Pacific Grove

This is the third year that I have returned to Pacific Grove in the spring to photograph while the ice plant is in bloom. The combination of colors is just gorgeous and I have yet to get the photograph I want. Many have been pretty, but I want more than just pretty. I'll know it when I see it, and until then I will just have to keep returing every spring. Such is the life of a photographer. As I stepped out of my car, I noticed an artist standing at his easel.

Pacific Grove 1

I started to photograph him from where I was standing, but decided I should be more bold. I didn't want to intrude, but I needed to get closer. I walked up to him and asked if he minded if I photographed while he painted. He pretty much grunted his OK. I stated the obvious, that the ice plant was not yet in full bloom, and he commented that he liked the variety of colors that were available before the purple blooms completely dominate the landscape. I had to agree that they were lovely.

From where I was standing, I could see how his painting completely blended in with the scene. He stepped back for a moment and I quickly moved in and took this shot. I showed it to him and he commented that it looked like he had gotten the colors right. By this time he was a bit friendlier, and agreed that I might send him a small copy. He gave me an invitation to a reception at a gallery in Carmel that is featuring his art. I really like this photograph; the way the two art forms are merged into one. He really was getting the colors right.

Pacific Grove 2

The Northern California coast is a beautiful place to photograph.

Pacific Grove 3

I watched this seal for a long time. It seemed to want to just sleep, but in fact, it was in constant motion; scratching, squirming, rubbing, and fortunately for me, looking around. I kept the lens focused on its head until it looked my way.

Spring Break & Allison

I haven't been out to photograph much this week. My niece, Allison, is visiting from Virginia. We drove up to Harvey Bear County Park to hike and have a picnic. Great day, sunny but with a cool breeze. I was hoping to see lots of wildflowers, but they were a bit sparse.
We hiked the Mendoza Trail that has views of the entire south valley. This is a composite panorama of 5 photos. It is so small, it hardly does the scene justice, but it shows enough to give you an idea. It was about a 3 mile hike, up-up-up at the start and then level and down. A good way to spend a cool, sunny afternoon.

Finally, by Thursday it warmed up enough to go to the beach. Spent the afternoon at Capitola. The beach is very messy with washed up, dried out seaweed, and therefore, lots of flies. It is also cut by a fairly fast moving stream that must be crossed to get to the ocean. On Friday we headed to Santa Cruz and the Boardwalk. Just as I imagined, a parking space was waiting for us on the street next to the beach. Gorgeous day, sunny and warm with a perfect cool breeze. We are both a bit sunburned, but just enough for Allison to return to the east with a California tan.

Wildflower Run

On Sunday, 5 April, Noella Vigeant and I photographed the AAUW sponsored Wildflower Run, which included a 2K race around the track for kids, a 5K walk & run and a 10K run. More than 700 people entered the various events. Noella and I set up a storefront on Shutterbug so runners could view and purchase the photos. The top photo of the 2K start was published in today's edition of the Morgan Hill Times, but credit was mistakenly given to their staff photographer instead of to me. Bummer! We also did not get credit for the photos that were published on line. Big Time Bummer. The bottom photo is the start of the 10K race.

This was quite an exciting adventure; to take on the responsibility of photographing such a large event and setting up the storefront to sell the photos. We upload the photos to galleries in Shutterbug Storefront, and then runners may view their photos and place an order. Shutterbug takes care of payment, printing and shipping. It seems to be working. We have been receiving several new orders every day. I love it when a plan comes together.

Math Mardi Gras

On Sunday, 29 April, I photographed the Morgan Hill Math Mardi Gras, an annual event sponsored by the American Institute of Math (AIM). It is a carnival of interactive math games and competitions for students in grades 2 through 12. Student volunteers helped kids to understand a profusion of math concepts, taught them how to play Sudoku and SET, and how to solve a Rubik's cube. At the same time, Math Jeopardy competitions ran continuously on stage. The two photographs above were published in the Morgan Hill Times on Friday. Additional photos were published in the online edition along with an article describing the event. The link to the online story is: http://www.morganhilltimes.com/news/254963-who-says-math-isnt-fun I am a bit proud of the top photo, a father/son team competing in the Sudoku finals. I knew the angle was good, and I stood watching them through the lens until the boy scrunched down a bit. I was pretty sure the paper would choose this one to publish.

The photo below is of a student and her teacher. I held them in the viewfinder for awhile also, until the girl looked up. I love the connection between the two.