A Photo a Day by Bill Heller

Sand Photos
 
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Stearns Sunset

 I have learned to make the most of the clouds when they come out around here. during the summer we just have haziness and fog. Most of the rest of the year it's clear and blue. But as I have said so often on the photo of the day, the clear blue skies don't make for much of a sunset. But the evening I took this shot was just amazing! We almost did not go since we were getting out a little too late for the sunset. Turned out to be a better image with the stars in it anyway!

So now that I have the VR functionality down I thought I would take the time to fine tune the process. I created this image and recreated it from the 120+ individual shots that make it. This is my fourth complete revision, after trying out about ten different programs for different parts of the process. I can now confidently say there is no substitution for hard work. (I'm hearing my 7th grade english teacher in the back of my head asking me if the computer I did my homework on did the work for me when I pushed a single button) Maybe some day, but we're still not there yet. Quite to the contrary, with each new advance in computing power you just get more room to find a new level of creativity.

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed making it!

 
Friday, February 23, 2007

I Can FLY!

 I took several shots of this dog, but the thing I like about this one in particular is the fact that none of his feet are touching the ground. He was running far ahead of his friend, the guy to the left. Then he would run all the way back. Apparently the pace of the walk was not quite as fast as he would like.

In my case, it could be me making multiple trips back and forth waiting for The Hound. Not because she is lazy, but because when she really gets into her walk she likes to inspect every inch along the way. I experience our walks with my eyes and camera. She is all about her nose. I don't think she even pays attention to her eyes unless something out of the ordinary happens. As evidenced by the orange traffic cone that snuck up on her tonight and made her jump straight up in the air when she realized it was there.

 
Friday, October 20, 2006

Attitude Gull

 I liked this photo when I took it. But I had no idea what I could possibly do with it. Then, when I was getting ready for a show one evening I started playing in Photoshop. I decided that the space above the bird was perfect for a little creativity. The way he was walking made him seem very determined, but there was just a little something missing. The reflection in the glasses is the palm trees from another one of my cards.

I was actually able to convince many of the kids at various art shows that I had to bribe the seagull with fish to get him to wear the glasses. :-D

 
Monday, August 28, 2006

Great Bounding Beach Bassets!

 Bassets are quite possibly the cutest creatures on the planet IMO. This guy was just having a good old time following his nose cruising along, falling behind. Then his owner (food-slave in proper Basset terms) called him. He looked so happy bounding along to catch up. There's nothin' quite like a sixty pound dog running on 4" legs.

 
Thursday, August 24, 2006

Sunset Exercise

 I went to the doctor and, big surprise, I have to eat healthier and get more exercise! (should have seen that comin') On the plus side, walking is his recommended way to do that. And I figure, if you're gonna walk, you might as well do it someplace nice!

This is Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara. It is one of the less traveled beaches around here. It is not in an area that you would normally stumble on. And it is our favorite beach. So after making one good pedometer out of two broken ones, we had a nice sunset walk. Oh, I mean... we went out and got some exercise!

 
Thursday, May 11, 2006

Santa Barbara Beach Bums

 We have not been seeing the sun much lately. But, it is a beautiful day when we do!

 
Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Happy Beach Hound

 This guy was having a really good time! 'Course who wouldn't have a good time running on the beach in Santa Barbara at sunset?

 
Monday, October 17, 2005

Bounding Beach Vizsla

 Dogs are wonderful creatures. And, it's hard to take a bad picture of one of them. This is a Vizsla doing what they do best. They are a tracker, retriever, pointer kind of huntin' dog and they are extremely high energy.

Of course you would never see my hound dog doing something like this. She would explain that she is far too dignified for that. She would continue to explain that she is a scent hound. So once she leads you to where the tennis ball is, it is YOUR job to go and get it. Besides, she has not been excited about the water at the beach since she realized someone ruined the recipe with too much salt. We have been known to have some high energy romps on the beach though.

 
Friday, August 26, 2005

Smiling Dragon

 Another shot of Gracie the Sand-Dragon. This is what we spent last Saturday doing in a contest to benefit the music Academy of the West.

 
Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Gracie the Musical Dragon

 This is Gracie the Dragon, she was designed by my best friend for our church's entry in a sandcastle contest to benefit the Music Academy of the West. (That explains the keyboard she is playin'.)

Gracie won first place in the adult division!! Not really the point, but it really was exciting after all of the hard work. We carried about a hundred and fifty gallons of water to the spot to make the sand wet enough to stick together.

 
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.

 
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 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...

 
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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