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!

Chasing Waterfalls

Although R&B group, TLC, advises us against chasing waterfalls (sorry, couldn't resist), a friend and I decided to do just that. For some time, I've wanted to see, and take photos of Mossbrae Falls. My friend, Thomas Barclay, and I decided to visit Mossbrae, Burney Falls, Potem Falls, the 3 McCloud Falls, and Boulder Creek Falls. Although I highly enjoyed all of the falls that we visited, I was most impressed by Mossbrae and Middle McCloud Falls. The locations were absolutely beautiful. The beauty of California never ceases to amaze. Of course, I believe that there is beauty can be found all around this planet. I just realize how fortunate we are as Californians.

Aside from the sheer beauty of Mossbrae, one of the more interesting parts of the experience was that it almost didn't happen. Thomas and I arrived in Dunsmuir, CA. quite early in the morning. The parking lot was practically empty. The falls can be found along tracks owned by the Union Pacific Railroad. Due to this fact, the path to Mossbrae is actually forbidden. It actually didn't even occur to either of us. Thomas and I were so busy looking at the lighting conditions, and making sure that we were paying attention to the path ahead (didn't want to trip while walking down the tracks), that we didn't even notice the very obvious "No Tresspassing" sign until it was pointed out by a railroad worker after we had returned to the parking lot. I wish I'd spent more time there, but at least we got our photos :). The location of thes falls has caused some conflict between the city of Dunsmuir and the Union Pacific Railroad, as several people have come quite close to getting nailed by the train (though I don't understand exactly how people didn't notice a train). This is a liability issue for the railroad, but the city of Dusmuir (and its hotels) continue to advertise the falls and how to get there. After we finished shooting, a railroad worker recalled seeing busloads full of children walking down the tracks, a wedding party of 400 people, and countless women in stilettos, and mothers pushing baby strollers. With this in mind, I can see how U.P.R. would worry, but it would be a shame if people were no longer able to visit these falls. I truly hope that the railroad company and Dunsmuir can come up with some kind of alternative solution.

Confirmed: Finalist in Photographer's Forum Magazine's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest

I just received confirmation that I am a finalist in Photographer's Forum Magazine's 30th Annual Spring Photography Contest! I'm just excited for the chance to gain additional exposure!

Our photos will be published in a hardcover book, "Best of Photography 2010", by Photographer's Forum Magazine. The book will be released in late December, 2010.

Better Late Than Never - Swiss National Day Fireworks

Finally, I got around to posting a few images from the Swiss National Day celebrations. Although the Swiss National Day is technically a "new holiday" (August 1st), the source of this holiday dates back to over 700 years ago, when three independent republics signed an agreement to protect one another. That first agreement cleared the way for additional cantons (member states) which were eventually added to form the Swiss Confederation. Currently, there are 26 cantons.

Today, the holiday is in many ways, very similar to American Fourth of July celebrations. Fireworks, barbeques, bonfires, speeches by politicians, parades, singing, dancing, carnival rides, and lots of drinking.

Although I've been in Geneva on multiple occasions for this event, I had an opportunity to shoot from the docks this year. A friend of mine keeps a boat on the right bank of Lac Léman in the canton and city of Geneva. The docks are closed to the pubic for this holiday, and a few of us were invited to have a little party on the boat. The harbor was still very crowded and my options for composition were rather limited on the narrow docks. So I decided to stay put, rather than take a chance of falling in the water while trying to navigate around a drunken crowd with all of my gear. I've always enjoyed Geneva's fireworks display! This year's was among the best I've ever seen. I hope to shoot it again from another interesting vantage point :)

Walton Lighthouse

Last wednesday was pretty interesting. After watching the brutally awesome, "The Expendables", with friend and fellow photographer Phil Richardson, Phil and I decide to grab a bite to eat before heading over to the coast. As we were just about to leave, I spotted a friend that I hadn't seen in about 12 years. The timing was pretty funny. Her car had been disabled by the dead battery in her remote. I spotted her right after she called just about everyone she knew. No one was able to help. So we drove her to a Radio Shack to get a replacement battery and back to the car. Fortunately, the car started. We said our goodbyes, and then Phil & I were off to the coast!

The day was beautiful along the Pacific. There were so many people out on the local beaches. Although we had several tourists blocking our shots at some of the most opportune moments (people really have a knack for that), it was still worth the trip. Phil and I managed to snap off a few decent frames. The breeze was light, and the light was fairly nice. The sky along the horizon was a little muddy though :-( I really enjoyed shooting in this location. I'll have to return soon and capture something a bit more dramatic.

One Night in Zürich

I've had about ten layovers in Zürich over the last 15 years. I never had the opportunity or time to stay. Finally, I got a chance to visit the city. By train, Zürich is just under 3 hours away from Geneva, Switzerland. My girlfriend, Fabiola and I arrived fairly early, so we had plenty of time to check into our hotel and relax for a little while. After catching the tram back to the Bahnhofstrasse, we had lunch @ Cafe Sprüngli. Tasty :) Then, Fabi decided to get her hair done while I went off to go shooting. The light was very harsh, so I didn't take many photos except for inside the train station. Afterwards, we met up with our friend, Franka for drinks and dinner. City Beach, anyone? Franka, was kind enough to show us around the city and a few of the local sites. I took a few night shots that were to my liking.

Before we left, we had the pleasure of eating at a great restaurant called Bianchi's! YUM! I highly recommend it.

Zürich was such a magnificent place! I will definitely return. Though there is so much more to discover, I am happy that I was able to leave Zürich with a few images that pleased me.

Random Photo - Geneva

I missed a great opportunity to capture some great color in the sky. There were deep shades of orange, yellow, and purple. Unfortunately, I didn't make it out in time to capture the intense color in the sky. I was having a bit of fun with some friends, and hesitated for too long. No matter, I still had a great evening! I did manage to at least take one decent capture :)

Lac Léman at Dusk

Since my arrival back in Geneva, Switzerland, the weather has been great! At least by my standards (the locals have not been too pleased). True, it has been very hot. But not unbearable considering that I am from California. The humidity was so high around Lac Léman (or Lake Geneva), that the haze covered the surrounding mountains. Not very nice conditions for the shots that I had in mind.

This was a great opportunity for me to just enjoy this magnificent weather and play the role of participant instead of being the constant observer. Lol. Its a balance that is hard to achieve at times. In this alpine region, consistent heat is always sure to bring rain. Once I started noticing some interesting cloud formations, a slight drop in temperature, I took this opportunity to go out and try to capture a little magic along the left bank of Geneva.