Author: Michael Scandling

Crystal Silence

February 13, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 21
Abstract / California / Horizon / ICM / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Positivity / Seascapes

July 9, 2020 — San Mateo County, California. Feb 12, 2021 My Office. On February 9, we lost Chick Corea. A phenomenal composer, pianist, arranger, and producer. A mentor. A marvelous human being. Here’s an excerpt from his farewell message: “It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs […]

I’m Lookin’ at YOU, Flightless Biped!

February 4, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 33
California / Photo Log / Photography / Point Reyes / Wildlife

January 20, 2021 — Point Reyes National Seashore, California It’s been a minute — maybe several — since I’ve posted wildlife. I’ve been concentrating on abstract and impressionistic seascapes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love to shoot wildlife — photographically. A couple weeks ago, The Muse and I went out to the Tomales Point trail for a long hike in celebration of significant click on my personal chronometer. It was a sunny day. Mild […]

The Essence of the Essence

January 30, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 12
Abstract / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

July 10, 2010. San Gregorio Bluffs, San Mateo County, California. January 28, 2021, My Office Here’s what I said in my August 3, 2020 post of the mother of today’s picture: This is an impossibly small crop of a much larger frame — a starting point for an imaginary stroll on walkable water. I was going to post this last night, but it wasn’t ready. This is a picture where every nuance counts. An adjustment […]

Relic: Revived

January 29, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 18
California / Horizon / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Point Reyes / Seascapes

December 8, 2014 — Point Reyes National Seashore, California I came across this while verifying my archives a few weeks ago. I marked it to remind me to come back to it and come back to it I did. The original shot was fodder for what you see here: not what the camera saw, but what I saw. I was quite happy with it when I worked on it last night — but this morning […]

In the Mist

January 26, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 10
Abstract / California / Horizon / ICM / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

Hard to believe this was shot in the same place and in the same hour as the one in the last post. But it was. Despite the stormy day, this shot is tranquil. ICM does strange things — especially in a misty environment. The 25-foot waves were there. There are even some in this shot, but the mist and the intentional camera motion obscures them. (Nikon D850, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR zoom. RAW processing […]

Theater

January 24, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 14
California / Impressionism / Monochrome / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

January 10, 2021 — San Francisco, California Hard to believe this was shot in the city of San Francisco and not in the cold, cold North. Also hard to believe I overlooked this on my first pass through the shots. (Well, not that hard to believe. There were almost 2,000 shots.) On the second pass though, it jumped out at me. And I thought, “I’m looking at a theater.” This is a hand-held long exposure […]

Calm in Chaos

January 18, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 22
Abstract / California / Horizon / ICM / Impressionism / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

January 10, 2021 — San Francisco, California More big surf at Ocean Beach. Weather Service said 20 to 25 feet and they were right. I shot 1,946 frames with an eight-pound camera/lens in a little less than three hours. Good upper-body exercise. Some of those shots used fast shutter speed and some slow. Some with camera held steady and some with intentional camera motion. Interesting phenomenon: Some ICM shots of heavy insane surf end up […]

Avalanche

January 8, 2021
by Michael Scandling
comments 44
California / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

January 2, 2021 — San Francisco, California I went to Ocean Beach in San Francisco to shoot waves in dense fog for abstract or impressionist pictures. I did get shots for some of those. But the fog cleared for maybe thirty seconds and I caught this handsome specimen as well. I rarely discuss social issues here. This is a photography blog. I will simply say that now more than ever I hope, wish, pray for […]

UFS

December 24, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 30
Iceland / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Positivity

January 28, 2020, 11:29 p.m. — Jökulsárlón, South Coast, Iceland Picked up from the Feb 21, 2020 post: The plot thickened; the aurora action quickly moved to center stage. This was taken when the Kp index of disturbances of Earth’s magnetic field caused by solar wind was 3.3. I can’t imagine how bright the top of the Kp scale — 9 — is. Maybe you really do need sunglasses. And then… What’s this? Unidentified Flying […]

707

December 19, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 35
California / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

December 9, 2020 — Pacific Grove, California  Taken a few minutes after the shot in the Dec 14 post. I’m not Rachael Talibart and I do not have easy access to the Sussex coast, but on this day the Pacific’s collision with the Monterey Bay coast did provide towering but very temporary structure. She names her works after characters in mythology, but here I’m reminded of the tail of a Boeing 707. I do believe […]

A Different Kind of Opportunity

December 15, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 8
Abstract / California / Impressionism / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

December 9, 2020 — Pacific Grove, California The fog rolled in like a silent locomotive, stayed for a few minutes, and rolled out just as quickly. As I snatched each of the muffled succession of enshrouded waves, visions of exploring the limits of high key filled my mind. (Nikon D500, Tamron 100–400mm f/4.5–6.3 Di VC USD. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 4.1; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

Opportunist

December 13, 2020
by Michael Scandling
comments 13
California / Inspiration / Photo Log / Photography / Seascapes

December 9, 2020 — Pacific Grove, California I’m slowly emerging from my cave… A few days ago, the Muse and I headed south on a journey in search of Monarch butterflies and the manifestation of a high surf advisory — and for an Ambrosia Burger and glass of Santa Lucia pinot noir on the deck of Nepenthe 30 miles further down the Big Sur coast. We got there just a few days before sitting on […]