Return to Uvas

Click on a photo to see a larger view.
After another heavy rain, I drove back to Uvas County Park, this time on a Friday. My plan was to photograph just this one fall, which I couldn't get to last week because of all the people. It is at the start of the Waterfall Loop Trail and photographing it requires standing on a very narrow bridge and then moving off (tripod and all) every time a hiker wants to get across. Last Sunday, I put it off until the afternoon, hoping that by then most people would be gone; and they were, but it had also started to rain, so I had to skip it. On this day, I had the trail to myself. I like the curve and the sense of turbulence in the water.

I was so enthralled with the water (again) that I continued up the trail. Swanson's Creek was flowing faster and fuller than ever. New falls had been created from the water flowing off the hillsides, and the water was brown with silt. This helped the photography. Very little sunlight makes its way into the canyon, so the brown water helped balance the contrast between the water and the dark rocks & creek bank, and it brought out the texture of the surging water. It was moving so fast that without the color, the water would have been a white blur. In this photo I like that the boulder appears on the verge of tumbling out of the picture

This last photo, of Black Rock Falls is a composite of 5 horizontal photos that were stitched together in Photoshop Elements. I probably could have included the whole fall if I had switched to a wide angle lens, but I was perched on a small patch of uneven, precarious ground and getting wet from the spray: not good conditions for exposing a camera sensor.

My quick trip to the park turned into a 3 hour hike and photo shoot, and even then, I was reluctant to leave. What is it about moving water that is so compelling?

Scroll down to the previous post to see last weeks photos.

Uvas Canyon Waterfall Loop Trail

Click on a photo to see a larger view.

Just 12 miles from my house is a gem of a county park: Uvas Canyon. Spring fed Swanson Creek flows all year, although in the summer it is a mere trickle. The park offers several hiking trails, but the most popular is the easy, one mile Waterfall Loop Trail. After our recent series of storms, the numerous falls along the trail were overflowing. I have photographed on this trail several times, and I have never seen so much water surging down the creek and swirling over the rocks. It was one photo opportunity after another. Take a look...

I intended to take macro photos of the abundant, thick moss that clings to tree trunks and rocks, and flourishes in this damp winter environment, but initially, I was enticed by the roar of the falls. As I was photographing at the top of the loop, it started to rain. I moved under a tree that gave me a bit of cover so that I could switch to a macro lens. I covered my camera a with a shower cap and headed back, looking for photogenic moss along the way. The rain was pelting me. It wasn't that heavy, but the water gathered in the leaves of the trees and then fell in large globules on my head. To take these last two photos, I held my wide brim hat over the camera.

I returned to my car warbling, "Singin' in the Rain."

I was soaked, but I didn't mind. I like the rain.

Amaryllis Macro Shots

Every November I buy several amaryllis bulbs and plant them at intervals, so as the bloom on one withers, another is just opening up. The last bulb I planted sat in the pot for weeks, seemingly with no intention of giving me the pleasure of watching it grow. I deemed it a dud, but never got around to tossing it out. Sometimes it pays to procrastinate. Suddenly the stem started to grow, and grow, and grow. When it reached 30 inches, the bud gradually opened into its destined elegance. I took these back-lit shots with my macro lens.

I love this spectacular flower.

A Morning in San Francisco

Click on a photo to enlarge it.I saw a picture online of the TransAmerica Building in San Francisco that was taken from Pier 7. I thought the pier itself looked charming, with its wooden planks, tall lamp lights and curved iron railings. I decided I had to check it out for myself. After two weeks of clear, gorgeous weather, a storm was forecast for Monday, so I took off for the City early Sunday morning, thinking it might be the last chance to catch some blue sky for awhile. I went early hoping to get a parking space close-by and to have the pier to myself. I didn't want tourists in my shots. I got the parking space and the pier, but fog was still hanging over the City. In the first few shots I took, the spire disappeared into the mist. I waited. Eventually the fog thinned a bit, but not enough for the shots I had envisioned. Sometimes you just have to make do. In this hot, I like the way fog hangs over Coit Tower in the distance.

I walked back to my car and continued up the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. Most of the charm of the wharf has morphed into an overcrowded, tacky, tourist trap that attracts visitors and repels locals. I was only going to drive through, but it was still early enough and cold enough that the hoards had not yet arrived. I found a parking space on the street and pulled in. On one side of the street are colorful, kitschy souvenir stores, crowded so close together that merchandise spills out onto the sidewalk. Interspersed among the tee shirt, postcard, and sea shell shops are the museums (wax and otherwise), plus many Kodak yellow camera shops. Just in case you are not lured in by the gaudy displays of valuable merchandise, many stores also have a barker to let you know he has the perfect lens for your camera.

You can see more of this side of Fishrman's Wharf on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/
On the bay side of the street are all the restaurants,
including the sidewalk seafood bars.

The wharf is not all tourist attractions.
It is also the home of many working fishing boats.

By the time I had my fill of the wharf, the fog had lifted. I headed back to Pier 7. Can you believe it? The same parking space was available. I had my blue sky, and although people were now walking and jogging on the pier, I got the shots I had come for.

I set my camera on the bench to get this last perspective.

I love San Francisco. It has so many photo worthy sectors. The problem is that it is always crowded. Trips to the City have to be well timed to avoid commuter traffic on weekdays and tourists on weekends. I shall return.

Creative Endeavors

I didn't take many photographs in January. I was feeling a bit burned out and stale, so I let photography go for awhile. My day at the beach (previous post) helped, but I still couldn't get the creative juices flowing. So instead of taking new photos, I imported a few I already had into Photoshop Elements to explore how I could creatively morph them into a new artistic reality. This was tons of fun. You may see more of these in the future. I've included both the original and the transformed. Click on a photo to see it enlarged.

This is new for me.
I would love to know your thoughts on how I altered reality.

Winter Sun

While the people in the northeast were suffering bitter cold,
I went to the beach.

We have had 10 days with no rain and although the sunny days and summertime temperatures seem wonderful, they are not good for us. We need rain to fill the reservoirs and snow to pack the mountains. We need winter! But if the sun is going to shine, let's take advantage of it by going to the beach where we can get a good dose of vitamin D. Many people must have been thinking this same way because Santa Cruz was packed. Are we in the midst of a baby boom? I have never seen so many toddlers; hundreds of them digging holes, shoveling sand into pails, and squealing with delight as they danced in the cold surf. I read my Kindle, watched the parade of sailboats leave the harbor, and took a few photographs.

I saw people walking on the jetty out to the lighthouse, so before heading home, I drove across the river to the west side of the yacht harbor.

The path that leads out to the jetty meanders by
Seabright State Beach.

A high surf advisory was in effect. People have been swept right off these rocks by high breaking waves, so as I approached the lighthouse, I kept an eye on the ocean for the rogue wave that would put me in the 11 o'clock news.
Despite the warning sign, it seemed calm enough, so I watched the sailboats return to the harbor. I have sailed into this harbor myself. I knew how these returning sailors felt after a day of sun, wind and undulating ocean.

I have included this last photo because it was the final one I took that day, and I was able to get a star effect from the sun, a technique I learned from Gary Hart during a photography workshop.

BTW: to those people who are having a cold, wet winter:

it is not all fun and games for us in California.
In a 7 day period this month, we had 10 earthquakes.

Natural Bridges

The photography club held a shoot-out at Natural Bridges State Beach. There is a Monarch Butterfly reserve at the park (a stand of Eucalyptus trees where the butterflies can hang out & rest during their long migration), but alas, there were no butterflies. High tide was in so photos of the tide pools were out. Sometimes you have to give up on preconceived ideas and go with what's available. The white Egrets in the white surf were engaging...

and the surf bubbles over the sand made appealing patterns.

And then I saw this little flower, all by itself.

If interested, you can see photos of the Monarchs I took at the
Pismo Beach Reserve in December 2009:
http://visual-journey.blogspot.com/2009/12/pismo-beach_31.html