Leonard Knight

Leonard Knight at Salvation Mountain, Slab City, California

Leonard Knight is the creator of Salvation Mountain. He told me that he has been residing there for the past 24 years working on this monumental project. Personally I think he should be mentioned up there along with the other great artists of the 20th century. Salvation Mountain is really impressive both from a distance and up close.

Mr. Knight also appears in the movie Into the Wild. Highly recommended book and movie if you haven't already checked them out.

Salvation Mountain

Leonard Knight's Station Wagon at Salvation Mountain, Imperial County near Niland, California

There is this computer game series called Fallout that I am a really big fan of. The setting takes place in a post-nuclear California wasteland with familiar locations such as Reno, San Francisco, and Slab City. Much of the landscape and characters in Fallout are reminiscent to the communities you would see around the Salton Sea. That was my inspiration for deciding how to process this image and yesterday's photo from Bombay Beach.

UFO's

Lenticular Cloud Over Centennial Heritage Park, Glendora, California

Lenticular clouds are a regular occurence in the Owens Valley due to the high elevation of the Sierra Nevada Mountains but they are not so common in the San Gabriel Valley. In certain instances lenticular clouds can even take the shape of a UFO. In fact there were two of them on this evening. I wasn't in a position to get a clear view of the other lenticular but it was almost directly above me. On a positive note, I'm happy to report that I wasn't abducted.

Hamilton House

Hamilton House, Antique Farming Equipment and Liquid Amber Tree in Fall Season / Centennial Heritage Park, Glendora, California

All of the autumn leaves on the ground were on this tree the previous week. With more funding perhaps the Glendora Preservation Foundation might be able to open Centennial Heritage Park more than once per month...

Front Porch Picture

Hamilton House Front Porch in Centennial Heritage Park, Glendora, California

A pretty straightforward composition but I felt a sense of comfort by looking at the Hamilton House. I guess I kind of long for the simpler things in life. I'm not much of a city person and gravitate more toward the low-key humble places. The only thing missing here is the girl next door welcoming me with open arms.

Hamilton House - Glendora Centennial Heritage Park

Hamilton House Front Porch at Centennial Heritage Park, Glendora, California

Earlier this month during my interview with Kristin Parisi she mentioned one of her favorite local places was the Centennial Heritage Park. I had never heard of the place since it is tucked in between the north side of the South Hills, a wash and an apartment complex. It only opens one weekend per month so I decided to go check it out a few weeks ago when there was still a little bit of color left on the trees.

It is a pretty cool place I must admit! The star attraction is the Hamilton House but the garden consists of a citrus grove, a row of liquid amber trees lining the property and an array of old farming equipment scattered about. My tour guide, Tom, was very passionate about describing the stories behind the place. If you question your own passion for life, take this house tour and you'll learn what passion is about from a 73 year old man. He's been volunteering for the Preservation Foundation for 12 years since his retirement and loves it. I ended up talking to him for probably two hours off and on in between taking photos. The light outdoors was horrible at that hour anyway due to the sun rising behind the South Hills so I wasn't able to get many photos.

I thought this picture showed how quaint the Hamilton House is. They really did a good job at restoring this place as I think it previously housed some sort of store on Route 66 and was home to the original family before that. I have the brochure around here somewhere but I can't find it at the moment so excuse me if my facts are a little off.

Morro Bay Harbor

Morro Rock and Harbor Fishing Boats, Morro Bay, California

The nice thing about traveling during the winter season is the shorter days. The sun goes down by 5 p.m., you can have dinner by a decent hour then relax for a few hours before going to bed. Then repeat the same cycle the next day at 6 a.m. feeling fresh.

Sebastian's Store, WR Hearst Memorial SB

Sebastian's Store, William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach, San Simeon, California

After the Hearst Castle tour, I was feeling pretty hungry so I went over to Sebastian's which is basically located across PCH from the Hearst Castle parking lot but tucked way back into the forest. I went earlier in the morning to take this picture before the store was open but remembered seeing a sign outside that said there was a deli inside. So after the tour I went over there figuring the average Hearst Castle tourist wouldn't know about it.

So after some deliberation, I decided to order the french dip sandwich. Excuse my inner Paris Hilton, but Oh my god it soooo good!! On the menu they said ingredients include Hearst Ranch Beef, horseradish, au ju's sauce, etc... and some sort of bread. Sounded fairly interesting but this turned out to be the best sandwich I have ever had in my life. I can't stop thinking about it either. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me or think to use my cell phone camera but take my word for it.

Sebastian's Store dates back to the 1870's and looks like a homey little small town general store. Doesn't look like a place where you would find great food but that is what's so great about it. Unlike those pretentious fancy schmancy high-end L.A. restaurants newspapers and magazines brag about in the media all the time, Sebastian's is one of those low-key places where you just kind of stumble into in the middle of nowhere.

After eating, I went around the front again and saw a sandwich board that said "Home of the Famous Hearst Ranch Beef Dip Sandwich." Turned out to be a lucky decision on my part.

Neptune Pool, Hearst Castle

Neptune Pool / Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California

If there is one California Coast tourist attraction that is a must-see it is Hearst Castle. It is very popular and for good reason. It is just freaking awesome! I'm sorry I can't come up with any more descriptive words but the architecture and setting is too magnificent for words. Though this is a very well-known scene, I still was mumbling cuss words to myself in disbelief when I walked up to the Neptune Pool.

My parents took us to Hearst Castle in the early 90's and until now that was my only visit. I wasn't planning on going during this trip either but I had some time to kill between photo shoots so I walked up to the counter to see if they had any tickets left. Tickets tend to sell out months in advance but I managed to get in on the next tour which was the Casa Grande North Tour. The North Tower was never completed so I think that is why there might have been openings.

I also met this retired sports photojournalist on the tour and we ended up talking photography for most of the time. Overall I would say Hearst Castle was the highlight of the photo trip.

Morro Rock

Morro Rock and Pier at Sunrise, Morro Bay, California

I wasn't fortunate enough to have any spectacular lighting during the Central Coast trip but shooting sunrise in Morro Bay is one of the most relaxing feelings there is to be had in photography. First of all, Morro Bay isn't that large of a town and secondly there is no one else out there at this hour other than a few harbor seals and birds. Generally the wind isn't blowing yet either so it really feels like just you and the landscape. I love this place!

Morro Bay Museum of Natural History

Morro Bay Museum of Natural History Scenic View and Pelican Model, Morro Bay State Park, California

I liked how the juxtaposition of museum windows and exhibits framed Morro Rock and the bay. If I had my flash with me I would have tried some bounce flash off the ceiling to see if I could illuminate the interior a little better without getting glare off the glass.

Ah Louis Store, San Luis Obispo

Ah Louis Store Chinese Historical Landmark, Downtown San Luis Obispo, California

Ah Louis (1840 - 1936) came to the U.S. from the Canton area of China in 1856 with the hopes of striking it rich during the Gold Rush. Like most of the immigrants, it didn't quite work out that way but he did find his own way eventually becoming a successful banker and shopkeeper in San Luis Obispo. He played an important role during the construction of the railroads as well.

I read that Ah Louis' grandson currently owns the store. It's awesome to think that there are still some people around who have probably spoken first-hand to folks who were in the Gold Rush. That happened over 150 years ago!

I find this interesting because that is the era in which my family settled in America. My grandparents and their ancestors came from the same region as well. It's not often that I have met people that have had family in the U.S. for so long so it is pretty fascinating to me when I learn about these stories.

The Rose Parade

Female Dancer and City of West Covina Rose Float at the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena, California

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Years on the East Coast and then the West Coast three hours from now! (Such a weird world we live in.)

I won't be photographing the Rose Parade this year, but you can see pictures from the previous years in my Tournament of Roses Parade pictures gallery.

Mission San Luis Obispo

Kids Playing in Mission San Luis Obispo Water Fountains

After Nojoqui Falls, I went to take pictures of Mission San Luis Obispo. The SLO Mission was the 17th of the California Missions that I have photographed in the past several years. The first one I had visited was Carmel, which I just thought was okay at the time, though historically significant obviously. It wasn't until I visited San Juan Capistrano that I got hooked on photographing them as sort of a collector's item or treasure hunt if you will. The remaining four that I haven't photographed are Missions San Antonio, Dolores (San Francisco), San Jose, and San Francisco Solano (Sonoma).

Visually from a photographer's perspective and considering ambience as a factor, I'd rank Mission San Luis Obispo somewhere in the middle. My favorite two are Mission San Juan Capistrano and San Juan Bautista. These are some really magnificent places architecturally.

Happy Holidays - Glendora Christmas Lights

1st Place Glendora Christmas Light Competition Verizon Voyager Cell Phone Picture

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays. I'm sure this is a tough time for some folks out there but keep the faith and you will be rewarded in ways you never thought possible.

Anyways, this photo was taken on Friday night while driving around after dinner. Glendora has been having an annual Christmas lights competition and this house has won at least twice as far as I know. It is well-deserved too because the guy who does this has probably less Christmas lights up than any other house and yet it looks amazing. He has flood lights position just in the right places and several fake snow blowing machines creating a winter wonderland in his front yard which is surrounded by a white picket fence. It really is a classic American scene. During the daytime you can see the snow-capped Mount Baldy in the background. We don't have any tourist attractions in town but this is the closest thing to it because cars will stop off in numbers to take pictures of the house.

More Photos from Glendora Christmas Parade

Little Girl Looking at Flowers, Downtown Glendora, California

The dreary weather yesterday morning included a few rain drops but it didn't put a damper on people's enthusiasm. The local rock band, Mercy, that played behind the South Hills Hikers group, probably had the biggest fan following of any of the 60+ parade entries as evidenced by the screaming girls jumping around their caravan. I didn't get any photos of that spectacle however.

United States Flag Painted on Street Address, Glendora, California

Equestrian Unit at Glendora Christmas Parade, California

Cafe Chloe, Downtown Glendora, California

Kristin Parisi City Council Candidate Waving to Crowd, Glendora Christmas Parade, California

The South Hills Hikers, Glendora Christmas Parade

The South Hills Hikers, Glendora Christmas Parade, California

If you recall a couple blog posts ago, I wrote about South Hills development issues. Well I met up with the local environmental activists this morning at the Glendora Christmas Parade. The lady on the right is Kristin Parisi, who is running for one of two vacant city council member seats. She is here to give voice to those of us who appreciate our local natural resources and want to keep it that way.

We discussed doing an interview on my blog for her to give a little more background on The South Hills. Hopefully I will have this for you in the near future. All in all, it was a pretty fun parade.

Save the South Hills Twins, Glendora Christmas Parade, California

L.A. Live - Nokia Plaza

L.A. Live Nokia Plaza, Downtown Los Angeles, California

This photo was taken on my cell phone last week while I was hanging out in L.A. with my cousin. L.A. Live looks nice but rather disappointing for a "Grand Opening" because nothing was open yet save for ESPN Zone and Lucky Strike! There was supposed to be an hourly light show on the hour but come 6:10 p.m. there was still nothing. Eventually a band took to the stage but I was more interested in seeing a light show.

Hopefully the Grammy Museum lives up the hype because L.A. Live sure as heck didn't.

General Store, Randsburg

Small Town General Store, Randsburg, California

At this point in my life I can't see myself living outside of California ever again. The reason is quite simple. You can find anything you want here. Mountains, coastline, desert, ghost towns, Main Street USA, you name it and you can photograph it within an hour or two.

Randsburg - Antique Shop

Window of Austin's Second Hand Garage Antique Shop, Randsburg, California

What appealed to me about Randsburg is that you could look on either side of the road and something interesting. The buildings are really old and have a lot of character.

Randsburg

Abandoned Produce Shop, Randsburg, California

Randsburg is a cool little semi-ghost town just a mile or two from Highway 395.

Raggedy Ann

Raggedy Ann Dolls, Manzanar National Historic Site, California

If it weren't for having a blog, it would probably look like I just shoot photos of anything that is laying around. In actuality, I usually have a reason for taking pictures of the subjects that I do. In this instance it dates back to my childhood. If my memory serves me correct, Raggedy Ann was the first coloring book that I ever had. I was sloppy though and didn't always color within the lines... real mavericky... yeah.

Manzanar National Historic Site Interpretive Center

Racism Display, Manzanar National Historic Site, California

I highly recommend visiting the interpretive center museum. It just opened several years ago and has some great historical photos on display. I was so eager to go into the museum that I was barely able to pay attention to what the lady behind the counter was telling me. She was trying to ask if I wanted to watch the film first but when I am determined to do something there is nothing that can convince me otherwise.

In hindsight I should have stuck around to see the film. To tell you the truth, I actually forgot that there was a film after I finishing shooting pictures in the interpretive center. Oops.

Farewell to Manzanar

Distraught Asian Man at Manzanar National Historic Site Memorial, Independence, California

Hopefully most people in this country are aware of what happened at Manzanar but if you don't already know, it was the infamous internment camp where Japanese-Americans were shipped off to during World War II. Though I am not Japanese, I feel for the people who went through this because I too know how it feels to be discriminated against.

Since there was no one else around to "model" for me, I had to photograph myself. The picture wouldn't pass the journalism sniff test by any means but for the purposes of visual illustration you can't tell that the "model" isn't Japanese. :-)

In all seriousness, I felt very humbled to photograph the Manzanar cemetery monument.

Hot Creek Geological Site

Hot Creek Geological Site, Long Valley Caldera, California

Wading in Hot Creek is currently off-limits to tourists due to the unstable nature of the geothermal activity here. I took the trail down there but you can't even stand along the banks of the creek anymore so I went back up to the parking area and pulled out my telephoto lens. I liked how primal this landscape looks. Reminds me of the thermal pools from Yellowstone National Park.

Guns and Ammo at Laws Railroad Museum

Guns and Ammo, Laws Railroad Museum, Bishop, California

While acting like a fake cowboy and photographing wild west historic subjects might not appear to be as sexy as photographing "Girls Gone Wild", it is fun nonetheless. Still life photography is something that I've always enjoyed looking at and would like to improve upon.

Laws Railroad Museum

General Store Shelf Display, Laws Railroad Museum, Bishop, California

After spending the early part of the morning photographing Bishop Creek, I went to the Laws Railroad Museum around 10 a.m. as that was supposed to be the opening time. After ten minutes or so of waiting, the park still hadn't opened so I thought perhaps it had gone out of business. So I left and drove around some dirt roads outside of Bishop to scout for sunrise locations along the Owens River. I went back to Laws after an hour or so of driving around and it was finally open so I went in.

I had been to the Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site more than three years ago but wanted to get better coverage of the park, which is California Historic Landmark No. 953. Given all of the cutbacks proposed for our state parks you never know when might be the last opportunity to photograph these places.

The Laws RR Museum is a pretty cool place to spend some time. It is quite a sprawling complex with late 1800's and early 1900's wild west buildings as well as a train yard obviously.

Trout Fishing, Middle Fork Bishop Creek

The majority of people I saw in Bishop Creek Canyon during the earlier part of the week were fishermen. In fact when I pulled into Lake Sabrina parking lot about 45 minutes before sunrise, two fishermen were already waiting in their van. Talk about dedication!

Lake Sabrina Sunrise, Inyo National Forest, California

True to my photographing like a headless chicken style, I photographed some faint alpenglow on the peaks about Lake Sabrina and thought that was it for the light show so I left for this bridge over the Bishop Creek where I had seen fishermen the previous day. This guy and his friend were there fishing for a school of trout so I asked them if it was alright to take my pictures with them in the scene. Before you know it, the warm sunlight starts hitting the peaks of where I had been right before! On one hand I was upset with myself for not having enough patience and on the other hand I felt that this was a great opportunity to get some shots that I needed for my image collection. In the end it turned out to be a rather productive morning of photography.

Trout Fisherman Fishing in Middle Fork Bishop Creek, Eastern Sierra, California

Lake Sabrina

Lake Sabrina Fishing Boats, Eastern Sierra, California

I've lost track of how many times I've made the twenty mile drive out of Bishop to try getting a decent image or two of Lake Sabrina. Lake Sabrina is as difficult of a scenic landscape as I have ever photographed. Upon first glance, it is a very scenic and beautiful location but for some reason I have had a hard time putting it all together in a picture. On this trip (my 4th to the Eastern Sierras) I finally got a few images that I am pleased with.

Road to North Lake, Eastern Sierra

Dirt Road Winding Through Aspen Forest near North Lake, Eastern Sierra, California

It is going to be a long ride to hell for those other two photographers. :-) This image was taken before the incident however.

Black's Beach

Nude Female Model in Ocean at Black's Beach, La Jolla, California

Black's Beach is famous for being a "clothing-optional" beach. I'd heard a lot about this beach but never really knew where it was located. It wasn't until that Brian suggested going over to the Torrey Pines Gliderport Park that we met this lifeguard on the cliffs who pointed this girl out to us that I realized this was Black's Beach. The girl was working for a photographer at the beach, not an unusual site for affluent beach towns, but it seemed a little too cold outside for this type of photo shoot...

The International Kelp

Mexican Boys Carrying Giant Kelp Back to Tijuana, Border Field State Park, California

This is the strand of kelp featured in the previous blog post. After the kids finished looking at Brian Auer's camera, they ran over to the kelp and took it back home for a souvenir from America I suppose. I got a good laugh out of this and it is probably something I'll always be reminded of whenever I see kelp from now on.

Showing Off the Digital Camera, Border Field State Park

Photographer, Brian Auer Showing Mexican Kids Pictures on Digital Camera, Border Field State Park, California, USA

I was shooting some seascape photos of this big strand of giant kelp when Brian screamed, "Hey man turn around!" Then a split second later these Mexican kids showed up to look at his camera. I didn't see the kids come across but Brian said that they waved at him initially from the Playa de Tijuana side of the fence and when he waved back they surprised him by running over. All I know is that I turned around really fast and started shooting photos without thinking twice.

I would say that this was the lightest moment from the photo shoot.

Kiddie Rides, Santa Monica Pier

Arcade Kiddie Rides, Santa Monica Pier, California

I liked the light and contrast on the rides in front of the arcade. If I have kids someday I guess the next time I take a photo of this there will be a model-released kid on the ride. :-) Might as well get in all the photography adventures I possibly can before that day comes.

Within the next two weeks however, I should be a first-time uncle. My cousin Jackie, who just graduated from the University of Iowa this summer with a Masters in Public Health, grew up just a few miles from where I did so we were practically brothers and sisters growing up. Congrats Jackie and Antonio!

Dinner at Sunset

Restaurants, Santa Monica Pier, California

I have a bit of a schizophrenic style of shooting pictures. Here is a good example of this. I got to Santa Monica Pier around 6:15 and was feeling weak from hunger. I walked up and down the pier twice shooting photos while looking to grab a bite before sunset at 7 p.m. By the time I got my burrito at the food stand on the bottom left corner of this picture, the sun was getting close to the horizon. I finished eating within ten minutes and ran back to my car (passing it twice because I forgot where it was) to grab a tripod. Then made it back up to the pier in time to get my sunset pictures right as the sun was setting.

Santa Monica Pier Sunset

Tourist Watching Beach Sunset, Santa Monica Pier, Southern California

I photographed the sunset from the pier before walking up to the iconic neon entrance sign at dusk. As much as I like Northern California, I have to concede that beach weather is much more pleasant in Southern California at night.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier Neon Sign Entrance, California

Yup. This is the world-famous Santa Monica Pier sign. I'd never had a chance to photograph this SoCal iconic landmark before while the neon lights were on so I took the opportunity to do so the other night since I was in Santa Monica for personal business. I have to admit that being the only photographer at such a well-worn tripod hole felt pretty satisfying.

The hard part about getting traffic light blurs was that cars would slow down for me not wanting to "ruin" my picture when in reality I wanted them to drive by really quick so I could create a sense of energy within the scene.

Santa Monica Pier was actually the furthest thing from my mind until I exhausted my other options. My intention was to shoot some more big waves at Leo Carrillo and do some sound gathering there. The tides weren't in my favor for that to happen however so not wanting to settle for pretty but run-of-the-mill seascapes, I stopped by Surfrider Beach to take a look at the Malibu Pier. I got the sense that locals were looking at me in the parking lot suspiciously (without a camera I might add) so I just went for a quick look at the beach before deciding that it wasn't worth the hassle (getting tossed into the surf by drunken celebrity-loving groupies and getting my gear smashed...) so I took off for the Santa Monica Pier just in time for a quick bite, the sunset, and to photograph an iconic landmark without any hassles.

Gallery Slideshow

While updating my image archive today, I discovered that Photoshelter added a flash gallery slideshow feature so I put one together: Travel Gallery Slideshow

Click on the full screen tab for the best viewing experience.

Girls Having Fun, Venice Beach Drum Circle

White Girls Having Fun Dancing, Venice Beach Drum Circle, California



I went to Venice Beach again on Sunday to record some sound. The drum circle attracts a diverse group of people looking to have a good time. The two girls in the foreground were initially just dancing and playing around with the sand. Then they decided to get wild and starting putting it down each other's top.

This is what Venice Beach is really about. Not worrying about what anyone else thinks and just doing whatever the heck makes you feel good. To me this is what photography should be about.

28mm, f4.5, ISO 800, 1/50 sec.

Griffith Observatory Planetarium

Griffith Observatory Planetarium, Los Angeles, California



There wasn't much of a view on Saturday night due to the marine layer but it was still nice to get onto the roof of Griffith Park Observatory. Judging from the long line waiting for the giant telescope, there were a lot of other people who agree.

Public Star Party, Griffith Observatory

Saturday Night Public Star Party, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California



After last week's photo shoot at the Pasadena City Hall, I realized that words can only describe so much to the viewer. So in an effort to add to the viewer-experience on this website, I'm going to try adding ambient sound to my posts whenever possible. I picked up an Olympus DS-30 digital recorder from Radio Shack and briefly tested it at home before heading to the Griffith Observatory on Saturday night for the Los Angeles Astronomical Society Public Star Party.

I'm still experimenting to see which recording settings work best for different situations, but I got some good moments of dialogue with this astronomer explaining to me why half moon light is better for viewing details through a telescope than a full moon. The actual recording of this particular segment was nearly eight minutes long and I ended up with about six different sections that are usable. Perhaps I'll find a use for those other clips eventually.

Pasadena City Hall Photo

Photo of U.S. Flag Hanging on Lamppost in Front of City Hall for Labor Day, Pasadena, California

I spent a lot of time in Pasadena when I was a kid because my grandparents raised my cousins and I while our parents were working. My mom and aunt worked for the city so I saw City Hall frequently. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in this country in my opinion. Judging from the amount of tourists that stop by here to take photos, I'm probably not the only one who believes this.

I've never seen it more beautiful than this past Saturday night. Since re-opening a year ago from the seismic retrofitting job, City Hall has been lit this way every night. Complimenting the scene, I could hear live salsa music playing at the Paseo Colorado outdoor mall, where they were giving the final free salsa dance lessons for the summer. Pasadena is definitely a happening place.

Hotel Del Coronado

Hotel Del Coronado White Sand Beach, Coronado Island, California

Hotel Del Coronado is one of the most photographed hotel resorts in California and for good reason. It is absolutely beautiful from the 1887 Queen Anne Victorian-period architecture to the landscaping and scenery. The frame is built entirely of wood. Definitely a great place to have a meal and lounge by the pool.

I must have walked around the resort three or four times. I didn't even bring out my camera the first time around because I was too busy gawking at "The Del".

Couple Enjoying View of San Diego Skyline, Coronado Island

Baby Boomer Couple Enjoying View of Downtown San Diego Skyline While Seated at Waterfront Park, Coronado Island, California

What caught my eye about this scene is that it could work well for magazine and travel guide covers. While not a photo I'd likely hang on my wall, publishing has different needs such as space for logo and type. Plus the picture also suggests that people are enjoying the scene which is always a plus when it comes to travel imagery.

San Diego City Skyline

San Diego City Skyline at Dusk, Coronado Island, California

This was last night's sunset at Coronado Island. I had never crossed the bridge over into Coronado before yesterday. I knew that San Diego had a strong military presence, but didn't realize that almost the entire coastline is devoted to military operations. In fact, just to the north of where I took this photo was there was a huge Naval base. The military planes flying in and out of the island make for a challenging cell phone conversation experience but interesting to see.

Kids, Ribbons and Photos

America's Kids Exhibition Prizes, LA County Fair, California

I've been like a kid in a candy store the past few days while using the actions to process my photos.

By the way, it's almost that time of year again for the L.A. County Fair. This year features a photo contest called, "Paw Prints". Maybe someday I'll get a ribbon myself.

Sports Cars For Rent, Las Vegas Strip

Sports Cars For Rent on the Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

I have been looking for ways to streamline the digital production aspect of my images because it has just taking up way too much of my time that would be best served doing other things. So I've been experimenting with various Photoshop actions that I found on some photography forums. I think I found a nice combination of actions now that I can use for any given image.

This photo here required no retouching on my part. I just clicked on "Dave's Image Punch!", the Orton Effect on Screen blending mode, and the medium "Kalifbanane Cross-Coloring" actions. It looks just as good if not better than what I would have done manually, and still looks realistic.

So from now on, I'll be looking to use my actions to process my files unless there's a compelling reason to do it manually. I'm excited!

New Redwood Coast Web Gallery

If you've been following my blog for the past month, you probably know that I went on my first trip up to California's North Coast. So now I have uploaded a gallery of images onto my website:

Redwood Coast Photos

Thanks.

Point Vicente Lighthouse

Photographer Gary Crabbe Taking Pictures of Point Vicente Lighthouse, Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Last Tuesday, I went to Point Vicente to meet up with photographer Gary Crabbe since he was in Southern California to take pictures for his 5th book, Backroads of the California Coast. If you're not familiar with Gary's work, he worked for legendary outdoor adventure / nature photographer Galen Rowell for nearly ten years prior to starting his own career ten years ago. And he's a pretty damn good photographer himself.

A few minutes after I took this photo, Allen Schaben, a staff photographer from the Los Angeles Times approached us and we all ended up shooting and chatting for the rest of the day since the light never really materialized. Allen was a pretty cool dude. The day before, he covered a shooting in Inglewood. Talk about an awesome job! The drawback to being a staff photographer though is that the newspaper owns your assignment images. If they paid enough, I'd probably be okay with that too though.

Venice Beach Drum Circle

Young Woman Playing Tambourine in Drum Circle, Venice Beach, California

Compositionally there are things I would like to have done differently in this photo but I felt that this was the picture captured the vibe that I experienced at Venice Beach last Sunday. I actually had a few that I felt were technically better from a compositional standpoint but the girl's expression in this frame is what draws me to this one in addition to the murky lighting conditions. The photos where she is looking into the camera didn't quite work in my opinion.

I think that is the interesting part to photography. There are elements that generally make for solid compositions but there are no formulas or rules that make for an emotional connection with the scene. Photography is a lot like jazz improv in that way. You learn your craft and practice it, but when it comes down to it, sometimes you've just got to go out there and wing it. That is when all the preparation you did prior pays off.

35mm, f7.1, 1/60 sec, ISO 400, hand-held.

Beach Party, Venice

Girl Dancing in Drum Circle, Venice Beach, California

Last Sunday I went to Venice Beach to try shooting some "youth culture" for Photoshelter's Shoot! the Day contest. I photographed the drum circle last month but had been wanting to do a re-shoot so this contest gave me another excuse to shoot more photos of this weekly event. This time was a little different because the cops made us all move near the water rather than stay next to the boardwalk. I think this loosened everyone up more and attracted a bigger crowd so there were quite a few people dancing this time. Fortunately, mostly attractive young women.

I wanted to mess around with longer exposures for a few shots so I stopped down to f16 and got nearly one-second exposures while hand-holding. This was one of the few attempts that came out with just the right parts moving and the rest sharp.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f16, 1/8 sec, ISO 100, hand-held

The Little People, The Trees of Mystery

The Little People Redwood Sculptures at The Trees of Mystery, Klamath, California

A big part of the Trees of Mystery narrates the Paul Bunyan mythology with pre-recorded stories. I thought this was one of the more interesting attractions along the Tale of Tall Trees trail. I should have brought along a pen and paper so I could have written down the back story of this.

Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, Trees of Mystery, Klamath, California

I've always liked cheesy road side attractions. There's just something charming about them. When you walk up to the 49 ft. tall Paul Bunyan, an friendly older male voice greets and interacts with the guests. You can't see where the guy is, but I'm guessing he's either hiding inside of the visitor center or inside of Paul Bunyan.

Klamath

Speared to Death Indian Statue at Trees of Mystery Entrance, Klamath, California

My first reaction when pulling into the Trees of Mystery parking lot was, "Wow!" Klamath is located within the Yurok Indian Reservation so I found this statue to be a powerful statement.

Louis Armstrong Mural, Eureka

Louis Armstrong Mural on Parking Lot Wall, Eureka, California

Eureka seems to have a lot of murals all over town. This mural of legendary jazz trumpeter and singer, Louis Armstrong really caught my eye because he was someone that I have a lot of respect for. I believe that this mural was probably done for the Arkley Center for Performing Arts at the Richard Sweasey Theatre because sharing the mural with "Satchmo" was a clown and some other entertainment stuff.

Eureka definitely has a charm of it's own. The town has it's rugged side with the industrial aspect, and a cultured side such as this mural suggests.

Richard Sweasey Theatre, Eureka

Arkley Center For The Performing Arts in Richard Sweasey Theater Building, Eureka, California

Carson Mansion is a beautiful Victorian mansion no doubt, but I think the architectural style of the Richard Sweasey Theatre is just as unique. When driving through Eureka on Highway 101, it really caught my attention. This building was built in 1919 and at one point, housed the Dalys Department store from the 1970's til the 1990's. It was sat vacantly in disrepair for a lengthy period of time afterwards until they finally restored it to house the performing arts center now. I don't know what it used to look like, but I'm glad that they restored it because it is truly a work of art.

Carson Mansion, Eureka

The Carson Mansion, Old Town Eureka, California

Carson Mansion is arguably the most recognizable landmark on the North Coast. A Victorian-era mansion, it's a private men's club now so there are no tours offered. The nice thing about photographing Carson Mansion before dawn is that there are no other tourists out there. The lights are still on as the sun starts to rise so it's nice to able to get a good exposure with backlighting. Unfortunately on this morning, it was overcast until around 8 a.m. so I didn't get to photograph an actual sunrise at this location.

Crab Pots, Woodley Island Marina

Crab Pots and Fishing Nets at Woodley Island Marina, Eureka, California

Though I'm a nature photographer at heart, I find one of the most zen-like photography moments to be wandering around fishing docks before dawn. There is just something really calm and soothing about them that I can't explain. This is one of the reasons why I am so drawn to photographing the coast.

I've seen other photographers make really great images of crab pots and fishing nets so I've wanted to take my own photos as well. When I first arrived in Eureka, I found several stacks of crab pots in a restaurant parking lot. I kept a mental note to return the following morning. And I did. A few days later, I found a huge stockpile of crab pots at the Woodley Island Marina. They were behind a fenced-in area for fishermen however so I didn't try to photograph them. But the urge to photograph these crab pots kept eating away at me so I went back the next morning and found the guy who patrols the marina. I asked him if I could go in to shoot pictures of the crab pots. "Sure, I don't see any reason why not."

I found the people in the North Coast to be a lot more easy going and friendlier than in San Francisco and L.A. Ask somebody for permission to shoot pictures in Southern California and you'd have a 50/50 chance of getting told to f*** off or get your gear smashed by a crowd of drunken celebrity-groupie, trust-fund kids.

What I like most about Woodley Island Marina is that the crab pots come in all sorts of colors. It is nearly impossible to take a bad picture here.

Redwood National Park

Tourist in a Hollowed Redwood Tree at Lady Bird Johnson Grove, Redwood National Park, California

I had previously been to the redwood forests at Muir Woods National Monument and Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but the North Coast redwoods are in a league entirely of their own. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove is seriously the most awesome forest that I have ever visited in my life.

The rhododendrons were still in bloom and a lot larger than what I had expected. The blooms grow at least 15 - 20 or more feet above the ground in some cases. There was no fog during my time in Humboldt County so I had a limited window of opportunity to photograph the redwoods in decent lighting. The light was just too harsh during the daytime.

Lady Bird Johnson Grove classifies as an old-growth redwood forest, which means that it has never been logged. The trees are much more thick and dense here than second-growth forests. It is apparent from the minute that you walk onto the trail. The extreme amount of precipitation that this area receives also plays a part in their immense size. (The world's tallest trees).

I only encountered three or four groups of people here in this night and was the last person left by the time I left. This experience would be nearly unheard of in a tourist-mecca like Muir Woods. It was so eerily quiet at Redwood National Park, that I could hear elk calling from a distance.

I waited eight long years to make the trip up here. I am certainly not going to allow another eight to go by without spending more time up here. The photo opportunities are simply too abundant to do this area justice in a short amount of time.

PALCO Timber

Photo: Stacks of Timber at Pacific Lumber Company Mill (PALCO), Scotia, California

As you drive further north along U.S. Highway 101, you see an increasing amount of logging trucks carrying large loads of trees in Mendocino and Humboldt County. I have no idea how many trees these stacks of timber represent but given the demands of a growing population, it probably takes a lot of timber to meet the demand.

Now that PALCO is under new ownership by the Mendocino Redwood Company (the owners of which also own The Gap clothing chain), environmental groups are hoping for a return to ecologically-sustainable logging practices. They certainly have a tough task ahead while trying to balance business with environmental demands.

Postcard Row, San Francisco

Picture: Downtown Scenic View From Alamo Square Postcard Row, San Francisco, California

This photo was taken from one of the most popular tourist stops in San Francisco. Despite the popularity of this place, I actually sold a picture of Postcard Row from my last trip to San Francisco so it made sense to try photographing it again. This time I decided to use a telephoto lens to compress the scene whereas last time I just used a wide angle lens.

Twin Peaks Panoramic, San Francisco

Picture: Twin Peaks Scenic Panoramic, San Francisco, California

Despite having lived in San Francisco for three years, I had never been up to Twin Peaks before this trip. Man, I totally missed out!

This nearly 180 degree panorama of the city took 10 separate images to stitch together with AutoPano software. To show the incredible amount of detail here, I cropped out a single building from the larger panoramic: The iconic, Transamerica Pyramid. Due to fading light and the wind, I had to turn up the ISO slightly hence the grain.

Large Panoramic Photo Crop of Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco, California

Here are more of my panoramic photos.

Chevy Nova, Capitola

Photo: Chevy Nova on Street, Capitola, California

This whole trip was about exploring new places. Capitola is another place that I had not been to previously. The beach is probably best known for the multi-colored bungalows. On this sunny day it was too crowded over there to walk on the beach and get good photos of the bungalows however.

The downtown area is a cool place to walk around. A lot of boutique shops, restaurants, bars, and classic cars parked on the street. I think there might have been an event right before I got there because the area was cordoned off to traffic except for classic cars. What I found most unique about Capitola was that it reminded me more of Santa Barbara than a town north of Monterey. There is definitely a strong beach culture here.

I was reminded of my grandfather when I saw the Chevy Nova parked on the street because my grandpa used to drive a '62 Chevy Impala and would pick me up from pre-school with that car while my parents were at work. I can't imagine any of today's cars being preserved in this manner 40 years from now. Everything is too mass-produced on a global-scale to be of any sentimental value.

Skyglider Aerial Tram, Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Picture: Tourists Riding Skyglider Aerial Tram at the Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California

With apologies to my future wife, I took this picture before the accident. Though a travel image, this photo is based on the landscape photography style. I think it is good to learn from all styles of photography because you never know when you might need to use it. Here, I have the tourists and the bench leading the eye toward the aerial tram at the top of the frame. This is not much different than a standard landscape composition with foreground, mid-ground and background elements. Once I found a foreground I liked, I waited until the Skyglider Tram brought along some tourists passing through at the right moment.

In another picture, I photographed some girls riding the tram looking bored out of their mind. It really said a lot to me about today's culture. Kids are so into the texting, instant free music downloads, and video games these days that they can't even enjoy classic family fun like the Santa Cruz Boardwalk anymore. I'm not sure I'd want to raise my kids in that manner. The Boardwalk is much more memorable in my opinion because it brings us back to a simpler time when there was less noise competing for our attention.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Photo: Giant Dipper Rollercoaster, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California

I had driven past the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk twice in the past but had never walked around. The first time, I was on the way to the opening of Frans Lanting's gallery in Santa Cruz and it was raining outside. The 2nd time, I was on my way to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Well this time, I was in Santa Cruz strictly for the Beach Boardwalk.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is one of those places that you can't say you have done the California coast until you have been there. It is referred to as "Coney Island of the West" and for good reason. It's probably the biggest beach amusement park in the West Coast. Pacific Pier in Santa Monica is decent sized for being on a pier, but the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is a full-blown amusement park - a destination of it's own. The best part about it is that it is free to go there.

I felt sort of guilty right before shooting this picture. I was sitting on the curb cleaning my gear when a pretty girl was riding by on her bike. I made eye-contact with her. She smiled. I go back to minding my business. Then about ten seconds later I heard a loud crashing sound. Her tire got caught in-between the railroad tracks apparently. The family sitting next me got up and helped her out because she fell in front of their face. Meanwhile I was sitting there pondering, "What the hell just happened?!?"

The girl was fine and rode off eventually, but I felt like a jerk for not putting my gear down for a second and join in seeing if she was alright... Sometimes it's better to act first and think later. That is a concept that works well for photography as well. Photographers that are too methodical will miss all the important shots during key moments of action. In hindsight, it would have been awesome to have photographed her riding by and falling. :-)

The people riding on Giant Dipper were clearly having a better day.

70-300 @ 142mm, f7.1, 1/1000 sec, ISO 400

Downtown San Francisco Skyline

Picture: Downtown San Francisco City Skyline, Treasure Island, California

Believe it or not, last week was only the 2nd time that I had photographed the San Francisco skyline. It is such a picturesque scene that I wasn't going to pass up another opportunity to photograph it. My best friend used to live on Treasure Island and I was over there frequently, but I never tried shooting this because I was too insecure back then about shooting "postcard rack" pictures. Nowadays I'm all about enjoying the moment.

My favorite image from the photo shoot was a 180 degree panoramic spanning from Treasure Island over to Alcatraz. It took 13 photos to create the panoramic. There's no way of adequately displaying it on the web without it getting ripped off unfortunately.

God Bless America, San Francisco

Photo: Chinese Woman Approaches Caucasian Women in Front of U.S. Flag Mural in Chinatown, San Francisco, California

This scene reminded me of how far society (in California at least) has come when it comes to race relations. I won't elaborate, but it was pretty bad even when I was growing up in the 80's and 90's.

In the next frame, (not shown here) the other lady reached out to take the flier from the Chinese woman but it wasn't visible in the frame from this position unfortunately. I think that would have been a dream picture of mine to have gotten that.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f9, 1/320 sec, ISO 200, handheld

Portsmouth Square, Chinatown

Picture: Card Gambling in Chinatown's Portsmouth Square, San Francisco, California

At Portsmouth Square, you can find men and women playing Mahjong or cards all day long, often for money. Probably due to traditional Chinese customs, the men generally stay on one side of the park while the women congregate on the other.

Initially I walked around trying to ask questions about what card games people were playing, but since I don't speak Chinese, it was a futile effort because few older people in Chinatown understand English. Either that or they suddenly "forget" how once they see a photographer...

Next time I plan to spend an entire day photographing Chinatown in better light. In order to get more insightful pictures, I would probably need to hire a well-connected translator as well. I understand some Cantonese, but that is of little use when you can't speak.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f6.3, 1/160 sec, ISO 200, handheld / no flash

Chinese Family Association, San Francisco

Photo: Yee Fung Toy Family Association, San Francisco, California

When the Chinese first started immigrating to California during the Gold Rush, most did not speak English. This made it difficult for them to assimilate into society. Combined with the racial discrimination of the time, immigrants needed to form family associations in order for protection. This eventually became The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, more commonly known as the Chinese Six Companies. Individually, the Chinese were weak, but as a group the associations were quite powerful politically.

Fast-forward 150 years later, family associations still exist to help immigrants out when they come to the U.S., and are typically a place where the older generation of Chinese socializes. San Francisco's Chinatown has many family associations, as well as the Los Angeles Chinatown. I would like to have posted a picture of the Wong family association, but I didn't know where it was.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company Factory

Picture: Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company Factory, San Francisco, California

Four or five years ago I met this guy while walking past a gated side alley. He told me that he was a martial artist and asked if I was interested in photographing him practicing. It was dusk and the light was fading fast, so I tried my best with pop-up flash since I didn't have a compatible flash at the time. I thought it was a rather unusual encounter, but that is what makes street photography interesting.

So I figured there might be something interesting this time around too if I walked the alleys. Walking past this half-opened doorway, I see dingy, factory-like conditions so I popped my head in there out of curiosity. The lady said I could come in so I asked if I could take pictures. 50 cents. I had just stumbled into the fortune cookie factory!

I was quite surprised by how hot and humid it was in there. To be honest, I thought it would be some glamorous, touristy looking shop just like most things in San Francisco. Fortunately that was not the case.

Unfortunately, this picture isn't sharp even shot wide open at ISO 800. The lady was moving and I wasn't comfortable using the flash in her face. It probably would have helped me get a faster shutter speed though by under-exposing the ambient light and let the flash handle the rest. Bounce flash would have worked better than a diffuser as well because a diffuser tends to create hard shadows if the subject is close to a wall or other objects.

Venice Beach Skaters

Photo: Teen Skater Jumps Off Ledge, Venice Beach, California

I stayed off to the side initially. I didn’t take photos for a while until I felt comfortable and so I could blend into the background. At first I just took wide angle snapshots from far back to warm up for close up action then gradually worked my way closer. A couple of the kids asked me questions, but once they were on their boards they did their thing. Then I noticed that all of them were starting to line up for jumping off this ledge so I went over there too. I crouched next to a metal trash can where I knew they would be avoiding a crash landing and took photos from as close as I could safely get.

I had my composition ready before the skaters jumped and waited to catch them as they flew by. What I was hoping to do was catch some mid-air tricks and maybe a few wipeouts but no one landed badly so I had to settle for the tricks. I would have liked to have gotten this guy’s entire arm in the frame but I think the rest of the image is interesting enough to make it a keeper.

17-35mm @ 17mm, f8, 1/320 sec., ISO 100, handheld

Hare Krisha Dance, Venice Beach

Picture: Hare Krishna Drum Circle Dancing, Venice Beach, California

Venice Beach is a street photographer's dream. There are a lot of different things to photograph here on the weekends. Some are more mainstream activities such as playing basketball, tennis, surfing, etc... but there is also a lot of counterculture and street performers. I've also been to Venice during a weekday but the vibe wasn't the same so I wouldn't recommend going there on the weekday just to shoot photos.

This photo was taken at the Hare Krisha drum circle that played out along the Venice Boardwalk. Playing a tribal drum beat, the group kept chanting, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." Followers were also handing out promotional materials for the Hare Krisha Cultural Center and several local restaurants. I spoke to someone briefly about what they were doing, but it was over my head. Though I did read on Wikipedia that their practices are based off of the Hindu religion.

Shooting action scenes is not easy particularly when it is very crowded. I took about 325 images of the Hare Krishna, the Venice Drum Circle, Muscle Beach and skaters just to get a few publishable pictures.

My main strategy for these types of photos is to pre-visualize the corners of the frame before I put the camera to my eye. By the time I look through the viewfinder, my finger is practically tripping the shutter already. When there are many moving elements, there is no time to compose in camera. It has to be seen in your mind first. I'm always looking at the corners of the frame and seeing the center through my peripheral vision because the edges often make or break a photo. Even as is, this image isn't perfect. The guy on the right corner crept into the frame.

I find taking people pictures to be very challenging because it requires you to interact with the subject. I'm shy sometimes around people I don't know that well so it would be easier to hide in the corner somewhere with a telephoto or to avoid taking photos altogether but that doesn't make for good photography. To quote National Geographic photographer, Bill Allard, "What does a telephoto lens do for you that you couldn't do yourself by moving in physically? Robert Capa said if your pictures aren't strong enough, you're not close enough. What would have happened to this picture if instead of staying in your safe and secure spot and cranking the lens, you'd moved in? It's hard to establish rapport from twenty-five feet away. I'm not going to find out something about that person from fifty yards behind a tree."

17-35mm lens @ 17mm, f8, 1/400 sec., ISO 100, handheld

Huntington Beach Kites

Photo: Kiteboarding Kites, Huntington Beach, California

It's hard to believe that a few days ago it was overcast and 60-something degrees. Today it is around 100 degrees. I would imagine that Huntington Beach doesn't look this way either today.

I don't do much high-key photography but it looked interesting on my computer in this case. Does anybody else feel the same way?

Huntington Beach Kiteboarding

Picture of Kiteboarder Flying Over Waves, Huntington State Beach, California

There weren't that many people at the beach because it was cold. The cool part though was there were quite a few kiteboarders out there riding the waves. I had never seen this sport before so I wasn't sure how to anticipate the moves. I only took a few pictures but this one was my favorite.

The Electric Riverboat Angela Louise

The Electric Riverboat Angela Louise at Balboa Fun Zone, Newport Beach, California

Writer's block doesn't just happen to writers. I have been to Balboa Island and the Peninsula a number of times in the past year or so with the intention of adding some images to my collection. Each time I couldn't get myself to take any pictures so I ended up going to other places to take photos afterward. Then something clicked last week. The price of gas. It's too expensive these days to squander trips without taking publishable pictures.

Balboa is a nice place to take a date and have some fun, but the beaches really aren't that photogenic here unless you like taking people pictures. They are just long stretches of flat beach without any unique geological features and few unique attractions. The opposite side of Main Street faces Newport Harbor though and has the Balboa Fun Zone. This is where the tourist attractions are located. The most recognizable landmark here is the Balboa Pavilion. What caught my eye though was the electric riverboat.

Beverly Hills 90210

Photo: Versace Store on Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, California

It felt kinda weird to be roaming around Rodeo Drive with a professional camera because the paparazzi has such a bad reputation in LA. But then again, anybody who shops in these places probably wants to be seen anyway. Parking was expensive and is charged by fifteen minute intervals so I made a quick "hit and run" type of photo shoot at Rodeo Drive which is basically walking really quickly through for a scouting session and walking back the other direction to get the photos. I did it in exactly 15 minutes.

I used to watch the Beverly Hills 90210 TV series when I was younger mainly because I had a crush on Jennie Garth, but that has really nothing to do with photography so I'll leave it at that. :-) TV makes things seem more fairytale-like than real life but Rodeo Drive really is a very beautiful shopping district. It's not that big, but it does live up to its reputation. I had cruised by a few times before while heading down Sunset Boulevard to the coast, but never actually walked around before yesterday so that was kinda cool to say I've finally been to Rodeo Drive.

On Thursday I'll probably be back in touch with real life as I might photograph the immigration march in Downtown L.A.

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood

Picture: Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California

If I didn't shoot pictures for stock, then I would probably do nearly 100% scenic landscape photography. Maybe someday I will get there, but for now I also have to photograph a fair amount of material for marketability purposes. Despite the millions of snapshots taken from these places, iconic locations sell believe it or not. I won't get into specifics, but my better selling images are not even from California. One reason is that I haven't really photographed the touristy stuff here.

So today I went to Hollywood! Not courtesy of Randy, Paula and Simon I might add... anyways. When I was younger, my impression of Hollywood was more along the lines of Frederick's of Hollywood than a place you'd want to take out-of-town visitors to. I hadn't been down there since I moved back to So Cal so I was pleasantly surprised to find the area around the theater is much cleaner now than it used to be due to the development of the Hollywood & Highland complex, which also is home to the Kodak Theatre.

For postcard rack type of images from the Chinese Theatre, I think a sunrise shoot on a Sunday morning would probably be your best bet. There are a lot of people roaming around during the day and a lot of traffic passing by on Hollywood Blvd. which blocks the view. A tilt and shift lens would be beneficial as well because the theater is quite tall and you get perspective distortion with a regular lens from having to aim upwards.

Sometimes it's kinda cool to incorporate people and traffic into the scene as well especially if you can't avoid it, but it has to look deliberate. There certainly was no shortage of that today.

The Negative Effects of Tourism, Anza Borrego Desert SP

Female Tourist Looking into Desert Pupfish Pond, Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California

I was supposed to meet photographer Ron Niebrugge last week around 11:30 at the Anza Borrego Visitor Center in Borrego Springs. What I didn't expect was a 30 min cruise around the parking lot just to find a parking space. Once I found the space, I walked down to the visitor center.

Just in front of the visitor center is a shallow pond / interpretive display that provides a habitat for the endangered desert pupfish. Desert pupfish can live in almost any type of water conditions from hot to cold, to saltwater to freshwater but their natural habitats have been diverted from their natural flows in order to irrigate farms and provide drinking water to the public. Anza Borrego there are few places where theses fishes still live. This pond is one of those places.

Well, a guy strolls up to the pond with his dog saying how cool the "tadpoles" look never mind that there was a big sign right next to him indicating that they were fish and not frogs. Given the dry desert climate, his dog starts drinking the water along with the fish! The dog owner thought nothing of it but I was pissed. I didn't say anything to him and just walked away from the pond shaking my head. There's no way his dog would know any better but very irresponsible on the owner's part. Many folks out there to view the spring wildflowers clearly had no interest in nature other than to see a spectacle.

Another telling sign of the amusement park-like atmosphere was that there were 20 - 30 people waiting to use four toilets right at the edge of the parking lot. When I saw the long line near the parking lot, I wondered perhaps if they had shut the restrooms down around the corner at the visitor center. There was only one way to find out... and nope, the restrooms were open just waiting to be discovered.

After lunch, I tried to do the Palm Canyon hike. The rangers wouldn't let me in because the parking lot had been overfilled all day long. You can also park at the visitor center and get there by walking further but there was an even longer line of cars than what I'd seen at 11 a.m. so I just gave up trying.

I heard that Borrego Springs only gets crowded during the weekends on wildflower season and rather deserted the rest of the year. That is probably a good thing because there wouldn't be anything left if it was like that every week.

Olvera Street Musicians

I was inspired by browsing a famous street photographer's website this morning so I ended up walking over to Olvera Street hoping to find a subject that felt like Latino culture. Right next to me was an accordion player but I didn't photograph him because the background looked too touristy.

Picture: Latino Guitar Player and Female Singer at Olvera Street, Los Angeles, California

Downtown L.A. Panoramic

Photo: Downtown L.A. Skyrise Buildings, Los Angeles, California

Downtown Los Angeles looked surprisingly beautiful today. I wish it were winter year-round in Southern California.

Autry National Center

Gunfight at the OK Corral Interpretive Display at The Museum of the American West, Los Angeles, California

Yesterday I planned to photograph some attractions in Griffith Park since I hadn't done that before other than the LA Zoo. My first stop was the Autry National Center / Museum of the American West. It was an awesome museum; a mix of western art, history and the entertainment industry.

For the art portion, there were landscape paintings from the "Hudson River School" artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran. I had never actually seen these paintings before in person though they were a huge influence on what eventually became landscape photography. The historical part included information about Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show and had artifacts such as costumes and weaponry. The movie part had a big role in the museum as well (This is a museum devoted to Gene Autry afterall.)

This photo is of a narrative display about the 1881 Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. The shootout was the most famous one in Wild West lore but in reality only three died. The museum attributed the fame of the event to the movies which included historical figures such as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

Taking Photos While Sledding

Adventure Photographer Sledding Fast on Winter Snow, San Gabriel Mountains, California

Disclaimer: Activity not recommended for the sake of your health.

I was going to write about my sledding photography adventure the other day but you know... (see previous blog entry). Anyway, so my brother and I discovered last week that it's nearly impossible to sled on fresh snow that hasn't solidified. I decided to go back up two or three days later figuring there would still be some snow but not waist deep. It turns out the slopes were packed in and icy, ideal for sledding not so much for staying upright. So on my first run I went 3/4 of the way up the hill and had second thoughts when I saw how fast the previous sledder was going.

Sledder Wipes Out Halfway Up the Slope

I figured what the heck, this is what I'd been wanting to do for a couple weeks so I'm going to do it regardless of how scary it is. Underestimating how little traction there is on ice, as soon as I put the sled down and sat in it barely, I started flying down the hill at a fast speed! It was so scary that I think I probably got one or two blurred pictures, the rest of the time I was mentally saying my last rites. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I had fully been situated inside of the sled but instead I was barreling down the mountain spinning in circles. I flew over the embankment at the bottom and landed on my ribs while the camera flew off of my neck thus landing several feet away. That didn't feel very good but I shook it off within a minute.

Since going up that high wasn't productive from a photography standpoint, I decided to use a less steep slope and only went 1/2 way up. Going slightly slower and being able to get situated in the sled was the only way I was going to be able to shoot photos while sledding. It worked out sort of. I was able to experiment with different shutter speeds over multiple runs. I didn't quite achieve what I was aiming to do, as I wanted to show part of the sled under my feet but I was pleasantly surprised to get my own shadow in the 1st image posted here. I don't know if what I originally had in mind is possible to do but it was certainly fun trying to accomplish it.

To sled, what I did was squat with my camera in my right hand and put the sled underneath me with my left hand. I sat down once the sled was positioned properly and then it took off. I had my camera set on a small aperture to get everything as in focus as possible before the motion blurring, then shot on rapid fire mode blindly and hoped to capture something resembling the experience. I wiped out at the bottom on almost every run except for perhaps two of them but was still firing away even while rolling across the ground.

I didn't have gloves on because they were still wet from the previous time so I lost part of a nail on one finger and another finger is still sore though with no visible damage. It wasn't too bad though I felt sluggish the next morning. But the lady in the photo below probably suffered a broken arm or ribs and had to be helped off the snow. As I was driving down the mountain, a fire truck and paramedics were racing up so I assume they were coming to rescue her.

Inner Tubing Injury, Angeles National Forest, California

Though it was fun, I won't ever try to sled with a camera again. Too dangerous. :-)

Angeles NF “Movie Slope” Business Owner Slaps the Faces of our Founding Fathers

Movie Slope Snack Bar Sign, Mt Baldy, Manker Flats, Angeles National Forest, California

Photographers Rights is my least favorite topic to write about but it needs to be done. Today I went up to Manker Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains / Mount Baldy, Angeles National Forest area not too far from the Mt Baldy Ski Lifts in order to go sledding on the snow before it all melts away. As I was walking back to the car, I stopped to shoot a few pictures of the EXTERIOR of the “Movie Slope” Snack Shop from outside in the forest because it looked rather attractive (not necessarily the above photo). Well after two patrons left without buying anything, the man who presumably owns the snack shop comes out with a smug-looking smirk on his face and asks me, "Do you have a filming permit" "No." "If you want to shoot pictures then you need a permit. Jeep filmed a commercial here and they paid a lot of money for a permit." "This isn't commercial photography." "I don't care if it's commercial photography. This is private property and if Jeep paid money to film here then you have to as well otherwise get out of here." "This is National Forest property." (He points to the trees.) "Out there it is, this building is privately owned. If you aren't going to pay money then you can't photograph this place so put that (camera) away!" "Alright man if you say so." "So get out of here then!", then I left.

After three hours of sledding in which I had lost part of fingernail among other things, I didn’t feel like hassling with this clueless guy though I had every right to be there. If it is visible from public land that it is fair game for taking pictures. I have a U.S. National Forest Adventure Pass and since I was behaving in a non-threatening manner just like any other tourist there this morning then he had no right to harass me for taking pictures. If he doesn’t like that then he should pack his bags and set up shop elsewhere. He clearly has no idea about good PR and marketing skills. I get tens of thousands of visitors to my website each month and that kind of free exposure is potentially invaluable to a small business. However he would rather try and extort money from an Average Joe photographer such as myself by citing the TV commercial thus he missed out on potentially good PR not to mention having quite the opposite effect as a result. No one was paying me to be there and nor did I have a cast, crew nor props. There is a major difference between what I was doing and what he was referring to.

The National Parks rules regarding photography states that commercial photography requires permitting through the NPS system. That is understandable because commercial shoots require security and cleanup costs that potentially disrupt the environment. However, editorial / journalism / personal photography is protected by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Now if I was inside of the property he would have a legitimate argument but since I was outside where others were then that is B.S. I was acting in a manner not unlike that of any other tourist.

I emailed Photography Rights Attorney Carolyn Wright, Esq. about this situation (again!) and here is her response about this: “Hi Richard. I understand your frustrations. Think about what happened if you did not have a camera in your hands. Would you have been at risk for being arrested? It doesn't matter if you are trying to shoot or have a camera. Your actions are what's important.”

Photographers must stand united in the fight to preserve our Civil Rights because there are many cases of our liberties being stripped away these days by uninformed citizens such as the owner of the “Movie Slope” Snack Shop. I have a permanent link to this article regarding similar incidents published in Popular Photography magazine on my blog already but here it is again if you haven’t read it. The article is an interesting read.

“The War on Photographers.”

Adventure Photography

Adventure Photographer Enjoying Fresh Snow on Mount Baldy, Angeles National Forest, California

My brother and I went up to Mount Baldy this morning after a big storm yesterday. As mentioned a few blog posts ago, I wanted to get some sledding photos. Well the snow was so pristine that we were unable to get the (cheap) sled moving for the most part because we sank into the snow every time we sat on it. I did get it moving twice and wiped out: camera included... The sledding photos sucked because I couldn't keep the snow and water off the lens in addition to fogging up but it was quite an experience nonetheless. I probably will have use a polarizer next time also in order to get a decent motion blur in my images.

I hadn't seen so much snow on trees before and it was amazing. Someday I will probably get snow shoes in order to better take advantage of the winter photography opportunities and not suffer frostbite in the process. This photo is of my brother, Eric holding the sled, my tripod and backpack.

Rose Parade Floats

On New Years I went to the 2008 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. This year the theme was "Passport to the World's Celebrations." And fittingly there was the Chinese Beijing Olympics float which was nice looking but the impressive part was the outfits of the chinese dancers. It was beautiful to witness, well through the viewfinder anyway. :-) Then there was the El Salvador High School marching band that rode by bus for five days to get here. That was touching. I find the most interesting aspects to photograph are the people in the parade and the protesters of which there were a lot this year. The parade is so crowded near the beginning of the route that it is hard to shoot but it was a little easier to get photos at the post-parade rose float viewing yesterday the day after New Years.

When I first got to the Rose Float viewing at Pasadena High School yesterday morning, it wasn't too crowded. But by the end it was just as busy there as the parade was. Some guy even tried to start a fight with me. Aside from him it was quite enjoyable though. It's awesome to see in close detail what the floats are made up of.

Red Roses on Rose Float, Pasadena, California - 2008

Tiger on Rain Bird Rose Float, Pasadena, California - 2008

I do almost all of my travel and landscape photography on the 17-35mm lens because it is a higher quality lens but I used the 17-85mm lens this time so I could focus in on the details of the rose floats in addition to shoot a few wide angles when necessary. Around this time of year I get a fair amount of traffic to my website from people looking for rose parade pictures so I wanted focus more on the details at the float viewing because that is an area in which I had lacked pictures of previously.

Happy New Year!

Living on the Edge

Out of Control Sledder on Mount Baldy

I photographed this on Sunday with a 300mm focal length. What I want to do next time is use my 17-35mm wide angle lens while actually sledding down the slopes myself! I don't know how I am going to keep control of the sled while shooting photos but I haven't seen anyone else do this before so it is worth a shot.

One scenario might be to set my camera on a one or two second time-lapse (gotta read the instruction manual...) while dangling around my neck. The perspective should be about ideal as I'd want my feet showing with snow flying all over the place. The hard part would be keeping the camera facing in the right direction.

The one-handed approach would probably yield the most consistent compositions but the degree of difficulty would be really high. Even without cameras, the people I saw weren't able to consistently make it down the slopes without wiping out. There is another method that I will most likely use but I'll keep that a secret for now. Though if you've read some of my previous blog entries then maybe you might have an idea for what that is.

Old Glory, Nevada City, California

Photo: Old Glory in Old Cemetery, Nevada City, California

In my blog post a few days ago I pondered if most people are forgotten after their closest loved ones have passed. Well it didn't me take long to find one case of where the person hadn't been forgotten. From reading his grave marker, I believe this man's name was James Kitts and probably served in the U.S. military during the Mexican-American War. In addition to being a veteran, Mr. Kitts was a carpenter, bridge builder, gold prospector, hotel keeper, and stock broker during his lifetime. No date was provided on his tombstone though upon further research, I believe he may have died in 1901. Next to him is his 1st? wife, Eliza, who was buried in 1871.

The Pony Express Monument

Photo: The Pony Express Monument, Old Town Sacramento, California

The buildings that the Pony Express Monument is facing consists of an old Wells Fargo bank, the location of California's 1st Supreme Court, and the westernmost terminal of the legendary Pony Express mail delivery service which ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento from 1860 to 1861.

I thought this would be a cool picture to wrap up my little mini-series on Old Sacramento. Despite having too many cars cruising around on this evening, I was in a world of my own when I saw this scene. It is hard to believe that this historic district fell into disrepair and was known as Sacramento's "Skid Row" back in the 1960's. Tourism may aversely affect places like Yosemite Valley, but for places like Old Sacramento, these historic buildings wouldn't exist anymore without the draw of tourism.

P.S.: I would still like to see the pavement ripped out and replaced with dirt along with banning automobile traffic 365 days a year. :-)

Scarecrow Park

Photo: Halloween Decorations in Scarecrow Park, Old Sacramento, California

My favorite part of Halloween while growing up was Trick or Treating an entire pumpkin full of candy from around the neighborhood. It doesn't seem like parents take their kids out as much these days which is unfortunate. If I ever have kids, then they will be raised the right way and be out there on Halloween enjoying the same tradition that I enjoyed and many others did as kids. Well I guess unless cavities start developing... I only had one cavity while growing up so that was not really an issue for me.

This photo was taken last Saturday in Old Sacramento. They have decorated the district including this entire alley with various fall decorations this month so that was cool to see something new during my recent visit. I don't know if this had anything to do with the Fall Festival but later that night there was a Zombie Walk. A number of people were dressed up as ghouls and acting the part while taking pictures with tourists.

One thing for sure is that Sacramento is a vastly underrated travel destination. People always talk about traveling to San Francisco or L.A., but Sacramento has just as good of tourism sights as either of those cities if not better. Of course you wouldn't want to go to Sacramento from June through September though. It's way too hot in the Central Valley. Unfortunately the Gold Rush Days and California State Fair take place in August / September, and are arguably the two most interesting annual events in the area.

"The Big Four" Building, Old Sacramento SHP, California

Photo: Central Pacific Railroad Company and Huntington, Hopkins & Co. Hardware Store, Old Town Sacramento, California

You may have recognized this building as the backdrop for my website. The Big Four Building consists of the Huntington, Hopkins & Co Hardware store, Stanford Brothers Warehouse, and Nathaniel Dingley Steam Coffee & Spice Mill. Aside from the California Missions and the discovery of gold at Sutter Mill, this building is one of the most historically significant locations in the shaping of modern-day California.

In 1855, Collis Huntington and Mark Hopkins started their hardware store business then after a few years began plotting along with their neighboring business owners to build a transcontinental railroad. In the years prior there was no easy way to travel to California. The tragic story of the Donner Party in 1846 was a testament to that. The Central Pacific Railroad put an end to that however. The founders used their newfound wealth in many ways, with Leland Stanford eventually going on to establish Stanford University for example.

On Saturday afternoon, this was the first place I went to photograph in Old Town Sacramento. I’m a big fan of old architecture and this building is as good as Gold Rush architecture gets. I find older architectural styles to be artistic and have a sense of character that modern architecture lacks. This may sound weird but I fantasize about historic buildings like the Big Four Building at times. I imagine what it was like to be alive in those eras and what really went on back in the day. Probably far from glamorous. Then I wonder what happened to the people. Do their descendants still visit their gravesites or are they forgotten about after their loved ones have passed?

Seeing historic landmarks is both fascinating and tragic at the same time because they are a reminder that our time on this planet is relatively short compared to the overall scheme of things. However our contributions can have forever lasting impact on the world during those few years of productivity we have. This is also what I like most about photography. It is both an art form and a medium where we can capture a fleeting moment in time forever.

And here is the link to my previous article about Chinese railroad workers.

Victorian Fall in the Gold Country

Photo: Historic Firehouse Number 1 in Fall Season, Nevada City, California

I think I have a new favorite place in California. The weather is so perfect in Nevada City during the fall season. The cool crisp feeling of 30 degree mornings with daytime temperatures in the high 60's - low 70's.

One of my goals the past couple years is to get some images with colorful fall foliage in scenes with a white picket fence. I certainly got those images on this trip but seeing the victorian-styled Historic Firehouse No. 1 stopped me in my tracks. I was looking for a place to stop and clean off my hazy windshield early Sunday morning when I saw this beautiful building so I abruptly parked the car and shot some photos before cleaning the windshield.

The firehouse building was home to Nevada City's fire department from 1861 to 1938. It has served as the Nevada County Historical Society Museum since 1947 when it was donated by the city council. The museum was closed for the season so I would definetely like to see the museum in the future.

This image would have been a perfect candidate for an HDR exposure since the top was slightly blown out but I don't really mind it this way either since the building is supposed to be white after all. Nevada City is such a beautiful place. You wouldn't realize it by visiting in the fall but it also gets very hot here during the summer.

I spent all day yesterday processing pictures from the Empire Mine but now I am getting to my Nevada City pictures. I plan to add a new web gallery once I'm done processing this next batch of images.

Empire Mine State Historic Park

Bourn Cottage, Empire Mine State Historic Park, Grass Valley, California

This weekend I did a quick fall season road trip to the Sierra Nevada Foothills which is best known as the Mother Lode or California Gold Country. My previous two trips to Gold Country were for whitewater rafting on the American River and the other was cut short due to a wildfire so this weekend represented my first serious attempt at photographing the Highway 49 region. It was a blast to photograph and I can't believe that I have waited this long to make the trip.

Empire Mine SHP was one of the most interesting places I've been to. (I love the name too!) The Empire Mine, which operated from 1850 to 1956 was the biggest gold mining operation in California. Most of the buildings had machinery in there and you can actually walk into the mine shaft. That was awesome. I think that is the first time I have ever been inside of a mine. The park is in the process of developing a mine shaft ride tour which promises to be an experience like no other.

I spent about three hours wandering around shooting photos on the property. The landscaping was so beautiful around the cottages and contrasted with the industrial mining area what more could you ask for? Oh and a lot of the trees were a blazing yellow and red. I certainly wouldn't mind living here either. :-)

This panoramic photo was a four image stitch.

Ventura and Santa Barbara

On Saturday morning I went to photograph Faulkner Farm. It was opening day of the pumpkin season and they were just setting up the gift shop as I arrived. I hoped to capture some pumpkin patch and barn landscapes without too many people getting into my images. Compared to my previous visit to Faulkner Farm in 2005, this year there are a variety of different pumpkins available from white pumpkins to golden hubbard squash. I also made sure to photograph the Faulkner House this time as well since the house was in shadow last time I tried to photograph it.

The guy collecting admission in the parking lot mentioned that was a retired photography pro that once attended Brooks Institute of Photography. He specialized portraits and weddings before leaving the business several years ago because he wasn't able to adapt to the onset of digital imaging. I kind of felt sorry for the guy because he said he didn't grow up using computers so it made the learning curve too difficult for him to keep up with.

After Faulkner Farm, I went over to Mission San Buenaventura. I had previously tried to photograph the mission in 2005 after photographing the farm but I couldn't find the entrance. The entrance was through their gift shop store on Main Street... This time I made sure to not repeat the mistake.

I didn't find Mission San Buenaventura to be that photogenic compared to some of the other 14 California Missions I have photographed. Complicating matters was a wedding about to take place in the chapel. I sat in the back waiting for the wedding to end so I could walk around freely. Unfortunately the lights were turned off once the wedding ended so I wasn't really able to get good chapel photos. In the gift shop museum however I found the old bookshelf display to be interesting. There were bibles dating from the 1770's. I assume that Father Junipero Serra himself probably used them himself at some point as Mission San Buenaventura was the 9th and final mission that he founded during his lifetime.

I went up to Santa Barbara afterwards to scope out the area around Stearn's Wharf. The light was too harsh when I got there so I drove through State Street and ended up at Mission Santa Barbara. The famous exterior and rose garden is best photographed early in the morning so obviously I wasn't able to do that. The door to the church was open however so I went in. The church is as beautiful as Mission San Juan Bautista's but it has none of the ambience. The reason why I say that is because Santa Barbara is overrun with tourists. I'd been to the Santa Barbara Mission twice before but it wasn't as crowded as it was on Saturday. People seemingly just kept coming in to take snapshots or walking through. When I photograph the mission churches I keep a low profile and stay out of the way. When tour buses come however, the tourists usually don't respect others right to privacy. I saw people walking through the pews shooting pictures right in front of people who were paying their respects. It was madness.

I went down to Stearns Wharf afterward, which wasn't quite as bad of an experience but still touristy. I was a bit confused at seeing all the cars come and go because there really isn't all that much to see or do at the wharf other than a whale watching tour and the Natural History museum. About an hour later I drove down to the Ventura Pier in time for the sunset.

My parents used to take my brother and I fishing on the Ventura Pier when we were growing up. On our last family visit probably about twelve years ago, my dad caught a shark. It was so big that four other fishermen had to climb over the railing to help pull it up. We gave it to them because we didn't really know what to do with it. Other fishes we caught in past also include barricuda which we did bring home but I don't think we ate it.

When I arrived at the pier, the sun was almost setting but not quite so I walked around the beach for a bit until the light got warmer then I proceeded to walk onto the pier. Half of the waterfront was roped off due to a fundraiser which I heard was being hosted by Democrats. I took some landscape pictures of that from the pier and a number of other pier pictures before it got dark. The light wasn't all that spectacular since the air quality was so clear but it was alright. Ventura Pier isn't touristy unlike Santa Monica or even Stearns Wharf so it was definitely more pleasant to shoot.

Photo of Ventura Pier Sunset, California

This year I've been re-visiting a lot of the places I had fond memories of as a kid and have been making an effort to photograph them. Ventura Pier was definitely one of those places. Last month when I went to photograph the Redondo Beach Pier, that was my first visit in about twenty years. It's been interesting to see how these places have changed over the years.

Pig Racing Part 2

Photo of Pig Race, L.A. County Fair

Two weeks ago I photographed the pigs near the starting gates, but it wasn't quite what I had envisioned. I had wanted a down and dirty sort of image. In order to do that with a wide angle lens, it would require the pigs to run closer to my camera.

So on Sunday morning I walked to the other side of the race track where the finish line was. The finish line area narrows considerably so I knew I would be able to get the pigs running right past my camera. To get the perspective that I wanted, I knew I had to stick my lens underneath the vinyl barrier and half onto the race track. Before the first race I was nervous that the pigs might step onto my lens or hand. Luckily that didn't happen.

Since I was shooting "blindly" on rapid fire, it was nice to be able to review my pictures after the first race and make some slight technical adjustments for the 2nd race. This photo here resulted during the 2nd race. I would consider this to be in the barely-missed category of image quality but I thought this would be a good blog picture to illustrate the location of my camera. That is a combination of hay and dirt flying up onto my lens on the right. I'm not scared to compromise my camera for the sake of attempting something unique but fortunately it didn't come down to that as the slop didn't stick onto my lens.

I did manage an image or two that I am reasonably happy with but if I have another opportunity to photograph another pig race in the future then I will likely try to improve my images with a similar approach if the logistics will allow me to do so. Shooting a photo without being able to look through the viewfinder is commonly referred to as "shooting from the hip", which is a technique often used in street photography situations. It involves pre-visualizing of the composition, a wide angle lens, appropriate aperture choice and a lot of luck. This method of shooting often evokes a very raw, high-impact look at the subject but is obviously a hit or miss affair.

Click the link to see more of my L.A. County Fair photos.

2007 L.A. County Fair

There's not really an appropriate blog post to follow the previous one, so it's probably best to shift directions into a happier one.

Two weeks ago was the opening of this year's L.A. County Fair and I went on that first Sunday morning. I had read on the website that there was going to be pig races every day of the fair so I knew I HAD to photograph that. I had never heard of pig races before so the curious person inside of me compelled me to go for full price admission. (Wednesday and Thursday after 5 p.m. is $5 admission compared with the $15 weekend admission.)

I go to the fair almost every year because I live nearby but there is always new stuff at the fair. Besides with so many people and interesting attractions happening along with the classic american fair sort of subjects, it is impossible to thoroughly cover the fair. It is one of my favorite things to photograph. Photographing the L.A. County Fair really puts a test on your photography skills because there are so many people and things happening so fast that if you aren't prepared mentally then it probably will drive you nuts trying to photograph this event.

My approach to photographing people and events is similar to that of street photography photojournalism. My goal often times is to use my wide angle lens and get as close to the subject as possible without affecting the scene or moment. I rarely zoom in on anything, I just get closer if need be. I try to stuff as much into the foreground as possible and have a layered composition of related elements in the background. The goal is to tell a story in a single frame.

Picture of Barnyard Racers Pig Race at the L.A. County Fair, Pomona, California

What you don't see in my photo is how funny the pigs were when the race started. The pigs just sort of stood around sniffing the ground like a dog until one pig would start running and they would all follow. During one of the races, there was a pig that walked around the track instead of running. The whole crowd was screaming for him until he finished then broke into a large uproar of cheering. It was hilarious.

An interesting aspect to shooting "on-the-fly" is that often times the most interesting details are of the smaller details not originally seen by the viewer or even the photographer sometimes. Many times the people or objects in the background can help tell the story as much as what is in the foreground. Studying photojournalism is probably the best lesson a photographer can learn, no matter what genre you prefer to shoot because it is about the art of visual storytelling. Good, well-versed photographers study outside of their genre in order to bring a new perspective to their work. Those who don't seek evolution and are closed off to new ideas stagnate and are doomed to repeat themselves no matter how good they think they are. Look at dinosaurs for example. They are the most fearsome creatures to have ever ruled the earth and yet they are extinct. The little mammals who adapted from that era have evolved into the top predators of today's world.

Okay, back to the fair now. In my previous shooting sessions at the fair I have focused mainly on livestock and a little bit of the midway carnival. There is so much more however so I plan to focus on "fair food" subjects (ie. deep-fried, chocolate-dipped twinkies) and more carnival games in my upcoming visits. Now if only this storm will pass through today so I can do some shooting tomorrow...

Click the link to see more of my L.A. County Fair images.

The Historical Inland Empire

I don't like hot weather and its been pretty hot here for the past few weeks but I couldn't take being indoors anymore so I went to Riverside yesterday afternoon to photograph the California Citrus State Historic Park. My sources told me that the oranges wouldn't be ripe yet but I felt the urge to go do a scouting trip, 93 degrees and all.

I got there around 4:30 p.m. I must have went to the new part of the park because no one was there. Then I went to the developed section of the park and I saw the beginnings of a wedding party happening at the Sunkist Center and a family picnic in the park but no one wandering around the citrus groves. I'm thinking that it was either too early in the season for oranges or I arrived too late in the afternoon. Either way I didn't find anything I was passionate about shooting there. The park closes at 7 during the summer season but the sun sets around 7:30 so I think for scenics it would be best to wait til the end of September. In October the park closes at 6 so definetely September would be better for light on the landscape. I'm not sure when the oranges will start to become ripe but I imagine probably in another month or two.

Picture: Carrizo Orange Seedling (Poncirus trifoliata x citrus Sinensis citranges), California Citrus State Historic Park, California

The coolest part of CA Citrus SHP is the giant fruit stand on the street corner. It is actually the marquee for the park but I thought it was kinda cute to shoot. There is an actual fruit stand across the road that was open when I first drove in but closed by the time I got back out there to shoot the Giant Orange Fruit Stand. Next time I'll try to see if I could get some photos of the worker at the regular fruit stand.

I had never been to Riverside before other than a few band competitions at Riverside Community College when I was younger, so I wanted to check out the Mission Inn. My mom's friends went to a wedding there a few months ago and the hotel looked awesome from the snapshots I saw so I needed to go see it for myself. The architecture looks even more impressive in person but I think the only way to photograph it is to be invited to a wedding there or eat at one of the restaurants because the hotel isn't that big and most of the space is devoted to those activities. The Mission Inn is modeled after the Spanish Mission style of architecture and is a registered National Historic Landmark. I had never seen architecture quite that beautiful before. Outside of the two square blocks surrounding the Mission Inn however, downtown Riverside doesn't look too impressive.

Photo: Mission Inn, Riverside, California

There is a Mission Inn Museum adjacent to the hotel which gives daytime tours of the hotel in areas that are generally inaccessible to the public. That would probably be a nice tour to go on. A building that beautiful deserves to be seen.

China Camp State Park Then and Now

Photo: Old Historic Shrimp Fishing Village and Female Sunbather, China Camp State Park, California

Clearly I prefer color photography but there are certain situations where color can be a distraction. For this image of the last remaining Chinese shrimp fishing village in the San Francisco Bay Area, I wanted to juxtapose the historical aspects of the China Camp fishing village with the modern day site being used as a recreational park.

The best way of converting color images to black and white is quite easy. All you have to do is open the photo in Photoshop and use the "Channel Mixer" adjustment layer then check the "Monochrome" button. The image will turn black and white with the slider at 100% Red, 0% Green, and 0% Blue. Those values correspond to the type of B&W filter that you would use if you were shooting it on film. Each image responds differently to the color values so you should experiment with the sliders. The important thing is to make sure those three slider values add up to about 100% when you are done.

For this image, I used 100% red to simulate the Red B&W filter effect. What this does is create a stark black sky where there was originally blue, and accentuate the high contrast on anything else of a lighter color. Ansel Adams used this filter often and very effectively for his most famous images. Of more subtle detail is the female sunbather being juxtaposed in color. I just masked the channel mixer layer out of the area around the woman.

To see a bigger photo, click here.

San Diego Spanish Art Village

Picture: Table and Chairs at Balboa Park Spanish Art Village, San Diego, California

On Saturday I went to San Diego to shoot the Spanish Art Village and Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. I got off to a late start however and got stuck in a stop and go traffic from Irvine to La Jolla. That was very frustrating but since traffic is a way of life these days in Southern California you just deal with it.

I wanted to shoot some more of the colorful southwestern type of subject matter so I thought the Spanish Art Village might make for a good shoot. I'll try to go early in the morning before the galleries open next time because the colorful doors will be closed and no tourists will be creeping into my pictures. I think diffused lighting would lend itself very well to this place.

Some tourist lady got on my nerves as I was shooting pictures of a colorful door. I noticed that she was hanging around my vicinity and looking at me for quite some time so I made eye contact with her. She asked me what I was shooting so I mentioned the door looked pretty cool. She started laughing condescendingly and said, "ookay." Some people just don't know when to keep to themselves...

Immediately after that incident I recalled that Galen Rowell used to always preach about how important it is to learn how to see the way your camera sees things rather than how you think it looks. By not doing so, you're likely to always be disappointed that your photos never come out the way you intend. That lady clearly has clearly never reached that level of seeing and probably never will. If she understood how photography works then she wouldn't have been questioning the validity of what I was doing.

After the Spanish Art Village, I went to Old Town San Diego. I had driven through a few times but never had walked around there so I thought maybe it would be like Olvera Street. There was only a little bit of mexican culture there but the state historic park was quite interesting. It reminded a bit like Old Town Sacramento because it in a wild west type of setting. I had to rush my way through there though and treat it like a scouting trip however because the shops were about to close as I was walking around. In particular, I thought the cigar shop had a lot of photographic potential and took some pictures in there. Next time I'll be sure to do that place some justice.

After dinner I noticed some nice looking victorians at Heritage Park as I was driving off so I'll have to go back another time. I wanted to shoot the San Diego city skyline at Coronado Island but noticed that it was overcast along the coast. My map indicated that there was a toll to cross the Coronado bridge so I didn't feel it was worth it considering that it was overcast. I ended up driving to Shelter Island instead which was located nearby. It was alright but a bit too far from downtown to get a strong photo of the skyline. I took some pictures and thought of driving back towards home in hopes of catching some sun in La Jolla or Carlsbad but it was more of the same until it was dark outside.

The Pacific Coast Highway

I got up before dawn again on Tuesday morning to leave Redwood City because I wanted to photograph early morning light on the Carmel Mission chapel and get to Morro Bay in the morning so I could kayak before driving home. It was foggy in the Salinas Valley area as I drove in but cleared up along the coast. Carmel Mission doesn’t open until 9, but you can get photos of the chapel through the wooden fence. The walls are low over by the side street so you can also shoot over the top and get photos of the garden.

Photo: Bixby Bridge Overlook, Big Sur, California

After getting a few photos of Carmel Mission, I headed for the long drive through Big Sur. I stopped at the classic Bixby Bridge overlook to take photos. It was extremely windy there so I didn’t stay very long however. Not too long afterwards, I had to pull over and take a nap. Upon waking up, I ran into several construction delays that gave me a good chance to get out and stretch my legs. By late-morning I arrived at Point Piedras Blancas. I was hoping that the elephant seals would be close to the bluffs but they were near the water. A little out of optimal range for my 70-300mm lens. They were active however so it was entertaining nevertheless. I would have stayed longer but since I was still 250 miles away from home I drove to Morro Bay in time for lunch. It took longer than anticipated to get to Morro Bay so I had to skip kayaking on this trip unfortunately. The weather was about as good as it gets for scenic photography so I walked over to the best kayak store in Morro Bay to get some photos.

Picture: Kayaks, Morro Bay, California

After lunch I walked over to the pier on the far end of Embarcadero and took a few more photos before heading home. I contemplated stopping at Mission San Luis Obispo to photograph my 16th California Mission but knowing how bad traffic is in Southern California, I decided to save it for next time.

The trip exceeded my expectations despite a few bad weather days in San Francisco. I got about 80% of the pictures that I had wanted over the past several years and then some. I’ll probably be taking a break from coastal photography until the winter time but I will definitely continue seeking out the California historical subjects. I think the next subject that I want to focus on is the Hwy 49 Gold Rush mining towns and Yosemite Valley.

Goodbye San Francisco

Monday morning rolled around and the weather in the San Francisco Bay was essentially the same as it had been since Friday afternoon. What I found strange about my moodiness on Sunday was that I loved the weather when I lived up there. But now that I was up there specifically for a photography trip, the weather was getting on my nerves. I guess the best way to relate to what I went through would be having a deadline at your job and nothing seemingly is going right.

I still was vacillating between where to shoot next but knew that I wanted to photograph San Francisco. I decided that the San Francisco Zoo would be the best bet for overcast conditions. The reason why I wanted to go there was to see the new Grizzly Gulch exhibit. Most zoos still can’t quite seem to get away from using obvious fences, but this exhibit was nice nevertheless. There was a waterfall and several ponds for the two grizzly bears. I wanted to get a bear portrait but it proved to be very difficult because the glass is angled in such a way that you cannot press the lens straight against the glass hence making it difficult to avoid reflections. The glass was extremely thick too so getting a sharp photo was a hit or miss endeavor. Feeling that getting a portrait was probably a futile effort, I tried to motion blur the grizzlies. It didn’t quite work out because they walked too slow. When I first got there though one of them was running around. Unfortunately I hadn’t thought of motion blurring the bear while it was running. Though I think I have some good bird photos, I’m a mediocre wildlife mammal photographer. That is a genre of nature photography that I’ll have to improve on in the future.

Upon not seeing much potential for improving upon my grizzly pictures, I looked at a few other exhibits then left the zoo to get lunch downtown. I contemplated whether or not I wanted to photograph the Yerba Buena Gardens since I was on New Montgomery Street getting lunch, but after seeing the prices at the SFMOMA parking garage, I decided to go to Alamo Square instead. Since it was the weekday I had a feeling that I wouldn’t have to parallel-park this time. I was right.

Free parking and no parallel parking is my idea of a pleasant destination. I ate lunch at Alamo Square, facing the “Postcard Row” Victorian homes. I’d seen a lot of postcards from that view but couldn’t quite figure out how to shoot it effectively. All I know is that what I managed to shoot at Postcard Row was not quite what I had envisioned before going there. I think what happened was that I was using my wide angle lens from a closer perspective than the postcards. I think most people use a medium zoom lens and go further up the hill so they can compress the distance of the Victorians to the downtown San Francisco skyline.


Picture: San Francisco Sightseeing Tour Bus at Postcard Row / Alamo Square, San Francisco, California

Regardless of the photography, the view is incredible at Alamo Square. It wasn’t quite as amazing as standing face to face with the Golden Gate Bridge, but it is definitely a classic view that is worth visiting at least once.

Right behind me was the cloud layer. It was already early afternoon so I decided that I was going to try getting some photos of the Conservatory of Flowers at Golden Gate Park. The clouds never really cleared up so I tried to get photos when there was just a bit of blue breaks in the sky. If the sun was out, I would have photographed the Japanese Garden as well in addition to the windmill. I ended up just walking around the windmill and sitting on the bench listening to some live music there before walking to the Cliff House. I was curious as to what they did to the Cliff House since I last lived up north. It was under re-construction when I last saw it. The new version doesn’t seem tourist friendly because all it is now is a façade for a fancy restaurant and a little postcard gift shop.

I decided that I wasn’t going to squander my last day in the Bay Area so I went back to the hotel for a break then went to the Palo Alto Baylands Preserve for sunset. It is almost always sunny in Silicon Valley so I knew I would for surely get a sunset there. It turned out to be a good idea because you could clearly see the thick San Francisco fog from the Baylands.


Picture: Canadian Geese, Palo Alto Baylands Preserve, California

After experiencing fog during four out of five days in San Francisco, that was enough for me. Originally I wanted to go further up north to the Redwood Coast but decided that was just too ambitious for one trip since I’d have to drive over 700 miles to get back home. Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox will have to wait until next year I guess.

The next blog post will feature me doing a classic drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.