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.