Courthouse Photos
Friday, May 17, 2013
Vista Point Storm
There is a little turn off from the 101 South about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara. The evning I took this was right after a great storm rolled in. Santa Barbara and Goleta were already socked in. They are somewhere in that deep dark cloud on the horizon. But the storm had such a distinct edge, it seemed like it would be possible to get out from under it so I took off for the Vista Point. A few miles before I got there the clouds started to break up and I got out from under the rain enough to watch it slowly make its way toward me as the sun was going down.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Santa Barbara Courthouse Anapamu Garden
A panoramic view of one of the most beautiful buildings in Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. The sunken garden in the center is used for a wide range of creative things throughout the year. It's an amazing spot right in the middle of the city.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Courthouse Sunken Garden Clouds
The sunken gardens at the Santa Barbara County Court House is the location of many community events and festivals. There are few places more recognizable as a local Santa Barbara landmark.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Clocktower Compass View
Another angle on the view from the Courthouse Cocktower
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Clocktower View Center stereographic corner vertical 02
A view from the center of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Clocktower.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Santa Barbara Courthouse Clocktower
One of the best places in Santa Barbara to sepnd the day is the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. One of the most amazing architectural experiences around, and it costs absolutely nothing to enjoy the beauty and the view from the top. (Unless of course you have a photo shoot there and you have to pay for a permit, but this day was purely for the enjoyment.)
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Courthouse Clockwork Closeup
This is a close-up of the gears at the top of the clockwork inside the Courthouse Clocktower. I find the gear box on the top as well as the cool looking universal joints on the four sides that allow the shafts to have a slight angle in them. I'm sure glad they were inspired to display the clockworks when they refurbished the clock.
Friday, October 12, 2012
View from the Top of Santa Barbara
A beautiful view over Santa Barbara. This is one of the most amazing spots in Santa Barbara. The top of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Clocktower. From here you can see from one end of the city to the other, The Mission to the Ocean. This particular angleis overlooking the sunken gardens of the courtyard with the Pacific Ocean on the right.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Santa Barbara, City in the Hills
One of the most amazing views around is, of course, from the Courthouse clocktower. I love the perspective it gives you on the city, like a map laid out in front of you that not even Google can compete with. This is the view over Anapamy Street looking north. On the left you can just make out the towers of the Mission Santa Barbara.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Santa Barbara
The classic view from the courthouse clocktower. I have been thinking about visiting the courthouse for a few months now. Yesterday the clouds were so beautiful I had to drop everything and go!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Courthouse Clockwork
Thanks to some dedicated volunteers, the Courthouse clocktower has a new attraction. As if the view from the top wasn't enough. Refurbishing the mechinsim of the clock was something that was overdue. But the dedicated caretakers of this local gem went above and beyond. Rather than just fix the clock and close it back up, they realized the intricate workings of this amazing device was something most visitors would love to see. With the backdrop of an amazing mural the wokrings of the clock are as beautiful and interesting as the exterior architecture that encloses it. I particularly like the gear at the top that distributes the movement of the clock to the four faces on the sides of the tower.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Towering over Santa Barbara
A little bit different angle on the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Clocktower.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Santa Barbara County Courthouse Mural Room 360 degree Panorama
There are few more perfect places to take a 360° Panoramic Photo than the Santa Barbara
County Courthouse Mural room. The walls of the room depict major events in the history of California. The entire room is a spectacular
work of art. Don't forget to look up at the amazing detail on the ceiling.
Controls from left to right:
+ Zoom in;
- Zoom out;
change the way the view moves when you drag;
toggle full screen
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Courthouse Clocktower Morning Colors
A beautiful view of an absolutely amazing example of local architecture, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Courthouse Clocktower Morning Colors
A beautiful view of an absolutely amazing example of local architecture, the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.
This is an older shot from a permit shoot of the Courthouse. There seems to be a lot of demand for Courthouse images lately,
(not hard to see why,) so I have been trying to find some interesting unpublished images to add some variety.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Sunken Gardens Twilight
A wonderful spot any time of day, the Courthouse Sunken Gardens
take on a magical quality at night. The lighting makes for
wonderful photo opportunities that would not otherwise be possible.
I like to experiment with architectural photography later in the
evening than might seem to work. As long as there is still blue in
the sky to complement the buildings it's a good time for photos.
Controls from left to right:
+ Zoom in;
- Zoom out;
change the way the view moves when you drag;
toggle full screen
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Spirit of the Ocean
A sunset view of the "Spirit of the Ocean" fountain at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. The fountain recently underwent a major restoration. The original sculpture (seen in this photo) now resides in the Courthouse basement. A new sculpture was lovingly carved from massive blocks of stone to match the weather worn original.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Courthouse Clocktower from the Garden Balcony
Another in a series of Santa Barbara Courthouse images I have been preparing for an upcoming project.
This is the view from the balcony above the Courthouse Sunken Gardens looking toward the Clocktower. The evening was early enough to still get all the beautiful details of the architecture, but late enough to see the beautiful landscape lighting.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Santa Barbara County Courthouse Anacapa Archway
One of the most famous views in Santa Barbara, the County Courthouse from the Anacapa side offers veiws of the beautiful archway and clock tower. The tower is the location of many weddings and is just an amazing place to see a panoramic view of the city.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Bridge of Sighs
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is one of the most beautiful buildings in California. This wing, unlike the others, is much more beautiful on the outside. The tower and the rest of the wing on the right of this photo were the former county jail. The bridge connecting the main part of the courthouse to the Jail wing is called the "Bridge of Sighs" after a bridge (Ponte dei Sospiri) in Venice, Italy. It was the bridge that was said to be the last view prisoners would have of beautiful Venice before they were led to their cells, and so they would sigh as they saw the last glimpse of the beautiful city. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a California Historical Landmark NO. 1037.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Santa Barbara Courthouse Sunken Gardens, Virtual Reality
The sunken gardens at the Santa Barbara County Court House is the location of many community events and festivals. There are few places more recognizable as a local Santa Barbara landmark.
Controls from left to right:
+ Zoom in;
- Zoom out;
change the way the view moves when you drag;
toggle full screen
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Looking West from the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Clocktower
A beautiful view on a wonderful day. Looking out over Santa Barbara from the County Courthouse Clocktower.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Santa Barbara County Courthouse Anapamu Garden at Night
This is another angle on the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. There has been a great deal of interest in my courthouse images in the last month, so I thought I would add a few more.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Courthouse Twilight Garden Panorama
The architecture of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse offers no end of enjoyment for a photographer. This view looking over the sunken gardens just after sunset shows the amazing lighting that so perfectly accentuates the features of this wonderful local treasure.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Courthouse Twilight Garden
Santa Barbara County Courthouse at twilight from the sunken gardens.





