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.

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.

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!