Part 3 - Photos from the Eastern Sierras (Bodie Ghost Town)

Following our shoot at Dunderburg Meadow, Phil Richardson, and I decided to drive over to Bodie Ghost Town. Although we shot for roughly two hours, we still missed out on seeing a decent part of the town. Our time was somewhat limited since we had to try and make it back over Tioga Pass before the coming storm. I truly hope to return to this area in the near future.

Eastern Sierras - Part 2 (Conway Summit)

During our shoot at Mono Lake, some of the photographers informed us that we could get some great shots of the fall color at Conway Summit along Highway 395 near Lee Vining and Mono Lake. Phil and I decided to get to the summit in time to catch the sunrise. The color was truly spectacular! I've never been surrounded by such richly colored trees before. The aspens were gorgeous. The color was greatly enhanced by the deep blue sky and my circular polarizer.

Throughout the day, both Phil and I found ourselves exploring many different paths in order to get the shots we wanted. At one point, I think we ventured out in seperate directions for about two hours or so. Eventually, we met up again and decided to grab some lunch. Although we were both hungry, neither one of us were ready to leave until each of us were happy with the shots. Afterall, these colors only come once a year in the region.

Once we wrapped up our shoot at Conway Summit, another photographer pointed us in the direction of Dunderburg Meadow. Ordinarily, I get a bit grumpy (just a tad, lol) after not having eaten in a while, but the day was going so well, we completely forgot how hungry we were. Funny how a good time and interesting shots will do that. By the time we got something to eat, we were both able to smile and be grateful that the first two phases of our trip went off so well.

Eastern Sierras - Part 1 (Mono Lake)

First off, I'd like to extend my thanks to Phil Richardson, of Phil Richardson Photography. Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of photographing some great scenes in the Easter Sierras of California at Phil's invitation. He has made an annual trip of it and was kind enough to invite me along.

I've been to the Eastern Sierras before, but not in the role of photographer. Its always a great experience seeing things with different eyes. In addition, I've never witnessed the region when all of the beautiful fall colors have set in. There is a relatively small window each year when such vibrant color is so apparent.

Our first stop was Mono Lake. We made it over the Tioga Pass with plenty of time to scout and take photos past the setting of the sun. It came as no surprise to see that the greater majority of people at Mono Lake were photographers. Everyone was so courteous. We all got our shots and made room for each other, or exchanged vantage points once we had finished. It was all just a great experience and the start of a fun adventure.

San Francisco - An Experiment In Color - Part 1

Its funny how we can see color every single day, and fail to really examine it in our environments. Color as shape, as mood or emotion, in motion, and color as it interacts with neutral colors and complimentary colors. I've never done this more than now, but my teachers at De Anza College have really opened my eyes to this through various projects and helped me to take further notice on a daily basis. I am much more aware of color than I've ever been.

Pfeiffer Beach

Yesterday, I went to Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, CA., along with my friend and colleague, Edward Chuck. We hoped to get a break in the rain. Once we hit Castroville, things really started to look up. The clouds started to peel back just enough to let the sun through on occasion. Of course, the weather can change on a dime, but we were optimistic. Although we were both prepared to be disappointed, the weather turned in our favor.

Try, Try Again - Hole-In-The-Wall Beach

After bombing at Hole-In-The-Wall Beach last weekend, I decided to take another stab at this little gem. My friend, Phil Richardson agreed to meet up with me. Having been in 91˚ heat in San Francisco of all places, I figured that Santa Cruz would offer nothing but great weather. Even Half Moon Bay had great weather. I was absolutely wrong. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. By the time I got close to San Gregorio State Beach, the fog had rolled in thick. We decided to continue on as planned and just enjoy the location. It just goes to show that no one can truly predict the weather. I suppose it wouldn't be as fun if you always knew what you were going to get. There is a lot to be said for going with the flow of things.

Although I had hoped for something completely different, the fog presented an opportunity for me to get more mileage out of my Vari-ND filter. The conditions were rather perfect for black & white images. I'd say Phil and I were out shooting for a pretty short period of time. 45 minutes to an hour I guess if you count parking and walking to the beach. The fog eventually came in so thick that we felt it was best to get out of dodge and count our blessings. Neither of us were keen on a swim in the Pacific Ocean :) We both managed to get some rather interesting images. Once I got around to editing, I did decide to leave a few in color, but most of the shots that I processed ended up looking better as B&Ws. Here are three images from the day.

Chasing Light - Four Mile Beach

It has been a while since I've had the opportunity to shoot at sunset. I've missed a few spectacular sunsets lately. Over the weekend, I drove over Hecker Pass in order to get to the coast by Santa Cruz, CA. I enjoy the drive. Its certainly less frustrating than Hwy. 17 and faster coming from my house.

My first thought was to head over to Panther/Hole-In-The-Wall Beach. Not long after arriving, I noticed an unpleasant haze, and too much wind. Of course, a lot of that can change, so I probably stayed a bit longer than I should have. I thought it would be best to head back down south.

On the drive in, I noticed that it was much more clear towards the south. I thought I'd take a few shots at Four Mile Beach. By the time I arrived, the sun had already started to descend quickly. Although where I parked was not too far from the shoreline, it wasn't exactly close. The light was fading fast. I did have a few shots in mind that I would have taken further down the beach, but as I glanced over the hill, I knew that there would be no time. I planted my tripod down right away, and fired off a few frames with the most interesting composition I could come up with at the time. There was a yellow glow from the sun that touched down just in front of the water. The light was pretty warm. It added a nice little touch to the image that disappeared after taking only a few shots. I did shoot a bit later into the night, but these few were my favorites. They are quite similar, but I thought I'd post them anyway.

Fleet Week In SF - 2010

This year's Fleet Week in San Francisco was considered the largest in 20 years, thanks to a new Fleet Week committee :) I was fortunate enough to attend this past Saturday. The event draws in over one million visitors. I'd love to find out what the actual attendance was. I've rarely seen San Francisco so crowded. Not to mention, the day was absolutely gorgeous!

I set out to capture the aerial show with friends and fellow photographers Kevin Ash, Michael Duarte, and Justin Chase. Thanks to Kevin, we were all able to shoot from the "Friends and family" section for the Blue Angels. Though everyone had fantastic seating. We chose to sit up front and along the water in order to get the best possible view. Its been years since I've had the opportunity to see the Blue Angels. They certainly did not disappoint. I had a great time. I also enjoyed viewing The Patriots, and Sean Tucker! These pilots all put on a stellar performance!

I rented a Canon 100 - 400mm f/4.5-5.6L from BorrowLenses since this would be my first time photographing an event like this. I wanted extra reach. Awesome lens! Great subject matter. There is so much to concentrate on. I have heightened respect for people that shoot these kind of events regularly. Kevin was able to give a lot of great advice on how to capture the aircraft as he has attended several shows (including multiple days from this year's event)! So I have to plug his work. He got some amazing captures. As for me, I managed to get a few decent images! I would have liked to have captured more scenes that depicted how low these planes fly, but sadly the shots weren't very clear. I can't wait to take another crack at an event like this in the future!