Petroglyph Abstract

I make it an annual pilgrimage to visit these old and undamaged petroglyphs. I shot this as an abstract, showing parts of a spiral and snake figure.

Zion Sunset with Shadows

Misty Mountain

Happy Holidays.

If you look carefully, you may notice that the mountain in the photo below is the same. What a difference a day or two can make.

Sunset at Zion

A sunset after a couple days of rain while in Zion in late November.

Dedicated to Tisha and her fiance, Jeff

While looking at some fantastic chiaroscuro-like light one afternoon in Zion I noticed this couple having their wedding pictures taken. It was freezing, yet there they were. After each shot they would run as fast as they could to the next location. I slowed the shutter speed to get this blur effect to emphasize their running in the freezing weather.

This shot is dedicated to my friend Tisha and her fiance, Jeff, who are getting married on January 1st, 2008. My best wishes to you both!

Ice

Ice

I find ice a fascinating subject of photographic study.

Snow on Mountain

This is one of my favorite photos.

Zion Oak Leaves

This turned out to be one of my favorite photos.

Angel's Landing Tour-guide

At the top of the 2000+ foot climb up Angel's Landing in Zion National Park I came across this resident who took the time to show me around. Nice fellow. Didn't talk much, though.

Trees after Fire

This is the same image of the trees after the fires on Palomar Mountain. However, cropped the photo and added my version of the Orton Technique for visual interest.

Haemathus Albiflos, AKA "a pretty flower"

I went to the Balboa Park Arboretum and found this interesting speciman.

Offering

This was in the grave area of the old mission. A sign underneath stated this was an Indian Offering. I thought the composition was quite beautiful.

Bridge Grass

Another shot from the bridge in Bonsall.

Oceanside Pier at Night

I took this nightime photo of the Oceanside Pier. I held the lens open for 2 seconds while balancing it on the dashboard of my car.

Old Bridge

This is a shot I took a few weeks back of an old, no-longer-in-use bridge.

Burned Trees at Sunset

As some of you might have heard, our world has been on fire recently. On a drive up Palomar Mountain I managed to snap this photo just as the sun was going down. The intensity of the light lasted for only a few seconds.

Church Window

This is a shot from one of the windows around the San Luis Rey Mission. The mission was built around 1798, and I am pretty sure it has been neither painted nor washed since that time.

Ghost Cat

I was experimenting with night shots, holding the shutter open while also using the flash. In this photo, the flash took the initial image then was held open for an additional 4-5 seconds. The cat moved, leaving this interesting image.

Mission San Luis Rey

I took this photo at Mission San Luis Rey, near my house. It wasn't really as dramatic and dark as this, I adjusted the exposure to make the clouds darker for the DRAMA.

Three Reds - Redux

I was recently reading an article in a photoghraphy magazine and the author referred to something called the "Orton Technique." The technique involves combining identical scenes, but one that is in focus and the other that is blurred and shot a couple of stops higher. Since I am using digital media, I decided to try and recreate the effect in photoshop. This is my first effort, and, I have to say I like it. Here is a link to the other photo, for comparison: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCGLQOW8DNgWKNN5UCTD4-CKjGUhVfZUgLtHVZGEsNMrYXcm3zQurcONHzuiHIHc7MS5o3v4sT230ospIBxoXMk7PGZGvZ0aQixaVNzfjLGeqlHBvmgeFo6cgtBg4U-Ye1rqeKqJM6S0xK/s1600-h/Three+Reds3.jpg

Backyard Iris 2

Another iris from the backyard. I was experimenting with a different treatment of the subject.

Backyard Iris

I was experimenting with my tripod and thought this iris would be fun to work with. She was very patient and didn't complain once.

Backyard Grapes

The grapes in the backyard are turning ripe, much to the delight of those birds on strict vegan diets.

Red Beauty

I thought this would be a nice photo to post.

Nuts and Bolts

These are close-ups of parts of an old, rusted horse carriage long abandoned. It would have been nice if someone would have let the horse out, ha ha.

Happy Father's Day - Self Portrait

"Fatherhood is pretending the present
you love most is soap-on-a-rope."
-Bill Cosby

The sad thing is, I remember giving you soap-on-a-rope.
Happy Father's Day

Another Angle of the Beach

Here is another angle of the same beach from yesterday's photo. As you can see, there was a waterfall to the left, which made for a very nice shot. This must be a popular vista. I was surprised to find a similar shot taken at a near identical angle at this website: http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/4004/big-tips-in-big-sur.html. I think I prefer mine!

Central California Beach

After our visit to the Hearst castle we stopped by this small park where I snapped this image. I used a polorizer to help bring out the colors of the water, like using your polorized sunglasses.

Sand Dune near Ft Bragg California

I was experimenting with depth of field in this picture of a sand dune near Fort Bragg, California.

Oak Grove Panorama

This is a compilation of 3 or 4 photogtraphs combined into one panoramic image. This shot was taken near Hopland California, a beatiful but hot area. A lot of grapes for wine are grown here.

Zion Compilation 2006

I decided to make a calendar using my Zion National Park photos, and for the back of the calendar I made this review of the contents. I thought it turned out pretty nice, and so I am presenting it here. Hope you like. By the way, it was supposed to be a 2007 calendar, that is why it says 2007 at the base and not 2006.

Gecko

I came across this little guy while walking in a nature preserve taking photos.

Sloping Rock

"Fire 2"

"Scarlet Leaves of Gold"

Whenever I look at this image I am reminded of a verse from one of my favorite childhood stories. I don't remember the name of the story, but the plot involved some kids who, seeking adventure, moved from place to place trying to make a home. Something would happen, it would rain, for example, and they would find a better place, each time taking something with them. The verse I am reminded of goes something like, "so we packed our bags with sweaters and socks and scarlet leaves of gold. . ."

"Fire"

On my last day in Zion I came across this scene. Hope you like.

Marigold

Blue

I like the way this one turned out.

White

Another macro of a flower I took in Carlsbad yesterday.

Red

I took this photo today in Carlsbad at the Flower Fields. I think it turned out pretty well. Hope you like it too.

Majestic, Watercolor and Ink

Happy Birthday!

Orange Flower

I took some photos this morning of some flowers in the back yard after a drizzle last night.

Leaf in Snow

Its been some time since I posted a Zion National Park photo, so I am acting to remedy that situation today. I came across this scene while climbing down from the Angel's Landing hike. I softened the photo, creating a mask in photoshop to keep the primary leaf relatively sharpened to draw focus. Hope you enjoy. Make sure and click on the photo to see the larger version. The smaller version presented here looks dull compared to the larger.

Another School Project

Yet another school project for photoshop. This one was simply to use various filters on a photo we had taken to make it look artsy. I took this photo about a year ago in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, in the Japanese Garden. I think it turned out pretty good.

Leaf and Sand

Here is a macro shot from Zion of a leaf and all the debris around it. If you look closely, you will see all kinds of interesting things.

Discovery 2

Another photo of the girls from the previous shot discovering the ocean... and the fact that it's pretty cold this time of year.

Surfin' USA

Another winter day here in San Diego. Well, technically Oceanside. I take very few shots with people in them. This is my first attempt at an "action shot." Difficult to take because of the movement. Hope you enjoy.

Discovery

Took a walk on the beach today and saw these girls discovering the ocean for the first time. They would run away from the tide, point to the waves, and giggle.

Bird of Paradise

This macro shot of a BIrd of Paradise was taken earlier today. The colors are brilliant. It's nice to be able to have flowers blooming to take shots of. I know on good authority it is colder elsewhere as I have been told so very recently!