I’ve been expanding my photographic comfort zone to include people and more portrait work.  In the future I may even put some of that work up, but for now I’m still experimenting and trying to find my voice.  It definitely has different challenges and forces me into the land of… gulp… studio lighting.  Anyway here are a few images I made on a recent trip to the beaches San Diego.

If you are familiar with the area you may recognize: Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla Cove, and Pacific Beach.

Had an interesting day today when everything turned off.  Apparently, San Diego and most of the southwest had a massive power outage.  In true California style, most of my neighbors ended up partying and I found myself with the awesome er…. difficult task of eating a lot of melting ice cream.

After I recovered, I took this shot of downtown San Diego.  As you can see lights began to come on in different areas of the city, but it wasn’t til around 1am before power worked for me.  I especially like the glowing haze over the city and the rocky foreground in the photo.

I know it’s a little late but on mother’s day I had some baby bearded dragons hatch out.  More mouths to feed.

Thought I’d put up a few more photographs from my trip to Death Valley, planning another to Yosemite at the end of this month.  It was crazy, but while in Death Valley someone committed suicide atop one of the dunes near Stovepipe wells.  It made hiking out to them in the dark the next morning kind of creepy.

Well if you come here at all I’m sure you noticed it’s been a while since I’ve updated things.  I’ve still been shooting, just now I’ve started to try my hand at portrait photography.  I may actually start a second site focused just on that (if I feel like I know what I’m doing).  Until then here are a few recent photographs.

I never even knew this little spot existed until the other day when I was out hiking, all the rain made for a very cool little river.

Birch aquarium is always a fun trip in San Diego.  I can’t keep a goldfish alive so I’m amazed whenever I see something like this.

Here is one of the first photos I took on a recent trip to Death Valley, the morning light worked well here.  This was the first time I’ve seen Lake Manly full of water, and apparently this season has been one of the wettest in recent times.  I will post more from that trip in the coming week.

Ian

Been busy shooting closer to home and refining a few different techniques for HDR images.  Here are a few shots from around San Diego as I get ready for a trip to Death Valley.

First up are some photographs taken at Torrey Pines State Reserve.  The weather was nice, but I had hopes for a better sunset.  I was reminded rather sternly that hanging near the sides of the sandstone cliffs is a big “no no” if I wanted to see another year.

Here is a different view of a nearby gliderport.  From what I understand they get a good view of the nude beach below (although it was a little chilly for that).

A solitary hawk was sitting on was of the more well known trees at Torrey Pine.

Before the sun drifted behind some clouds, the cliffs glowed.

I also got lucky (after being yelled at) and captured one of the many crows as it cruised in front of the evening clouds.

Finally, just as the sun was setting I grabbed this mellow evening shot.  This was taken with the 14mm so there is a lot going on in the image.

It’s amazing how many photographic opportunities are in my own back yard.  I’ll post some new more “urban” shots later.

Ian

Going through old photos and testing out new HDR programs led to this shot.  It’s from several years ago but still has a nice feel to it.  Yosemite is such a beautiful place and it can be almost overwhelming to shoot it all.

Just got back from a three day trip to the Eastern Sierras.  The fall colors are amazing and caught the tail end of a storm so there was snow on the mountains and sometimes frustrating weather.  Between the trout fishing and photography it was hard to get any sleep.  Here are a few images as I go through the rest.

If you can get out there, do it.

Ian

Stepped onto my balcony the other night and saw that the rain clouds were finally clearing out over the Pacific.  What a beautiful time to shoot.  Here are a few from last night.

A few of these shots were made with my new Samyang/Rokinon 14mm.  What a sweet lens, crisp out to the corners and gives really nice colors.  My only problem with it is the strange distortion (later taken out with Photoshop).  I’m planning on heading up to the Eastern Sierras for a few days of fishing and photography so stay tuned.

Ian

Well I got back not too long ago from visiting family on the east coast.  Staying in Cape May, a town on the southern tip of New Jersey, brought back a lot of memories and being able to drink Yuengling again was amazing.  I also felt good to get back to one of my earliest loves, fly fishing.  Between the fishing, beaches, and beer I did manage to make a few images.  Most will be in the gallery section for those interested.

The cat has a drinking problem.

Ian

I’m going to be getting back into the swing of things here by posting more often and doing some much needed expanding of the site.  First up are some shots taken a while ago on a lazy afternoon.  These are all extreme macros from a collection of insects that I had gathering dust.  I like these shots for their metallic, almost industrial look.  It’s hard to imagine these came from something living.  Bonus if any budding entomologists can guess the species.

While I’m waiting on a few more hard drives to arrive (thank god they’re cheap now), I’ve spent some time going over a few older photographs.  Both of these images were taken during a week long trip to Yosemite.  I think they’re nice because the photographs show a different side to this famous place, and have a certain tranquil quality.

It had just got done snowing when I stopped to photograph this little alpine lake.  I like how the log and rock in the foreground mimicked the shapes of the distant mountains.

Most of the trip had been spent under a heavy layer of clouds and fog.  Not so good for sunsets, but the very soft light was great for all the streams and waterfalls.

Ian

Well I just got back from a tiring but amazing trip to Utah and northern Arizona.  The days were hot and frustratingly free of interesting clouds or weather, so many of my photos have that happy “postcard” look.  It was still nice to get out and see the geological curiosity known as Utah.

Well as I mentioned in an earlier post, I recently got back from a crazy adventure throughout the amazing state of Oregon.  I thought that I’d begin at the end and share some of the last photographs taken in Oregon, right before heading home.

These photos are taken in a spot called Natural Bridges, for the narrow rock arches that (as you might imagine) for bridges over a roiling Pacific Ocean.  I had made a rather foolish mistake of hiking out to one of these bridges.  I shoved my way through a rocky, steep, and narrow trail until somehow I found myself standing on a gravelly bridge of death.  Very few things scare me, but I do have a distinct respect for heights.  This is especially true when the rock edge I’m standing on drops straight down 200 feet into a rocky thundering ocean, there is no one else around, and the sun is quickly setting.  Despite all this, I still managed to inch out to where the “bridge” was only a few feet wide before losing my nerve and plopping down on my butt.  Before I did I snapped this quick vertigo inducing shot (yes I know the pants are goofy).

I like to think that I looked calmer than I felt because after sitting down for a while I noticed I had a visitor.  Apparently, my hiking trail of death was actually a feral goat trail.  I don’t know who was more surprised, but after the sun went down I managed to get a few parting shots before scooting my way back up the trail on my butt.

Ian

Well I was going through some older photographs and I realize that I have a lot of long exposure coastal shots.  Perhaps it’s something left over from a childhood spent near the beach.  As a child, something about the ocean always felt alive and mysterious, it still does.

On this evening I kind of wish that I was body surfing instead of shooting.

Well not too long ago I got back from a sleep deprived week long road trip through Oregon.  I have to say that the state is amazing, like driving through a giant national park.  There were waterfalls, deserts, jagged coastlines, and more amazing places than I knew what to do with.  Most of my time was spent driving at night and shooting during the day, with quick stops at McDonalds to fuel up on caffeine and artery clogging “food”.  Even though I felt beaten up (car got stuck in a snow bank, stood barefoot in freezing water, almost fell off a cliff etc…) I think the trip was worth it.  Hopefully soon I’ll put up a few photos from Oregon, but for now here is one taken on my return drive through Northern California.  It was more of a lucky photo, but what a pretty day to end on.

Ian

Like many I recently upgraded to Adobe’s CS5.  I did it mostly for the better raw handling and improved HDR (which I still think kinda sucks).  However, everyone seems to be talking about the content aware feature that reads different parts of the image and tries to fill in what you are removing with the right texture, pattern, etc…  Though I haven’t had much use for it, the function seems to work very well with certain situations where there are a lot of pattern and texture.  I’d never do this in normal real life, but here is a quick example of how powerful it can be.

Here is a zoomed in scene of the Heceta Head Lighthouse.  I used the quick select tool to grab the buildings and people.

I then selected “fill” with content aware, and…..  Ta-da!

Nothing else was done.  While it’s not perfect you can see how amazing/dangerous this tool can be.  Keeping photography “honest” may be even harder than before.

Ian

I should probably stop waiting til late at night to edit my blog, especially after a few glasses of wine.  In honor of sleep I present a photo of some of the happiest/sleepiest animals I’ve seen.

Ian

Ever wonder what 5x magnification looks like from Canons mp-e 65mm lens.  Here is an uncropped look at my watch’s second hand.  You can image the possibilities in nature.

I took a quick trip out to Anza-Borrego the other day to see how the wildflowers were coming along.  This winter had some decent rains so there should be a good bloom all throughout southern California (check here for reports www.desertusa.com).

My trip was relaxing and there were a decent number of flowers blooming (lupines, desert sunflowers, sand verbenas etc…).  I didn’t have time to do as much photography as I would have liked but here are a few images from my day out.

You can’t help but notice the variety of metal sculptures dotting Anza-Borrego.  There was everything from dinosaurs to herds of horses.  Apparently, these intriguing pieces are the work of  artist Ricardo Breceda who was commissioned by multimillionaire  Avery Dennison to build a “creature desert.”  Interesting stuff.

Here are a few of the wildflowers coming out, I hope to go back later when I have more time.

I also spent some time away from the crowds and explored a nearby slot canyon.  It’s kind of amazing to think how much water and erosion can change a desert landscape.

There were also some interesting views, even if  I didn’t have time to make it out to Font’s Point for sunset.

The last image of the night.

Well I’m back from a very nice and relaxing (but cold) trip.  It wasn’t a photo trip but I will post some photos up soon.  In the mean time I’ve been experiment with several different photo techniques including an easier way to do HDR and trying out a few different filters and lenses.  Here is a photo using the Enfuse process of blending several exposures.  It actually gave me a really nice result without a lot of the problems or hassles I saw with other programs.

This is from a trip to Acadia National Park in Maine, it was a very cold morning.  It was also one of the few morning without rain or overcast conditions, so I was lucky to actually wake up and get there for sunrise.

Here is a nice sunny day picture for all those who (like my parents) are buried under several feet of snow.  This image is of the Portland Head Lighthouse that was taken last fall on a photo trip to Acadia.  I wish I could have stayed around longer to get more interesting evening light, but my plane was leaving and I only managed a few different compositions before having to leave.  The hardest part when shooting this lighthouse was waiting for all the people to stop meandering into the frame.

I’m making it a point to shoot more local scenes and focus on the area around me.  It’s actually kind of fun trying to find pockets of nature in a city like San Diego.  Here is an image from an area call Sunset Cliffs.  The park is small, little more than a slice of undeveloped land along San Diego’s coast.

I didn’t get a nice sunset, but instead took this photo on my way back to the car.  The strange color of the eroded cliffs is from the distant lights of a parking lot.  I think they made a nice contrast to the starry sky.  It just goes to show that if you keep an open mind, you can get interesting images in your own backyard.

This is a picture that was tucked away, hidden among a bunch of other raw files taken during a past trip to Death Valley.  Obviously, unless this was Mars, the colors and look are a result of some computer software (Photomatix) and too much beer.  Try not to look too long at it since the colors may burn out your retinas.

I put this image up mainly for fun, but to also point out that technology (when not abused like this), can be coaxed into bringing out the best in a photograph.  Ansel Adams had a dark room, we have photoshop.  Check out the article on HDR where I fumble through several techniques to see what I mean.

Ian

Earlier this year I went to Kauai, Hawaii’s garden isle as it’s affectionately known, for a week long trip.  The island is small with a main road that travels along its edge, and it only takes a few hours to drive around the entire island (or at least the part that has a road).  Despite the small size Kauai has such a diverse range of climate and landscapes.  It would be raining on the northern part, where I stayed, and dry and sunny 45 minutes south.  The changing weather definitely made things challenging, but when the rain cooperated the photographic opportunities were astounding.  There were waterfalls, beautiful beaches, meandering streams, and friendly people (except for one person who tried to ram my car with his truck) that made everything memorable.

The reason I bring up Kauai now is that I’ve been going through all the photos trying to put together a short book of the trip.  It’s more of an experiment now but I’ll let everyone know when it’s done.  Until then here is a photo from the top of a cliff before the water plunged over the side.

Ian

Early in the fall I took a trip to Maine.  It gave me a chance to use neutral density filters in a more serious way for landscape photography.  I am always looking for new ways to expand my creativity, and being able to shoot 15-30 second exposures in the middle of the day definitely does that.  Of course neutral density filters can be a pain to use, especially when trying to focus, but they can also make your photos stand out from the crowd.

For this photograph, I shot the Bass Head lighthouse about 45 minutes before sunset.  There was already a horde of other eager photographers just sitting and waiting for the sun to drop.  Being too impatient to wait, I began shooting anyway and this image is the result of two shots merged to get a more even exposure.  You can also see the effects of using a neutral density filter by how the clouds begin to streak across the sky.

Ian

People close to me know that recently I was nailed by a nasty cold bug. So nasty that I considered investing in stocks of dayquil and kleenex. Despite a strong desire to stay hidden beneath layers of covers, today I dragged my pitiful self out to greet the first sunset of the new year. It was also a good chance to fire away with the Canon 7D and 100-400 lens. Usually I shoot nature photography, but the light was so nice (and I was feeling left over holiday cheer) that I tried to add a more human element.

The following photographs aren’t all works of art, but after going through them I realized that when viewed chronologically, they give a good impression of how evening light can quickly change. When it comes to shooting sunsets, even 5 minutes can completely alter the feel of an image. The first image was taken about 45 minutes before sunset with some medium cloud cover (looking over the Pacific from a San Diego beach).

The sun is above the frame and behind some clouds, giving the sky a pastel soft look. Not very dramatic but nice evening light.

Surfer paddling into the ocean

Same surfer, same nice pastel colors. If you look you can see near the top of the frame the thicker cloud that is hiding the sun. Underneath it there is a gap over the horizon that I hoped would stay clear.

Sand Piper feeding along the shoreline

This was taken a few minutes later. The sun finally starts to push through the thinning clouds and patches of water took on a nice yellow reflection. I was happy to see that the canon 7D locked focus quickly and things looked sharp (see the “fuzzy lens” post for why I had problems earlier).

Man pulling kayak into Pacific Ocean

Here you can see that the sun really starts to push through the clouds making it hard to shoot the sky without blowing the highlights in part of it.

Kayakers row into ocean

Here the kayakers begin paddling into the ocean. They are no longer directly in front of the sun so the sky is still warm, but less intense.

Surfer and orange sky

Now the hidden sun and sky are becoming more colorful and orange. I underexposed slightly to bring out this color and keep the surfer a nice silhouette

Interesting evening clouds

Away from the setting sun, the clouds start looking interesting. It seems like there are several layers bunching up near the horizon.

Surfer looks over the ocean

Here you can see that the light levels are starting to drop and there is a definite evening feel to the image.

Female surfer enters the water

By using the 100-400 zoom lens I picked out a colorful piece of water and waited for this female surfer to pass through it.

Surfer scans horizon

Another view of a surfer looking over the waves. I like this image for the seaweed covered rocks.

Cont…

Continued from the first post

Three surfers catch a wave

Finally some people actually surfing (I don’t usually shoot surfers so bear with me).

Two surfers (back in focus)

Two surfers (front in focus)

Here is an example of something I couldn’t do with the Canon 5D. I was tracking the distant surfer when another one came in from the right. I waited til the new surfer was in the right spot and then tapped the Canon 7D’s rear Af-on button to re-lock onto the nearer surfer, following him out of the frame. Even in the low light I was surprised how quickly the 7D focused.

Sun touching the horizon

As you can see, by now the sun was hovering over the horizon and had finally popped free of the cloud cover. I find that usually in these conditions you can get some great colors well after sunset, so I kept shooting (luckily).

Surfer standing on board

I mostly shoot landscapes, but the 7D did a good job of keeping focus. Most of these later images were shot at iso 1600. At this high an iso there was some loss of detail (especially in shadowed areas) but overall the images still look very nice.

Kayakers and orange sunset

By now the sun had finally set and the sky took on an amazing orange glow. Here are the familiar kayakers peacefully rowing….

Overturned kayak and wave

and here they are thirty seconds later. Unfortunately by now the sky was almost too intense so exposure became a tricky balancing act.

View of seagulls and Pacific Beach

I turned away from the sky and instead to a few shots of the beach and coastline. The late evening light made the air seem to glow.

Surfer leaving ocean after sunset

This was at the height of the sunsets color, well after the actually sun had dipped below the horizon. The sky and reflecting water seemed almost surreal. If I hadn’t been there I probably wouldn’t believe it.

Amazing sunset and surfer

I zoomed out to show more of the sky and how the different layers of clouds lit up like they were on fire. I thought the surfer was a nice touch.

Dusk along Pacific Beach

By this point the sunset had finally started to fade into a purplish gray. The pastel colors once again return, giving a nice softer light.

Slow shutter and surfer

This was the last image I shot. A mellow slow shutter pan of a surfer finishing off the day.

Happy new years everyone, hope you get what you wish for.

Ian

Like many people, my parents on the east coast were hit by a recent winter storm.  It wasn’t long before I started getting photos of cars buried in snow and stories bemoaning how cold it was.  Well, since I moved to San Diego, I can’t say that I often miss shoveling snow, cold fingers, or falling on icy patches.  I do however miss some of the great photo opportunities that come with a really good snow.  I definitely need to get back to Pennsylvania, if only for a week.

Since I’m not back east, here are a few old (actually taken on film, yes film) old scans.

I realize that there isn’t much going on in the leaf photo, but it reminds me of how bleak winter can be and its transition from fall.

Here are a few more photographs from a recent trip to the Salton Sea.  As you can see the area has an almost alien feel.  There are definitely a lot of opportunities to make some interesting images.

This first image is another view of several mud volcanoes.  The glowing lights and crazy sky comes from the long exposure, a distant town’s lights, and a rising moon still behind clouds.

For this next photo I was shooting near an old house that was falling apart.  Near it were these now useless telephone poles that have an unavoidable symbolism to them.  Interesting enough when shooting the long (several minute exposure) the night sky flickered and lit up for a few seconds.  When I looked up, somewhat fearful of a alien abduction, I watched a large meteor streak by overhead.  Cool to see and a nice top off to the night.

I’ve always loved capturing human’s interactions with nature.   Photographs like this remind me of how precious and fleeting life is.  Given enough time, nature always seems to reclaim what it lost.

Ian

I went out the other day on a little road trip to the Salton Sea.  I’m not much of an early riser so instead I focused on shooting images at night.  For those who don’t know, the Salton Sea is located several hours east of San Diego, and is a strange mix of rotting fish, decaying buildings, agricultural run-off, and just weird old things in general.  There is almost a depressing feel to the place, as if the earth is devouring man’s follies, but all of this can make for some interesting photos.

Unfortunately, I always seem to forget just how hard shooting in pitch black can be.  Getting one shot right can take half an hour, and visualizing the final image when you can’t even see your hand can be frustrating.  I did however manage to get a few nice shots before heading back (right into the beginnings of a nasty storm).

Here are two, I have a few more I’ll put up later.

Ian

The other day I decided to go on a quick drive to grab lunch and check out some areas around me.  It also gave me a chance to give my new Canon G11 (advanced pocket camera) a little bit of a workout.  I have to say that I was very impressed with some of the images I got, and while I probably wouldn’t use it for more serious work, it was nice having a lite camera with me for quick snaps.  Here are a few images that I took over the quick trip.  As you can see these aren’t boring measures of sharpness, color accuracy, etc… with 100 percent crops.  Instead I wanted to see what I could get out of each raw images, and if the results were pleasing.

This shot was taken from the Torrey Pines Gliderport.  It’s a nice view but I don’t think I have the cajones to strap into a paraglider and dangle over the Pacific.  It was a little hazy but the camera did a nice job, and you can even see people walking on the beach in the distance.

If I had 40 million dollars I’d probably live here.  This amazing home in La Jolla overlooks the Pacific and for what ever reason it reminds me of old Hollywood wealth.  Again the G11 captured some nice details that really pop with a little sharpening, I cropped and added tinting in photoshop.

I have a lot of photographs from this area in La Jolla, it’s just so photogenic and I love the vibe of the place.  This place is also great for testing the “landscapeability” of a setup.  Here the camera still held detail close and far (thanks to its smaller sensor), and while not exactly fast, I was still able to capture the scene as the seagulls took off.

This image of the amazing Mormon temple in San Diego was taken from across the highway, right before I went to have lunch.  The afternoon light really gave the temple a nice glow and I liked the symmetry of the image.  Again I wouldn’t have taken the shot if I never had a pocket cam with me.  I look forward to experimenting more with the Canon G11, I don’t think I’ve seen all it can do yet.

Ian

Surfer girls and the Canon G11, two things I’m fond of.  Here is a quick shot taken the other day.  I’m used to shooting with a dslr, so I was amazed at how much detail the G11 captured, especially considering it can fit in my pocket.  It’s also nice that no one seems to pay attention to these smaller cameras.

Here is a crop from the above image (taken at iso 80).  I only sharpened it a little, but it definitely shows that the Canon G11 can make for a viable walk-around camera.

I have a soft spot for all animals, but reptiles have always been a life-long love.  I hate to think what sharing a certain kinship with scaly cold blooded animals says about me, but I’ve decided to share a photo of a recent bearded dragon hatchling.  These little guys always amaze me.  I’ve never seen a lizard seem more entitled or hungry, and they certainly have personality to spare.

Ian

Well I was going through some old photos when I came upon this one that somehow got lost in the shuffle.  It may not be the best photograph (some highlights are blown and the composition needs work), but I think it does a good job illustrating back or rim lighting in nature.  If done well, you can get some really nice photos that pop the subject from the background.

Ian

Another shot from my trip to Acadia National Park.  It seems nothing evokes the feeling of Maine more than lobster buoys, colorful leaves, and clam chowder.  Here I framed the image to emphasize the different shapes and colors while trying to maintain a pleasing balance throughout the frame.

While I’ve been going through images, I also have been playing with a new Canon G11.  It’s my first really “pro” compact camera and I am actually very impressed with the image quality, especially below 400 iso.  Hopefully I’ll have a chance to take it for more of a spin later this week.

Ian

Sometimes it’s not about the most mega pixels or razor sharp images, sometimes it’s about mood and the feeling an image gives us.  Often the images that aren’t technically perfect are the ones that become favorites.

Here is one image from an evening of shooting with the new Canon 7D.  It was shot at iso 6400 and underexposed by 2 stops (later pulled up in photoshop).  In most situations a throw away shot, yet with a little processing I have an image that still captures the feelings I had while shooting.  Never let the technical stop you from taking a shot.

Ian

Getting this image almost cost me a quick swim in the Atlantic.  I’ve been going through the many many photos from Maine and this is one I took on my last morning there when the sun had finally decided to make an appearance.  This was an area I had scouted out before but I wasn’t expecting the tide to be so far out.

In fact I probably looked like a circus clown balancing from slick rocks to even slicker seaweed covered rocks while holding a tripod, camera bag, remote release and little common sense.    In the end I think it was worth it since the wet rocks reflect the warm light nicely and the seaweed (while dangerous) gives a nice detail to the image.

I know the site still has a ways to go, but I’m working on several updates and should have the galleries up soon.

Ian

As promised I’ve started going through my photographs from my week in Maine.  I’ll go into more detail once I write an actual summary of my trip, but I will say for most of the week a nor’easter made the weather pretty miserable.  For most of the time I had damp, windy, and heavily overcast conditions…  difficult shooting.  Here are a few quick shots.

Having never been to Acadia National Park (or Maine) before I was pleasantly surprised to see such rugged shorelines on the East Coast, much different than the New Jersey coast I grew up with.  For this image I chose to go with black and white to emphasize the mood and textures of the scene.

The road that runs through Mt. Desert Island (where Acadia national park is located) is just beautiful.  Here I got a lucky 20 minutes of sun so I stopped the car and raced to get this shot before becoming road pizza.

Here is a night view of one of the popular streets in Bar Harbor (the biggest small town on the island).  As you can see it’s a very picturesque place to visit… just make sure to eat before 9:00 since things close a little earlier than in the city.  I’m sure in the summer this street is busy, luckily I missed the tourist season.

I’ll end with this image of the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse.  This is definitely a popular and classic spot to take images, and I couldn’t imagine a more scenic spot for a lighthouse.  Ironically, one of the few times I actually wanted some clouds and I get a perfectly clear evening.  Oh well, I’ll put up a more in-depth summary of my trip (with more photos) once I’ve gone through everything.

Ian

Just got back from an awesome, yet cold, trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. Fall colors were really amazing and the rugged coast made for a lot of great photo opportunities. I’m still decompressing and unpacking, but soon I’ll start putting new photos and info up.

Ian