Santa Cruz Boat Harbor

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I spent the afternoon and evening in Santa Cruz with friends from the photography club.  Someone lamented the lack of a clear, blue sky, but I was happy to have the broken clouds that added drama and interest to the late afternoon sky, and bode well for a spectacular sunset.  A stroll around the harbor brought back memories of a sail from San Francisco to Carmel that included two nights tied up at the Santa Cruz visitor's dock and a crab fest in the back of the boat.  That was 35+ years ago.

  

An hour before sunset I moseyed down the beach looking for a composition that would include the sunset and the Walton Lighthouse.  As I looked around, the slowly sinking sun painted the sky pink, and I was delighted to see not only the color reflected in the shallow water, but also the lighthouse.  

      

And then the big show began.  Most people think that when the sun drops out of sight, the show is over, but when there is a break in the clouds just above the horizon, the light that shines back up can be spectacular, as it was on this night. 

The lights from the Boardwalk roller coaster sparkle in the lower left corner.   The masts are from the Hobi Cats parked on the beach. 

The last photo of the night. 

More photos from this trip to Santa Cruz are on my Flickr Page:  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Return to Fremont Peak

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Several Saturdays a month the observatory on top of Fremont Peak (3,169 ft.) is kept open until Midnight for amateur astronomers, photographers and campers.  Fifteen members of the photography club ventured up the steep, winding road to first photograph the sunset and then the Universe.  A thin layer of fog softened the light of the descending sun, highlighting the ridges of the Santa Lucia Mountains, beyond which lies Big Sur.

 

It is difficult to include the sun in a photo without flares showing up.  I took this flare-free one with my iPhone using Pro HDR,  and then grunge processed it in Snapseed.

Photographing the stars and planets requires a dark, moonless sky, but this lovely crescent moon hung around long enough to charm everyone and give us something to focus on as we waited for full darkness to arrive.

Do you see the Big Dipper?

Getting the correct exposure for a photo of the The Milky Way involves scientific precision and complex algorithims that must be worked out in your head and applied in the dark;  or trial & error:  take a picture, check the histogram, take another picture.  Which method do you think I used?  

 

The observatory houses a 30-inch reflecting telescope, one of the largest available for public use.  As others waited in line to peer through the scope, I set up my tripod to peer around it.  During the 30 second exposure, I painted the scope with a small flashlight covered in red tape. 

The most awesome moment of the night was a spectacular meteor that fell,  cutting across the Milky Way.  It was the longest lasting shooting star I have ever seen.  Everyone erupted in spontaneous cheers and applause that could be heard down the mountain.  Fortunately, I was attempting to capture star tracks with a 25 minute exposure when it occurred.  Cool, huh?

 

Nothing was going to surpass the meteor shot (which two others also captured), so around 11:00, we packed up and headed back to the campground to look through the telescope that Dave Kutilek had set up.  I am so glad that others are interested enough in seeing the details of the Universe that they buy telescopes that I can look through and photograph.  This last shot was a team effort.  Dave positioned the telescope and during the 25 second exposure, George painted the lower parts with his red light while I painted the barrel with my red covered blue light.  I love it!

 

The photography club has attracted a phenomenal group of people.  We share experiences, help and encourage one another, buy & sell equipment, and have a grand time together.  I was so tired during the ride home, and so pleased.

You can see more photos from Fremont Peak on my Flickr page:

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

MH Farmers' Market

I spent a recent Saturday morning at the Morgan Hill Farmers' Market with several friends from the photography club.  An overcast sky provided perfect, diffused light.  I created the unusual appearance by intensifying detail and edges using OnOne Perfect Effects

I bought the cherries after photographing them.  

Delicious.

You can see more Farmers' Market photos on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Waiting for the Moon to Rise

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I spent the afternoon in Santa Cruz waiting for the Full Moon.  I had time to scout several locations with my trusty "Photographers Ephemeris" iPhone app, which showed right where it would appear.   I debated between the wharf and the lighthouse.  The lighthouse won because the wharf was crowded with people.  This first photo shows it just emerging from a low bank of fog. 

  

Then I changed positions to move the moon closer to the light house

 

I was walking to my car when I turned back for a last look and saw the reflection on the water.  There is not much detail in the moon because the sky was pretty dark and I had to use a longer exposure.  I should have upped the ISO, but didn't think of that at the time.

 

I thought I was done for the night and then this scene caught my eye.  I quickly pulled into a small parking lot next to the wharf, and pulled out my gear.  I wanted to walk down onto the sand, but since I was illegally parked, I couldn't venture far from my car.

 

 The long day was worth it.  A lunatic still I am.

"Goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come"

    My father grew up on a small farm in Kansas. Fortunately he joined the Navy, saw California, and decided it would be a better place to live.  Our family made many cross-country road trips back to the farm to visit his parents and sister, and a couple of times my brother, sister and I were sent back on our own (a 5 hour flight during which we were allowed to enter the cockpit to meet the pilots and  receive a pair of wings - pilot wings for Mike and stewardess wings for me & Judy). 

   I journeyed back on my own this time (still 5 hours of flying plus a layover, but locked out of the cockpit, and no wings, just a tiny bag of peanuts) to see my aunt who is now 94. On previous trips I have photographed fields of corn, sunflowers, lightening strikes, and HUGE farm equipment with my Nikon.  This trip I only took my iPhone.  (If only my arms were a little longer, our heads wouldn't look so big.)

The sunsets in Kansas are different than those around here.  Because the land is flat, you can see the sun all the way to the horizon, and it is a GIGANTIC, burning orb.  I processed this iPhoto in Snapseed & then Painteresque, and include it here because the sign so resembled the real thing.

With a heat index of 105 every day (still 99 degrees at sunset), 

I truly appreciated my father's move to California.

Deer Encounters

An unexpected wildlife encounter always invigorates my spirit.  On two recent morning walks I have had the pleasure of meeting up with deer.  One early morning, this trophy buck watched me pass by and was kind enough to look up and pose for a picture (taken with my iPhone).  Click on the photo to see a larger image.

 

I met this doe twice on the same walk in Morgan Hill.  First, I passed within a few feet of her feasting in a yard on West Dunne.  We were both startled and she scurried off up a hill.  Forty minutes later  I crossed over the same hill from the opposite direction and there she was.  This time she stopped long enough for a photo.  I saw her again the next week near the same area with her very small fawn, and even though both stopped to look at me, they were too far away for a clear picture.

These encounters are gifts that are always appreciated

(unlike when they eat the flowers right out of my front garden).

June Moon

In June (& only in June) the full moon rises over Chesbro Dam.  This is the 3rd, or maybe 4th year I have returned to my favorite spot along the bank to capture this charming, celestial event. 

   You would think that photos from the same spot would look 

the same each year, but the light, the weather

& even the water level make each rise unique.

 I loved the moon light on the water.

It has been over 2 years since I ended my project to photograph every full moon for a year, but its allure still pulls me out of the house with camera & tripod in hand.  Still the lunatic am I.