Self Portrait

Having some fun at the Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge

with my iPhone camera, 

to which I attached a fish eye lens.

One Day Road Trip: San Francisco

At 8am, I decided to spend the day in San Francisco.  I needed to scout some locations for an upcoming club shoot-out.  First stop was "Cupid's Bow" on The Embarcardo just past the Bay Bridge (which is behind me in the photo). 

Next stop was Crissy Field and Fort Point, where I ate my picnic lunch in the company of this seagull.  This is an iPhone Photo.

 

You can just see the fort on the left.  The arch was specially built over the fort to save it from demolition.   The fort was closed (under construction).

 

A path from behind the Warming Hut, a small cafe, leads to the GG Visitors' Center, which was closed (under construction).  I couldn't get to most of the usually good photo ops because of the large chain link fence that surrounded the construction.  This was the only shot I could get with flowers and no fence.

Next stop was the West Battery, which offers a unique view of the west side of the bridge.  All access was closed (under construction).  So I continued south on Lincoln Drive, not knowing where I was not going to get access next.  Ah! I spied a sign for Baker Beach.  I have never been here, but I have seen photos, so I turned into the parking lot.  The bridge was much farther down the beach than I had anticipated, but I trudged along in the sand lugging my camera, tripod and bag.  

About half way to the rocks, I looked around and discovered this beach was "clothing optional."  I had no idea.  Was it bad form to show up at a nude beach with a zoom lens?  What could I do?  I  didn't want to turn back.  I had already invested too much time and energy.  When I saw two men frolicking in the waves right I wanted to photograph,  I stopped, set up the tripod, zoomed in and took my photos. This is the only one that would not be rated X.  Click on the photo for a larger view.

Leaving Baker Beach, I had to decide where to go next?  You'll have to read the next post for the continuing story of my one day road trip.

One Day Road Trip: Coastal Highway

After leaving Baker Beach, I continued south. I could cut over to to the freeway and drive directly home or stay on Lincoln, which would eventually lead me to Highway 1.   Since I had never traveled this road before and I didn't know exactly what I'd see along the way, I stayed on Lincoln.  I  wanted to be near the ocean and I had a vague idea that I might stop in Davenport to photograph the sunset.  I knew what towns were along this highway, but I didn't know the mileage.  I could have looked on a map, but I decided to just wing it.  The biggest town along the way was Half Moon Bay.  I drove right through.  Then I saw the lighthouse.  I had totally forgotten about Pigeon Point Lighthouse.   If sunset hadn't still been hours away, I would have stopped here to shoot it.  I'll come back another time.

 

The lighthouse was surrounded by an unsightly, wire fence, so I walked around the grounds looking for better views, but I didn't stay long.  I still had quite a stretch of highway between me and the sunset.   I got all of a quarter mile down the highway when I spotted a turnout with a rutted road that passed right through the wildflowers.  No sign told me I should stay off it, so I slowly ventured  forth toward water's edge. This was perfect, exactly what I had been hoping to see, and no hiking involved.  I had to switch into 4-wheel drive to get back on the highway.  Fun stuff.                   

 

I took this with my iPhone (propped on top of my Nikon), processed it in Snapseed, and immediately posted it on Facebook.  (I always add a frame to my iPhone photos.)  Here's an interesting side story.  One of my Facebook friends tagged the photo.  Her Facebook friends saw it, one of whom is a life long friend of my sister.  Kinda makes you want to break out in song: "It's a small world after all."   

I arrived in Davenport around 6pm.  Sunset was still over an hour and a half away, but the clouds held the possibility of a colorful display, so I decided to wait it out.  The town is very small (pop. 475) and I had no idea where to set up my tripod.  I wanted a view of the cliffs, but a large field loomed between the highway and the ocean.  I pulled into a dirt turn-out and saw a road that led across the railroad tracks toward the ocean, but this time an "Authorized Vehicles Only" sign stopped me.   I walked down the road, crossed the tracks, and saw a path that skirted around what turned out to be a field of artichokes.  I hesitated because this would put me on an isolated path, by myself after dark.  The safe thing to do would be to walk back to my car and go home.  I didn't. 

The sunset was not the spectacular show I was hoping for, but still, the water and the cliffs were beautiful. 

I took this last picture 30 minutes after sunset.

April Full Moon

Click on the image to see a larger view.

Did you see the April full moon? I did.
I scouted several locations before deciding on this one
along Coyote Creek Trail.

A park ranger asked me what I was doing.  I just pointed at the moon.  He needed to lock the gate, and I needed time for the moon to rise higher in the sky so I could get the reflection.  He waited patiently while I reset my tripod to line the reflection up with the V in the grass.  Since it was dark and I was by myself, I was glad to have him around.   Even though I felt a bit rushed, I got the shot I wanted.  You can see 4 other moon photos I have taken over the past year on my Flickr page:http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/  I am still a lunatic.

Anderson Lake County Park

Just below Anderson Dam is a nifty little park, perfect for family picnics, strolling along Coyote Creek, and meeting up with fellow photographers, such as I did last Saturday. This club shoot-out was a little different in that only Point & Shoot Cameras were allowed: no big DSLRs with multiple lenses. I must say, it was a treat to walk around sans tripod and heavy camera bag.

Kids threw rocks into the water for me.

I love our county parks.

Poppies & Tulips

Click on a photo to see a larger image.

With rain in the forecast, I had to get out and photograph the poppies right away. They had been in bloom for some time already, and I feared their crisp condition would not last much longer. I looked for large patches that would allow me to take both group and individual shots. I found this first country scene along Watsonville Road, and the second on top of Uvas Dam. Both required my lying on my belly to get the angle I wanted. I came home with clothes full of stickers. The individual shots were all taken from these two locations.

This is the image I had in my mind; a single flower with an out-of-focus background. I processed this in Topaz Adjust to get a painterly effect. Also the next one.

Since my camera was out, I took advantage of an overcast sky to capture the tulips from my garden. There is something very satisfying about photographing flowers I've planted and grown at home. Sort of like how vegetables from your own garden taste so much better than store-bought. I did not use my macro lens for these. I moved back and zoomed in with a telephoto to get the dark, blurred background.

Bearded Iris are next, then Roses, then Glads, then...

More of Morgan Hill in the Morning

My morning walks have become so much more interesting since I got my iPhone. I am eager to discover the photographs I will spy along the way. The first 5 images have one element in common. Do you see what it is?

This is the tree in front of my house.

Looking west toward Morgan Hill from Harvey Bear Park