e64c Reflection Photos, by Bill Heller

Reflection Photos

Koi Pond
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Koi Pond

I love Koi. These beautiful fish are in a small Koi pond in Goleta. From the road all you see are office buildings, but when you explore a bit more you find an amazing peaceful spot with a small bridge over a Koi pomd. They were very cooperative, but I did have to promise them some snacks the next time I'm in the neighborhood.

Stearns Sunset Reflections
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Stearns Sunset Reflections

There's no better place to be at sunset than Stearns Wharf at the end of State Street in Santa Barbara. Great restaurants, souvineers and ice cream are all found out here. And they even have been known to film a movie or two out here.

Cabrillo Reflections
Monday, October 15, 2012
Cabrillo Reflections

Cabrillo Boulevard along the waterfront in Santa Barbara has most of what people come to the city for. Beaches, restaurants, shopping and every sunday the Santa Barbara Art Walk.

Great Blue Heron Silhouette
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Great Blue Heron Silhouette

This little lake on the eighteenth hole of the Sandpiper golf course is one of my favorite sunset spots. The birds seem to like it too. This particular evening I was coming back after getting some sunset shots of the rest of the course when I noticed this beautiful Heron resting at the near edge of the island. But try as I might, I could not get a good shot. After he watched me pace back and forth a few times he must have decided I looked too much like a hungry cat. So he decided to go get some dinner of his own. I watched him slowly cruise across the island moving as elegantly and stealthfully as possible hoping he would move into the remaining glow of the setting sun. After a few minutes you can see that my patience was rewarded.

West Beach View from Stearns Wharf
Friday, September 28, 2012
West Beach View from Stearns Wharf

Recently my wife and I spent an evening playing tourist when friends came into town. We took them out to Stearns Wharf for dinner and to watch the sunset. As we were walking back to our car I took the opportunity to get a few shots of the fading colors in the sky. When you live in a beautiful place like this it's a wonderful way to spend an evening seeing it through someone elses' eyes.

Evening on Stearns Wharf
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Evening on Stearns Wharf

Recently my wife and I spent an evening playing tourist when friends came into town. We took them out to Stearns Wharf for dinner and to watch the sunset. As we were walking back to our car I took the opportunity to get a few shots of the fading colors in the sky. When you live in a beautiful place like this it's a wonderful way to spend an evening seeing it through someone elses' eyes.

Figs Still Life
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Figs Still Life

More Fig experimentation. As I was researching figs I found some interesting facts. The fruit of the fig is actually an intersting structure. Each fig is anctualy the result of a whole group of flowers (a botanical structure called an inflorescence). The fig inflorescence is a bit strange in the fact that all of the flowers point inward and you never see the flowers on the outside. This particular structure is called a syconium. Nature is very strange, interesting and beautiful!

Alice Keck Park Peaceful Night
Friday, May 25, 2012
Alice Keck Park Peaceful Night

A long exposure after dark at Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens looking across the duck pond at the gazebo.

Toro de Oro Pepper Reflection
Friday, September 23, 2011
Toro de Oro Pepper Reflection

The Golden Bull pepper... or Toro de Oro. This amazing beauty is from the Santa Barbara Farmers' Market. I picked it out on State Street this Tuesday for a photo shoot for a couple of upcoming Fine Art food photography shows. One show will be part of First Thursdays in Santa Barbara. The show will be displayed at the office of Casa Magazine in downtown Santa Barbara and the reception will be First Thursday (of course) the sixth of October at 5 to 8pm and is open to the public. Hope to see you there!

Listada de Gandia Reflection
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Listada de Gandia Reflection

A beautiful Heirloom Eggplant from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. This beauty was purchased for my upcoming food photography art show, part of First Thursdays in Santa Barbara. The show will be displayed at the office of Casa Magazine in downtown Santa Barbara and the reception will be First Thursday (of course) the sixth of October at 5 to 8pm and is open to the public. Casa will also be having a Flan contest judging at the same time.

Cachuma Lake Sunset Reflections
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Cachuma Lake Sunset Reflections

The last time I was at Knapp's Castle I took a little time to focus on the reason the castle was built in the first place. This is the view from what I can only assume would have been the main living area of the castle. It was particularly good timing since the sunset was amazing. But this video starts as the sun is slipping below the horizon. The faint light pillar and all of the bright spots you see that look like the sun are actually reflections in the flat ice crystals of the clouds. In calm air they can float horizontally and act almost like a mirror, putting on a spectacular show. Even after the sun dips below the horizon. If ever there was a good reason for an encore performance, this was it!

Stearns Wharf Sunset
Monday, July 20, 2009
Stearns Wharf Sunset

Click the main image for a larger view.

Last Friday was a beautiful day to sit and watch the clouds. They really catch my attention this time of year since we usually don't have many of them. I took the opportunity to wander out on the wharf where I could get a wide open view of the evening sky. It was a perfect start for a relxing weekend!

Merry Christmas
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

This is a beautiful little shopping center in Carmel, called The Barnyard. After dinner at our favorite restaurant in Carmel we spent the evening wandering around and checking out Christmas lights. On the right is a great place called Succulent Gardens. If you can't tell from the Epi photos on the site, a place like that is a real magnet for me. In fact a few of our Epis even came from there. On the left is a great little candy shop. (Try the grasshopper bark and the caramel cashew turtles if you stop there!)

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

Curvy Pepper
Friday, September 5, 2008
Curvy Pepper

So we are trying to eat a little better. We stopped at the Farmers' market today to see if they had any good fruit. (The grocery stores have been a little weak lately.) We found some good peaches and strawberries then we found the cool peppers. My wife and I were looking for really interesting ones which caught the eye of one of the guys behind the counter. He started telling us that people even used to take these really nice black and white photos of these kinds of peppers. Like he was reading my mind. Well, except for the black and white part. But maybe tomorrow!

More Garden Goodies
Saturday, August 30, 2008
More Garden Goodies

I just couldn't decide which veggie photo I liked the best. So I put all my fovorites online and you can choose your favorite.

Maybe this weekend I'll get out and get some more panoramic photos. It sure is too hot to sit in front of the computer, maybe a nice beach breeze would help.

Treats from the Garden
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Treats from the Garden

The tomato on the right is the same on from the other day. It's a variety called a Garden Peach The yellow one on the far left with the green stripes is a "Banana Legs".

The ones that did not make the cut for the modeling job made a delicious Chili. It's been a good season for the garden, even though the tomato plants have generally not been very happy this year.

Garden Peach
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Garden Peach

We're finally trying to get back to a normal life here. We recently had a wild fire in the hills near Santa Barbara, "the Gap Fire". We were not warned to evacuate where we live, but we did anyway when the sky turned brown and it looked like the middle of the night at 6pm. I'll get some photos online from some of those crazy days, but right now I just have to say thank you to all the amazing fire fighters and the families who worry about them when they are on the job. Thanks to them not one house was lost.

Still, through all the craziness, I have been taking the time to tinker with my camera. This is a beautiful translucent striped tomato variety called a Garden Peach. This is one of the last ones my wife coaxed off the plant and it is beautiful. It is actually fuzzy like a peach. And this one is still sitting here waiting to be the subject of more photos. But the others from the plant have been quite delicious.

Theresa Ann
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Theresa Ann

Another shot from our recent wanderings at the Santa Barbara harbor. It's a nice peaceful scene, but just to my left was a popular restaurant on a balcony overlooking the harbor. There were lots of people around waiting to get in and having a good time. Next time I'll get an image that includes the restaurants.

Santa Barbara Sunset Harbor
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Santa Barbara Sunset Harbor

We spent a couple of evenings walking around the Harbor watching the sun set this week. I think I could take a walk at the Harbor and the Wharf every night with my camera and never get bored. Every evening when I get home each photo that I love gives me the ideas for three more next time.

This one was partially inspired by another vertical panorama I took at the harbor almost two years ago. It was later in the evening when I took that one, and you can see the stars. But at the time I wondered what it would look like from the other direction with the sunset sky. Now I have my answer!

Hot Espresso
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Hot Espresso

Ahhh more food! (or more specifically drink) It was all I could do to finish this before I go get some coffee myself! (Another of the wonderful things my wife introduced me to.)

Well, these were two of the first experimentations with this style for a series of ads and a website. Generally, I'm pretty happy with it. It's nice to be the designer as well as the photographer. It helps get the exact image you're looking for.

Garlic Reflections
Monday, October 22, 2007
Garlic Reflections

In addition to my local Santa Barbara images site I am in the process of doing some self promotion work for my commercial food & restaurant photography. I've always loved photography and I REALLY love food, so I guess it was only a matter of time 'til I made the connection!

Ohhh I just LOVE Garlic!!

Harbor Earth Shadow
Friday, October 19, 2007
Harbor Earth Shadow

I really love this shot and all the others I took along with it. It was a great evening right after a Photography show walking with my dad at the Santa Barbara harbor.

Aside from the beauty of the scene and the great memories it brings back (as most of my photos do for me), I like the science in this shot. If you poke around the photo of the day it's not hard to notice other evidence of the left side of my brain creeping into my photography. In this case, the dark blue near the horizon that slopes upward to the left is what intrigues me. It is actually the shadow of the Earth. As the sun was slipping further below the horizon behind me on my right side, it still lit the atmosphere above me. It is easiest to see this effect looking out over the ocean so there are no hills or even buildings and trees to block it.

BTW, I finally got back to the photo of the day thanks to a really nice post the other day from Mary Ann. Always wonderful to know people are enjoying my creativity. One of the many things I was doing in my absence was working on a new gallery site of my Santa Barbara photos... www.ImagesOfSantaBarbara.com.

Thanks again Mary Ann!

Habanero Reflection
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Habanero Reflection

I noticed this pepper as I was sitting at the dining room table this morning with my wife and bird. (His cage is in the corner of the dining room. He likes to be right in the middle of the action.)

We have a huge pile of peppers and tomatoes on the table from our plants in the back yard. My wife has been pointing out the cool ones to me for a couple of weeks, and I finally couldn't wait any longer it was time for a photo shoot!

About three hours later this was one of my favorite shots. But I can't take all the credit, I have a great Art Director & food stylist! The cool black tray was my wife's idea.

Mesa Sunset
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Mesa Sunset

There are few places in Santa Barbara where you can watch the sun set over the ocean. Most of the beaches face south. But if you look around you can find a few spots with a nice view.

We have to enjoy the sunsets while they last, this is about the time of year the show is over for about nine months. During the spring and summer there's not usually enough clouds to make a spectacle like this.

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