortality far more often than I need to.
There are some good things as well. I have a lot more wisdom than I once did. Each time I overcome an obstacle with God's help, I'm more ready and able to deal with the next one. I also now have the empathy that once eluded me. In the immortality of my youth, I was often too busy with life to care much about the hardships of others. Time has a way of softening those edges.
On this particular birthday, my wife and I ate dinner at the end of the pier in Santa Cruz. After dinner, we walked to the edge of the pier to look over at the lighthouse across the way, and when I saw that the moon was setting behind it, I knew that this scene needed to be captured. I used the railing of the pier as a tripod for my camera, and captured this awesome image.
Ventura
A good landscape photograph is hard to chase when there is less than two hours of daylight left when you get off of work. That is my dilemma during the dark months, after we set our clock back and hour.
On this particular morning, I knew that there were going to be clouds hanging over the ocean in Ventura. I packed my camera gear and brought it to work with me. I knew there wouldn't be time to search for a composition once I arrived, so I predetermined to drive straight to a spot that I knew would overlook the whole city.
It is a gamble making that drive. It is two hours round trip, and if the weather doesn't cooperate, it can end up being a lot of wasted time, and with California gas prices, a lot of wasted money as well.
On this particular afternoon, the weather did cooperate, and I was rewarded with this sky.
Tony's
We all have those places … places where we feel a little more at home … places where we feel like we belong. Ventura is one of those places for me. I try to get out there a couple of times a month to take photos, eat, hike, and just regain my balance.
Last month, I found a new pizza place … well, actually a very old one, but new to me. When I saw this place in the daytime, I made a mental note to come back and photograph it in the dark.
It was even better than I had hoped for, and by creating an image in black and white while leaving the interior in color, I tried to give this photo a nostalgic look. It's the kind of place that your grandparents could have eaten at.
Tony’s Pizzeria just adds another layer to why Ventura is so awesome.
Owl Eyes
Every year we have an owl who comes and makes a nest above one of our local stores. She shows up right about the same time each year, and hangs around until her babies can fly on their own.
For this photo, I had to wait several hours for the babies to finally appear. They spend most of their time hiding under their mamma, waiting for dinner time.
My patience was finally rewarded when the mother brought out a rat for dinner, and I captured this shot just before they all started eating.
For this shot, I chose black and white, while leaving their eyes in color. It creates contrast, and adds just a little bit of drama.
Too Close for Comfort
Fire is a part of life here in Southern California, and without any warning, the dead brush from the hills can go up in flames.
This is a shot of smoke rising from a fire in the hills near my house. Fortunately, this fire didn't burn any structures, but the smoke was a scary sight to see. It was front lit by the sun, giving it an ominous orange tint. I snapped this photo just before getting in the truck to drive to a safer location.
Perfect Timing
Sometimes the photo you think you want, is nowhere near as cool as the photo you are about to get.
I was set up on a hummingbird that was flying over some lantana in my backyard, when this butterfly floated right into the scene. My focus was already locked in on the bird, so there was really nothing left for me to do but take the picture. Hummingbirds and butterflies are very difficult to capture in flight when they are on their own. To get the two of them together was not something that I had planned on, but it sure made for a cool photograph.
Little James Dean
I enjoy taking portrait photos. It forces me to look at light in new ways, as the shadows and sun direction take on new significance.
Recently, my friend's son decided that he wanted to take vintage 50's photographs for his 8th birthday. It was a pretty cool request from an eight-year-old, so his mom went out and found the vintage clothes, his neighbor let him borrow the car, and I had the camera.
The hardest part of this photo session was trying to get pictures that kept out as much of the modern background as possible. That meant lining up shots that didn't have other cars in them, or plastic trash cans ... or modern looking houses. It was a challenge, but with the right angles, we made it work.
The Scariest Photo I Have Ever Taken
There is nothing special about this photo. There is far too much light pollution in the bottom left horizon, and the Milky Way isn't especially pronounced. Still, this was by far the scariest photo that I have ever taken.
Months earlier I had selected a cactus that I wanted to use as a foreground for a Milky Way shot. I arrived at 2:00 AM to my spot, collected my gear, and started trudging off into the darkness. As I started walking, I noticed that there was a light shining not too far from where I planned to set up. I thought that it was strange to see a light out here; there wasn't a house around for miles. As I got closer, I saw that the light was actually an old propane Coleman lantern that was sitting in the desert next to my cactus.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Either the owner of this lantern was hiding somewhere close by, or he was frightened off by something and left his lantern behind. Neither of those options was good news for me.
Still, I quickly took this photograph, ran back to my truck, and drove home with a racing heart.
I'm a pretty decent photographer ... but apparently, not a very smart one.
Sun Star
For this shot, I found myself chasing the sun. I knew I only had about twenty minutes left until sunset, so I grabbed my gear and headed out to a spot that I knew I could get to quickly.
I managed to get my tripod set up only a few minutes before the sun hit the horizon, and I dialed up a narrow aperture (f/18), so that I could get the star just as the sun was hiding behind the mountain. For this shot, I was out and back in under 30 minutes; I'm fortunate to live so close to beautiful landscapes.
The Mermaid's Flute
Work tends to get in the way of my photography. On any given day, I am lucky to have just enough time to get out to the ocean before sunset. I don’t have time to look for compositions once I arrive, so I have to pre-plan these photo shoots.
For this particular sunset, I knew I wanted to get one of the two mermaids that guards the entrance to the Ventura Harbor. When I arrived, I realized that if I positioned myself just right, I could make it look like the clouds were being blown out of the mermaid’s flute.
It took just a little more effort on my part, but made this photo a lot more interesting.
The Road to the Milky Way
I love this photo because I took this shot long before I really knew what I was doing. I wanted to photograph the Milky Way, I had an idea of where I wanted to go, and I had a 14mm lens which would allow me to take a longer exposure without getting star trails. What I didn't have yet was my star tacker, or an astromodified camera. Both of those would come later, but that didn't stop me from heading up to an abandoned road just above Pyramid Lake on a moonless night.
There is something terrifying about standing out in the wilderness in complete darkness. Every sound is either a bear, a coyote, or a mass murderer ... at least that's what your mind is screaming as you set up the shot.
I didn't map this shot out on my PhotoPills app, which lets you see where the Milky Way will be in advance of actually showing up to a location, and I had no idea that the Milky Way was going to set up perfectly behind the road like this. I just got incredibly lucky, and had everything line up just right. I wasn't killed by a wild animal, and I ended up with one of my all-time favorite shots of the Milky Way. All in all, it was a pretty good night.
The Shot
It was my first experience with a press pass, and I set up on the field before the game waiting for the players to run out of the tunnel. Some looked excited, others nervous, and one could hardly control his emotions.
I could see # 7 jumping up and down waiting his turn. I got myself in a position where I could get the tunnel in the background, and waited.
When he finally came storming out of the tunnel, he let out a scream, pumped his fists, and I was there waiting ... camera in hand .. and I got the shot. I too had officially arrived.
