May 12, 2020 — San Mateo County Coast, California Driving has always been allowed in California. There is simply nowhere worthwhile to park. All state beach (meaning “beach”) parking has been blocked. But there had been rain (finally) and the sky promised to be interesting, I drove to the coast to try my luck. I was expecting reasonably good surf for wave photos. Six to nine feet was the forecast. I was pumped. The very […]
June 28, 2018 — Puketeraki Lookout, Otago, South Island, New Zealand Rescued from the archives. Here’s one that I kept coming back to, but in post-processing I could never get it to do what I saw. Tonight I could. And did. Persistence pays off in the end. This is for all the Kiwis who are showing the rest of the world how it’s done. In adversity, the light shines even brighter. Persistence pays off in […]
January 23, 2017 — Sonoma County Coast, California Rescued from the archives. I think the thing that appeals to me about glints of light on horizons is that I would prefer to think that there is a glint of light on the horizon — no matter how distant the horizon may be. And there is, provided it is we as individuals who supply the light — no matter how distant the horizon may be. I’ll […]
April 15, 2015 — Windy Hill, Woodside, California I was going to post something else today, but a look at an Instagram post by Óli Haukur inspired me to show this instead. Oli made the point that most photography instructors stress low ISO settings for low noise and therefore “best” image quality. Image quality these days seems to be based solely on low noise and extreme sharpness. His opinion is that, based on these criteria, […]
January 10, 2016 — Marin County coast, California Many years ago — longer ago by far than when this picture was shot — someone close to me was enthralled by music that was extremely minimalist, consisting almost entirely of texture and tone. Very little form, rhythm, or melody. Only texture and tone. Although I can’t really say I liked it, I had an appreciation for what he was hearing because he and I are cut […]
February 9, 2020 — East Bay Hills, California The San Francisco Bay Area abounds with breathtaking views. The views from the hills across the Bay from San Francisco are among the best — looking straight back across the Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge is an impressive feat of engineering and construction. When it was built in 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It has since been surpassed, but the main span […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland I think I’ve only done this once before: posted that same frame twice in a row, with the second being a re-do. There’s a story. When I posted this picture the other night, I decided at the last minute that the image was too dark. It was late and I was in a hurry, so I simply went back to the 16-bit Photoshop file and […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland Beside the fact that it was his photography workshop in the first place, I have Gary Hart to thank for this one in another way. His blog post today* prompted me to go back and review my own version of the same scene, and when I did, I came across this shot made about fifteen minutes earlier. I’d overlooked it because the RAW file seemed […]
December 24, 2018, Sonoma County Coast. I’ve looked at this frame approximately 9,476 times* and failed to see its potential. Today, I saw it with different eyes.** Don’t it make my brown eyes blue. Except they are blue. Be well. Do good. Be kind. Create. (Nikon D500; AF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.) *If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times — I never […]
May 8, 2015. Devil’s Slide, near Pacifica, California. Another hidden treasure from the archives, this one from a memorable shoot on Devil’s Slide. When I was in high school, one of my favorite things to do was sketching with chalk on black paper. When I look out to sea, my favorite thing to see is a streak of light on the horizon. Reminds me of chalk. Reminds me that even then I was seeking to […]
December 23, 2017, Sonoma County Coast. This was taken about two hours before the shot in the last post. This is what this most remarkable day looked like. No post-processing except to straighten the horizon 1/10 degree (hand-held shot) and tone down the white at the top of the frame a just as tiny little bit. That’s it. It was a quicksilver sea. The Pacific was living up to its name. Be well. Be kind. […]
December 23, 2017, Sonoma County Coast. For those who wondered what happened to the pixels in yesterday’s post, here is the image before the changes. Yes, it really did look like this. It was a remarkable day. Be well. Do Good. Be kind. Create. (Nikon D500; Nikon 28-300 f/3.5-5.6G Zoom. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
December 23, 2017, Sonoma County Coast. Another archive dive. This one taken even further into abstraction. The pixels are in a complete daze. (Nikon D500; Nikon 28-300 f/3.5-5.6G Zoom. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
Dec 8, 2014 — Point Reyes National Seashore, California Another archive dive. The image came to me in a dream recently. There was nothing special about the original shot — but today I was in search of a good starting point. Those pixels never knew what hit them… Be well. Do good. Create. (Canon 7D, Sigma 18-200 f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
Dec 6, 2013 — Sonoma County Coast, California An archive dive. Taken within a few minutes of one that I posted nearly a year ago. An idealization / abstraction / impression of reality. The lives of many pixels were changed forever… Be well. Do good. Create. (Sony RX-100. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.) (WordPress has altered the tones on this. Click/tap on the image for a better rendition. I hope.)
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