Marin Headlands, a missed opportunity at Point Bonita Lighthouse, & Rodeo Beach

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of shooting in the Marin Headlands with fellow photographers, Kevin Ash, and Justin Chase. After photographing the Marin Civic Center the same day, we decided to shoot in the Marin Headlands.

Originally, we'd hoped to see the Point Bonita Lighthouse. It had been some time since I'd gone to the lighthouse and was hoping that we'd get some good shots there. However, the path to the lighthouse was closed off. FYI - The tunnel to the suspension bridge/lighthouse is open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 12:30–3:30 pm. However the lighthouse is not accessible due to the suspension bridge closure. Currently the bridge is due to be replaced and open to the public in the Spring of 2012.

Since we were unable to shoot the lighthouse, we shot towards the east in the direction of Hawk Hill, the Golden Gate Bridge, and some of the abandoned piers. It was not quite yet time for the sun to set, so I decided to shoot a few long exposures with my trusty Singh-Ray Vari-ND filter. The Vari-ND allowed me to slow down the shutter speed to get a 2 sec exposure on the photograph below. Kevin let me use his 70-200mm lens in order to get a bit more reach out of the scene. Thanks again, Kevin.



As sunset approached, we decided to drive down to Rodeo Beach. We shot from the footbridge. There was a nice light reflecting on the lagoon, and coming over the hillside. For the wide angle shot, I used both a 2, & 3-stop soft graduated neutral density filter. They worked like a charm and allowed me to capture the golden color illuminating the clouds.




While Kevin stayed on the footbridge a bit longer, Justin and I hauled it over to the coastline. Although the three sea stacks are shot all the time, the three of us decided that it was simply too good to pass up. At high tide, I'm not sure it would have been wise to go much further anyway. By this point, I found that the light at the horizon was a bit too harsh. The two shots below were shot utilizing a 2-stop reverse graduated neutral density filter to balance the foreground, and background light.

Center For Photographic Art, Dametra Cafe, Michael Kenna, and Point Lobos in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Last Saturday, I was like a kid in a candy store. The day was filled with friends, laughter, good food, and photography. Some friends/photographers and I made plans to view Michael Kenna's exhibit at the Weston Gallery in Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA. We were fortunate enough to have the weather gods on our side, because the day was absolutely beautiful.

I arrived in Carmel quite early and met up with my friend, Chia Wen at the Center for Photographic Art to view their juried exhibition for 2011. The exhibit will be on display until March 31, 2011. So be sure to get over there beforehand if you were hoping to see it.

Prior to Michael Kenna's exhibit and book signing, my friends and I decided to have lunch at Dametra Cafe. The cafe's menu features Mediterranean cuisine of excellent quality. The ambiance is quite warm and familial, and I'd say the same for the owners Bashar Sneeh, and Faisal Nimri. They were very welcoming and took great care to ensure that everyone had a good time. Be ready to dance, and clap along to the musical numbers that the staff and owners put on throughout the day.

After lunch, we walked over to Michael Kenna's exhibit and book signing at the Weston Gallery. Although the gallery is relatively small, they offered a nice reception for all attendees. The line to get Michael's signature was nearly out the door. As always, the

work was amazing and truly inspiring. I've always been a great admirer of his photography. I found Michael Kenna to be extremely nice and seemed to be enjoying himself. Of course, I was not able to have a very lengthy conversation with Mr. Kenna, I appreciated that he took the time to learn and correctly write out my rather long name on my book. Lol. My friend, Jing Yu, was nice enough to send a photo of me posing for a shot with Michael Kenna.

Following the book signing, my friends decided to head home. We left the event earlier than I expected, so I decided to try and catch the sunset at Point Lobos. I chatted with the park rangers before going in just to make sure everything was cool along the coast. I figured it would be smart to check in since this was just two days after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The park was open, so it may have been overkill, but it could never hurt to be sure. As I suspected, the rangers reported that all was well. I had about 45 minutes to shoot in a few locations, and managed to get a few shots that pleased me.

Yosemite - One Year Ago

As photographers, we're always excited about the next scene we are about to capture. I'm certainly no exception. However, I do find it useful to slow down a bit, look back and review what has already been done.

Just over a year ago, I set out for Yosemite with my friend and fellow photographer, Minh Ly. I've photographed several locations in multiple countries, but this trip bears special meaning for me as it was my first real photo expedition. Our only purpose was to take photographs, and I learned a lot about planning ahead for these kind of trips. Minh & I followed local weather patterns weeks in advance, purchased extra batteries, filters, and winter gear in preparation for the trip. Each day, we left our hotel room in complete darkness. We took extra care to be in place at our desired location well before the dawn. Until then, I never realized how cold you can get just standing still in snow, despite my thermals, Gore-tex lined shoes, and multiple pairs of winter socks. It wasn't too bad though.

Its been some time since I had the opportunity to photograph Yosemite, but that trip marked a major step forward in my comprehension of light, patience, composition, and overall understanding of photography. If I had the chance to be there at this moment, I'd certainly do a few things differently. I scrutinize my work a lot more now. At the same time, I can appreciate it for what it was, and the lessons I can take with me. Below, are a two images that have been recently re-edited.

San Francisco - Part 3 - Port of San Francisco & The Palace of Fine Arts

Amongst the many things that fascinate me about San Francisco, is the way the city appears at twilight. Its one of my favorite times to make photographs. The first of these images was taken while I was walking around the Embarcadero with friend/colleague, Edward Chuck of Edward Chuck Photography. The remaining photographs were taken at the Palace of Fine Arts. In case any of you were unaware, the scaffolding has finally been taken down. At least for the time being. So if you've been hoping to catch an unobstructed view of the palace, now is a good time to go.

San Francisco - Part 2 - Golden Gate Park

Over the last few weeks, I've covered a lot of ground in "The City By The Bay". Here are some additional photographs that were taken at Golden Gate Park.

San Francisco - Marshall Beach & Sutro

It has been a while since my last blog entry. I thought I'd take a little time to share some of the photographs that I've taken over the last few weeks in San Francisco. The most recent of these images was taken at Marshall Beach while hanging out with my friend/colleague, Phil Richardson of Phil Richardson Photography.

Four Mile Beach in Black & White

While en route to meet up with a friend in Santa Cruz, I decided to kill some time and hang out at Four Mile Beach. The fading color in the sky wasn't especially appealing, but there still are interesting textures to be found. I had an idea for a black & white photograph, so I thought I'd give it a shot and see what I could come up with. Here is the result after working with a 3-stop, soft graduated neutral density filter by Singh-Ray.

Finalist - "Photographer's Forum" magazine's "Best of College Photography 2011"

Earlier this week, I received a letter confirming that one of my photographs (Mono Lake) will be published in the Photographer's Forum Magazine hardcover book, "Best of College Photography 2011". This will be my 2nd published image. So yes, I am quite excited and honored to have made it this far. My entry is in the finalist selection group, and is in the running for higher honors (First through Fourth Place or Honorable Mention). I thank you all for your continued support of INFIN8 Photography!

The Crown Jewel of California's Coast - Point Lobos

If I were ever pressed to name a single location that has led me pursuing photography as a profession, it would be the Point Lobos State Reserve in California. Located just south of Carmel, this state park is often described as the crown jewel of California's coast. It has served as inspiration to numerous writers and artists such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Robinson Jeffers, Ansel Adams, and the Weston family.

I can spend hours just staring at the waves whenever I visit. Whenever I have friends and family visiting from out of town, Point Lobos always makes the list of must-see locations. So much of my childhood was spent at the park that I know my love of the ocean and sunsets was born here.

This past week, I had the pleasure of visiting twice. I was fortunate enough to witness a few spectacular sunsets. Here are a few images from my most recent shoots at Punta de los Lobos Marinos | Point of the Sea Wolves.

Being In The Moment - Four Mile Beach

I've heard many photographers speak about the difficulty in balancing family life with photography. Over the last 3 weeks, I often noticed beautiful photographic opportunities while en route to functions that didn't allow me time enough to stop and shoot. The more I let myself get frustrated about that, the more I seemed to experience it. I had to force myself to re-evaluate my outlook and remind myself to live in the moment. Usually, I'm pretty easy about things like this. But I definitely had a setback. Luckily, I was able to get back on track in time to really enjoy my holiday season and spend quality time with friends and family.

Now, if I have a personal commitment or engagement that does not involve photography, I'll just leave the camera at home and embrace the decision. Occasionally, I'll whip out my iPhone as a way of documenting an idea that I might have for a later time. In most situations, there will be another opportunity to take photos. Photographic scenes are abundant. I truly believe that something just as good, or greater will present itself if you are able to pay enough attention. This pretty much mirrors my outlook on life.

Yesterday was pretty much the first time that I had a real opportunity to go out and take some photos. It all happened very naturally, which is ideal for me anyway. I had the urge, I had the time, I hopped in the car and enjoyed being in the moment.

Below, are a few examples of my shoot from yesterday at Four Mile Beach, which is just north of Santa Cruz, CA.

Carmel Beach Sunset

While hanging out with my girlfriend in Carmel, CA ... she got the urge to go shooting at the beach with her new Canon S95 (her photos came out beautifully). Since I'm not one that needs to be dragged to the beach, I shot a few frames. This was one of my favorites out of the few I took.

Award of Excellence Certificate :)

I received word a few months back that a photo of mine was to be published in the Photographer's Forum Magazine hardcover book, "Best of Photography 2010". Although I have shot an album cover in the past, this marks the first time that I've been published amongst fellow photographers. Yesterday, I received a certificate for making it into the finals of the Photographer's Forum Magazine's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest. If anyone wishes to purchase this photo as a holiday gift, I have discounted the price by 25%. Click on the photo if you wish to purchase. You will see the option to buy on the right. The offer will expire on January 1st, 2011.

San Francisco - Municipal Pier & Aquatic Park

Whenever I decide to walk around San Francisco and take photos, I often find that some of my more interesting shots of the day come from unintended subjects. My friend and colleague, Edward Chuck, and I decided to shoot in the area around Fisherman's Wharf this past weekend. We only planned to hang out in the area until just before the lights turn on in the city. We had hoped to capture the orange light illuminating City Hall in support of the San Francisco Giants. Neither of us seemed to be paying much attention to the time. We decided that we would just continue walking towards Aquatic Park, and the Municipal Pier. That decision was rewarded with gorgeous light. The bay was lit with orange, pink, and touches of yellow and purple. I can't imagine there being too many areas in the region that got such spectacular light.

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.