A Photo a Day by Bill Heller

Beach Photos
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Monday, August 8, 2005

La Jolla Evening

 We were just marveling at an unseasonably beautiful sunset here in Santa Barbara tonight. Usually this time of year the air is too dry to make an interesting show. But, even with the beautiful show, we still didn't get anything quite like La Jolla in the winter. Partially because we have a south facing beach here and the sun sets over the mountains rather than the water.

 
Saturday, July 16, 2005

Seal Beach Sunset

 Some days it is easier to get up and go to a photography show than others. This is one of the days that was really hard. Not because I don't like the shows. It is just an amazing amount of work to set up a nice display, basically from scratch, each week.

Fortunately, the people always make it worth the effort. I am always interested in what people like, and this photo is for the several people today who asked for sunsets. This beach is known for it's seals.

I really enjoy watching peoples' reaction to my photos. And, I get very excited talking to them about photography and the subjects. I'm not just talking about people who are interested in purchasing prints either. Almost every time I go out I talk to someone who is sure I have spent thousands of dollars on my equipment. And, wishes they had the money to spend so they could experiment with photography. I am always happy to inform them they can get the same camera (and lens) I use for about $70 on eBay.

Actually, these conversations always remind me of a joke I like...

A Photographer was at a dinner party. The hostess, while admiring some of his work, told him how much she loved his photographs. As she looked through the images she said "Wow, you must have an amazing camera!" The evening went on and as the photographer was about to leave he thanked the hostess for her hospitality and the delicious dinner she had prepared. As he left, he added "You must have some amazing pots!"
 
Sunday, July 10, 2005

East Beach Sunset

 This is looking back at East beach from Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. I like the single glowing cloud. It really makes the sky a lot more interesting.

 
Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Watching the Fireworks

 Well it was a good fourth. We spent the day at a picnic put on by the Elks. I had a booth with my photography, there was a lot of food and lots of nice people. Even Zoe had a good time (she loved the chicken!).

I didn't know much about the Elks, other than the fact that a few of the ones I know remind me of my dad, so they must be good people. Turns out they are a pretty cool organization, they do a lot of things in the community to support kids programs.

 
Monday, July 4, 2005

Grand Finale

 Happy Fourth of July!!

My favorite thing about this photo is the kid sitting on the post. He is a little blurry, it was a long exposure, and each time there was a really big boom he would jump and squirm a bit. You can not really make it out on this version, but in the high resolution scan you can even see a slight shadow of his arms out at the sides of his head as he covered his ears after a particularly loud one.

 
Sunday, May 22, 2005

Butterfly Beach Sunset

 The weather around here in June is known as "June Gloom." The fog comes in over the water before dawn and we usually don't see the sun until about 4:00 in the afternoon. Sometimes the beach is totally covered all day. There can be a wall of fog right by the beach that looks thick enough to touch.

The fog in this image is not quite that crazy. It was an amazing evening. I had to wade pretty far out in the water to get the angle of the sun behind the trees. And, I was not really dressed for swimming at the time.

 
Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Day at the Beach

 This is actually from last summer, but it felt so much like summer around here yesterday I was feeling in the mood. That water is looking better and better at 90 degrees with no A/C!

 
Saturday, May 7, 2005

Santa Barbara Sandpiper

 These guys are fun to watch on the beach, sometimes they seem to forget they can fly as they run from the waves. I particularly like the perspecive of this shot. I got down more at his (her?) level and it made for a much more interesting photo.

 
Wednesday, May 4, 2005

Sunsite Kite

 Since Monterey lies on the North East side of the Monterey Peninsula you have to go around to the Carmel side to see the sunset over the ocean.

Of course, I did get some nice sunrises from the Monterey side :-)

 
Tuesday, May 3, 2005

Leadbetter Catamarans

 Leadbetter beach is a popular tourist beach in Santa Barbara. Usually these catamarans are just lined up on the beach waiting for someone to come along and rent them. You can see their masts in this photo taken very near that same spot.

 
Saturday, April 30, 2005

Sunset Run

 This was taken from above, on Stearns Wharf, which gave it the interesting perspective.

 
Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Beach House

 If you look near the bottom of this image you will see a house tucked away at the bottom of the hill. There is a long winding road leading down to the house that starts just to the left of where I was standing. It curves around to the right far out of the image, before reaching the house. What a driveway.

 
Monday, April 18, 2005

Pacific Coast Sunset

 One day while we were in Monterey we took a drive down Highway 1. It was a hazy day, but that made for a nice sunset. As we got higher on the side of the mountain it looked like we were above a layer of clouds that was hugging the water. With a little luck I will have some photos of that... as soon as I get the other 23 rolls of film developed. :-D

The bright spot at the left of the photo that initially looks like the sun is actually a lens flare. The sun is out of the frame. Because of the haze, including the sun in the shot made a large fuzzy bright area rather than a nice sunset shot.

 
Friday, April 8, 2005

La Jolla Seal

 There are a few places along the coast in Southern California that the Harbor Seals have claimed to raise their young. This guy was hanging out at one of the most accessible ones. The people in La Jolla have made attempts to re-take this small section of beach, but fortunately the Seals have won so far. You can see another of his friends here.

 
Thursday, April 7, 2005

Sunset Reflection

 This was taken from East Beach in Santa Barbara. The strings of lights are Christmas decorations on Stearns Wharf.

 
Monday, March 28, 2005

Santa Barbara Sunset

 Like I said before, we don't get a lot of clouds around here, but when we do it is quite a show. And I'm very thankful to live in such a beautiful place.

 
Wednesday, March 2, 2005

Beach Rock

 Some pictures are all about the timing. I like the fact that the close side of the rock is dry. I took a couple more pictures on the next waves, but they are not quite as cool 'cause the rock was already wet.

 
Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Snowy Egret

 Subjects like this really reward you for being patient. This Egret was slowly wandering around the edge of the water looking for a snack. We must have looked like quite a site, him stalking lunch, me stalking him. Over about 20 minutes I was able to get really close.

 
Monday, February 21, 2005

Sea Basset

 There is a great spot in La Jolla where the Harbor seals take over the beach in the winter. There is a roped off section of the small cove called "Childrens' Pool" that allows the seals to bask with their young. You can get very close to them and watch their antics. Which, incidentally is why this picture is named what it is. These guys really know how to relax, and when they are not relaxing, they are total clowns. Just like my Basset.
 
Sunday, February 20, 2005

Evening Surf

 I talked to a friend on instant messenger last night. He had just arrived in Europe for a week. It made me start to think it had been too long since I went on a nice trip. So I went to Sammy's today to stock up on film, my primary requirement for vacation supplies. ( Think... Hmmm, did I forget anything? nope, got film!... oh, I forgot to pack any shirts! )

In keeping with that thought, this is a shot from my first trip to La Jolla. Walking along the edge of the bluff by the beach gives you a great perspective on things happening at beach level.

Well Steve, I hope you are having a great time! Take lots of pictures!

 
Friday, February 18, 2005

I GOT IT!!

 I have been around a lot of dogs in my life. And yet, they never cease to amaze me with their capacity for all of the best traits we would love to see in each other. For a while I thought I had just had the incredible good fortune to have encountered a few outstanding individuals. I mean, I have seen my share of dogs that are "problem dogs," untrained and unpleasant to be around. But, the dogs that have been members of my family have had something about them. Something that made them seem like real beings capable of much more than a simple submissive role. They actually had something to contribute to the family, and they were given the opportunity to express themselves and become the true friends they wanted to be.

Now that I am finally owned by the Basset Hound I have dreamed of for 15 years I am starting to realize that perhaps there was not as much "special" about our dogs as I originally thought. Perhaps every dog has that spark of greatness in them, and it is up to us to nurture it... or to tie it out in the back yard and throw really bad kibble at it until even the greatest spirit would shrivel.

What are you still doing reading this, go hug your dog!!
(or better yet take them for a romp in the park!)

Don't have a dog!?

Perhaps I can help...

 
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Moonlit Laguna

 This shot was taken after dark, lit only by the nearly full moon. I have been experimenting with evening and night time exposures. This was a twenty minute exposure on Fuji Velvia.

 
Sunday, February 6, 2005

Dollars in the Sand

 I have seen a few sand dollars in my life but this was the first time I ever saw live ones. There were a few burying themselves right in the middle of the beach where everyone walks, so we moved them to a more secluded area in a tide pool.

These guys are related to sea urchins and star fish, and the way you can tell they are alive is the small spines move like waves. Unless they are frightened, then they play dead. Of course, there was no doubt with most of these. We could actually watch them trying to bury themselves.

When I was searching Google to find out a little more information about them it was interesting to see that the majority of sites referring to live sand dollars were talking about how to kill and clean them. I'm thinking more people need to invest in cameras. :0)

There were a few good sites however...

 
Saturday, January 29, 2005

Ventura Sunset

 Before I lived in Santa Barbara when we visited here this was one of our favorite stops on the way home. It is a nice beach in Ventura about 30 minutes south of Santa Barbara. At the beach end of this pier is a great Seafood restaurant called Eric Ericsons.

 
Thursday, January 20, 2005

Butterfly Beach Dog

 If you are wondering if this dog was having a good time you can actually see his tail wag if you look at the arc of drops of water coming off of his tail.

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