Friday, January 17, 2020
Santa Barbara Twilight Glow Sepia

A little different take on the view over Santa Barbara. The glow of the city lights through the fog lends itself nicely to a sepia effect.

Friday, December 20, 2019
Surf Butterfly Beach

I've never surfed at Butterfly Beach, but I can't think of a much more beautiful place to be waiting for a good wave to come in. Especially this time of day!

Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Sandpiper Lenticular Sunset Path

A little bit different view of an amazing evening at Sandpiper Golf Course. I never tire of the view from here, probably because every day is a new work of art.

Saturday, December 7, 2019
Evening at Mount Carmel Vertical

One of my favorite local landmarks, Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Montecito. There are many well known sights to see in Santa Barbara, but this is one of the little local gems that is more tucked away off the beaten path.

Thursday, December 5, 2019
Shoreline Bluff Golden Hour

Just down from Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara is a beautiful beach. It's a fantastic spot for beach-combing, surfing or just relaxing in an area with less people. Of course, as with many spots around Santa Barbara it really shines as the day draws to a close. The golden light playing off the wet sand is just breathtaking especially this time of year when the sunset can line up so nicely with the beach.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Beach Retriever

A Chocolate Lab playing on Butterfly Beach. As with most Labs this guy was tireless, he could have retrieved that ball all day. As long as I was there watching him he didn't slow down a bit, and it took a family of five to keep up with throwing the ball for him. Dogs are great!

Friday, April 29, 2016
Stearns Wharf Twilight

Stearns Wharf just after sunset. I can't think of a better place to relax after a long hot day.

Saturday, April 16, 2016
Twilight Harbor Mist

The evening mist rolling in over Santa Barbara always puts on a beautiful show. This particular evening the beautiful fog was just enveloping Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor as the last colors of the setting sun bathed the city in a beautiful glow.

Thursday, March 17, 2016
Courthouse Arch and Tower Panorama

An amazing angle on the beautiful Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Yacht Club Moonset

The day after the new moon, there is just a sliver of a waxing crescent that sets right after sunset. It makes for some beautiful and interesting views with the setting sun. Last night there was an interesting low layer of wispy clouds enveloping the beautiful crescent just before it slipped out of sight.

Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunset Surf

My wife and I spent this evening walking on Butterfly Beach. The view was spectacular as always, but this particular sunset coincided nicely with an extremely low tide making for a large beach with lots of rocks to turn over and interesting things to see. And of course plenty of room for every imaginable kind of dog to race after balls stopping only for a second to get a scratch behind the ears from us. (I'm pretty sure they can sense dog people) Since our recent winter storms the surf has been higher than usual, so there was something for everyone tonight. The best part for me was enjoying it all with my best friend!

Monday, January 11, 2016
Walking on the Beach

The rain was amazing last week, but it left our beaches a little less soft and sandy. Still, an amazing place to spend the evening. Fortunately it won't be long before the sand finds it's way back to the beach, and the beautiful hills in the background will be much greener and more alive.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Cypress Twilight

Last night at Butterfly Beach. One of the nice tradeoffs this time of year for our extremely early evenings are the fantastic sunsets. Of course you have to make sure you get out to see them. But even later in the evening after the sun is gone, the show can last for a surprisingly long time. You just have to slow down and take it all in (and being away from bright lights helps too). As the evening gets darker, the colors in the sky sometimes get richer and more purple. The sky can take on a completely different look well after the actual sunset seems like it has faded and the show can be just amazing!

Thursday, December 3, 2015
Joe's Cafe Sepia

Joe's Cafe on State Street in Santa Barbara is an absoulte landmark. It's one of those places every Santa Barbara local seems to have great memories and cool stories about.

Sunday, October 4, 2015
Endless Wonder

Every day is a work of art! Although the weather conditions can be similar and there are things I look for to give me hints where to stand with my camera, I never cease to be in awe of the individual beauty of each day. I can return to the same spot over and over, but there is always something new to see. This is from one of my favorite perches in the foothills overlooking the Santa Barbara Harbor, Stearns Wharf and Santa Cruz Island in the distance. This is the direction I like to face on a clear evening with high beautiful clouds like this. On an evening like this it's tempting to go somewhere and watch the sun set over the hills or at the beach. But when the conditions are right, the glow cast by that spectacular sunset can bathe everything in a wonderful new light. If you take the time to look around and not be distracted by the obvious show, sometimes you'll find something even more amazing. And if you can manage it, don't ever loose that sense of wonder, It makes every day amazing!

Thursday, September 17, 2015
Courthouse Tower

A beautiful angle on an amazing local architectural wonder.

Saturday, September 5, 2015
Clocktower Twilight

An amazing view of Santa Barbara just after sunset from the top of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Evening Harbor Glow

As we are at the start of another heat wave here in Santa Barbara, it's time to spend more time at the water. And I've noticed an interesting change, as the weather is so unseasonably warm, the water is actually warming up enough that people play in it much more and later into the evening than normally. They were still in the water well after dark, and if you've ever spent any time on our beaches you know they are usually get a bit cool once the sun goes down, and, unless you're really active the water can cool you off uncomfortably pretty quickly even during the day. But these days with over 70 degree water temperatures it's warm enough to stay quite pleasant. Hopefully this will also mean a good wet winter and an end to our drought.

Monday, August 24, 2015
Mission Evening

The Santa Barbara Mission, after a long and busy day. Only a few of us wander the grounds this late in the evening, but there are always people marveling at its beauty. The white light in the middle of the photo is from the cell phone that another pair of evening explorers were using as a flash light to find their way. Over the long exposure the people all but vanish, leaving the light as their only trace. And I can almost feel the cool breeze again looking at the way the tree's branches were swinging.

Saturday, August 22, 2015
Santa Barbara Twilight Glow

The cool breezes lately in the evening have welcomed the return of an absent friend! This year more than most I have really missed the beautiful blanket of fog that rolls in over Santa Barbara. No two nights are ever quite the same. Sometimes the boundaries are less defined, but other evenings, like this amazing night, the marine layer has a distinct boundary making look like a slow gentle wave washing over the city. There is no better place to be when that happens than just above it watching the glow of the city lights peek through.

Friday, August 21, 2015
Butterfly Beach Milky Way

Waiting for Perseids out on Butterfly Beach. This was a really fun evening. There were only a few really spectacular meteors, but they were worth the wait. Especially with this view. Even without the camera, once your eyes really adjust it's breathtaking how many stars you can see. Even more amazing to think that the little spots of light are just our local neighbors. Really just a small handful of the stars in our galaxy, the bright swath of stars so numerous they blend together and are largely blocked out by the large clouds of gas and dust in the middle. Standing under the stars always brings out the child-like wonder in me! But then again, exploring most of the world with my camera does that too.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Yacht Racers

This evening walking out to the breakwater at the harbor, we immediately noticed something a little different. In the distance there was a noticeable presence that was a little out of the ordinary. In the place where the hard working fishing boats normally sleep tucked safely away in their slips, there was a very orderly procession of perfectly identical (and very large) sail boat masts. As we got closer we saw that the location is now (I assume temporarily) inhabited by a fleet of very nice looking racing yachts. It seems there is some sort of race in town, and the people involved were having a great time at the many restaurants along the harbor. This area is usually quite festive with tourists and people out for an enjoyable evening, but this evening there was an even more noticeable party atmosphere.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Butterfly Rays

The sunlight streaming through the ocean mist always puts on a beautiful show. These humid days seem to have a head start, the mist from the waves lingers in the air even longer putting on a colorful show late into the evening.

Monday, August 17, 2015
Santa Barbara Courthouse Mountain Sunset

A beautiful evening at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. It's hard to match the beauty of the Santa Barbara Courthouse, but then again, from the right view on an evening like this it just fits right into its amazing surroundings.