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.

Thursday, December 19, 2019
Winter Monarchs

It's a wonderful time of year to catch the Monarchs overwintering. They love these Eucalyptus trees, even though they are not native to the area. Still they have made a wonderful sanctuary for these weary travelers who have come so far!

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.

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.

Monday, June 3, 2019
Mission San Antonio de Padua IR

One of the beautiful California Missions, San Antonio de Pauda is a little off the beaten path compared to some of its peers. But it's well worth the 26 mile drive off the 101 just south of the Monterey peninsula. As with all of the missions, the architecture is beautiful and there are countless opportunities to learn about California's history. This particular day was beautiful and warm, a great day to get some infrared shots that nicely show off the architecture of the main archways, which are not covered in mud plaster. So you can appreciate the beautiful craftsmanship.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Oregon Garden Bench

The Oregon Garden in Silverton is a wonderful eighty acre botanical garden in Silverton Oregon. This beautiful stone bench is a favorite spot for me to explore with my camera. This particular day I was experimenting with my Infrared camera, which gave the garden a wonderful winter scene feel.

Friday, May 19, 2017
Pink Dogwood at Oregon Gardens

Springtime in Oregon means the trees that once put on a beautiful autumn show are now trying their hardest to outdo themselves. Where only a few weeks ago you saw dormant branches, the trees are covered in fresh new growth, but many of them don't bother with leaves this time of year. It's solid flowers as far as the eye can see. And the colors are even more vibrant than the fall in many cases.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Oregon Garden Cone

Waling through The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon makes it quite clear that spring is definitely here. If you thought autumn in the north west was beautiful, wait until you walk through a botanic garden in the spring time. So many bushes and trees are so covered in blossoms that you can't see the leaves or branches. Strolling through this beauty makes for a wonderful way to spend a day. This little guy seemed like he had just opened up, it looks so delicate, almost like it is made of paper.

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!

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!

Friday, October 2, 2015
Point Pinos Sunset Panorama

Sunset in Monterey at the Point Pinos Lighthouse. The sea mist was quite heavy from the large waves on the other side of the light house. It made the sunset colors glow beautifully.

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.

Thursday, August 20, 2015
Carmel Sunset Mist

Wandering on the beach in Carmel. I don't think I've ever seen a an evening that wasn't beautiful here, but there are some evenings that are really something special (Like evey evening I get to walk this way holding hands with my wife.) But this particular evening the beautiful marine layer put on an even better show than usual for us, swirling and rolling in over Pebble Hill in the distance. All while this amazing Cypress took it all in. I think it may be time for another trip up our beautiful coast!

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.

Friday, August 14, 2015
Montecito Golden Hour

The perfect end to an absolutely beautiful day. Sometimes the mist in the air does such wonderful things with the light as the sun dips low it seems almost magical. This particular evening the clouds were looking beautiful, but the sun was a little hidden behind them. Still a nice day for a drive to the nurseries in Carpenteria. But as the sun started to peek below the clouds, the light passing through the low mist on the water turned the most amazing shades of yellow and orange. As vibrant and beautiful as any south pacific island sunset. It's subtle in the photo, but the crepuscular rays created by the shadows of the trees on the hills were a sight to see.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Butterfly Catamaran

There is this beautiful spot I love to take a walk at sunset. Sometimes it's more crowded than others, regularly there are weddings and parties and all maner of tourists passing through from drifter types to the executives staying in the very nice hotel across the street. But if you spend more than a couple of nights in a row there you start to recognize the regulars. Being a dog person, the people who are owned by the more recognizable pups are the ones who stand out the most. There are the Weimaraners, the golden labs and one very slow moving but adorable older Dachshund. Lately one of the regulars is this beautiful catamaran that comes for the sunset. Not sure which one it is from the Santa Barbara Harbor, but it usually just stays for the sunset then moves on. Must be a really nice perspective from out on the water.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Winter Sunset Cruise

This week has been a beautiful week here in Santa Barbara. And the skies have been glowing more each evening. But tonight they put on a show that will not soon be forgotten! I'm not sure if that is a working fishing boat or someone just out for a cruise, but either way it looks like a great vantage point for the amazing light show.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Butterfy Watch

These beautiful palm trees watch over Butterfly Beach in Montecito. They all seem to be trying to lean out to see the sunset around their friends. And who could blame them? What better place to spend the end of the day especially walking on the beach with your best friend.

Sunday, August 17, 2014
Milky Way Over Goleta

Last night in the foothills above Goleta, the sky was beautifully dark and clear. I have been planning a drive to Santa Ynez to get some Milky Way pictures out where there is less light. But last night I just had to get out and see what I could get, even if it was a little late for the drive all the way to my favorite astrophotography spots.

This was one of my earlier shots of the evening. The glow is from cars in the distance and the city of Goleta down the hill in the distance. This spot was not my first choice (or even my second) when thinking of where to go, but as it turned out it was the best. There was just enough of a ridge around this area to block the city lights enough to get some beautiful images of the night sky and to see quite a few beautiful shooting stars!

Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Channel Islands Cirrus

A view of the Channel Islands on a beautiful summer day from Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara

Monday, August 11, 2014
Shoreline Cirrus

Shoreline Park showing off the cirrus clouds that promise to put on a beautiful evening show, as it turns out, one of the best of the summer!

Sunday, August 10, 2014
Friday Night Lights at Butterfly

I've always enjoyed taking my camera out after dark. A long exposure can reveal all kinds of interesting things you didn't even know were there. This was Friday night at Butterfly Beach. The moon was bright enough in the sky to easily catch the details at a faster shutter speed than this. But I intentionally lengthened the exposure to try to capture a more dreamy effect. In the middle of my exposure the people at the right walked up carrying some kind of small light, a cell phone presumably, which made for some unexpected interest in the form of an abstract light painting along the wall.

Friday, August 1, 2014
Andree Clark Sunset

One of serveral absolutely spectacular sunsets this week thanks to high clouds in the area from Hurricane Hernan. This was the view from the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, one of the amazing natural places in the Santa Barbara area, named in memory of the sister of the refuge's primary patron, Huguette Clark. A special thanks to Alan Rose at KEYT, for the heads up early in the week about the impending high level moisture. Knew it was going to be a good week when I heard that.