Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Channel Islands Cirrus

A view of the Channel Islands on a beautiful summer day from Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara

Monday, August 11, 2014
Shoreline Cirrus

Shoreline Park showing off the cirrus clouds that promise to put on a beautiful evening show, as it turns out, one of the best of the summer!

Thursday, October 31, 2013
Channel Islands Autumn Colors

We are fortunate enough to have some of the most beautiful views around regardless of the season or weather. But some of my favorite spots have a completely different feel this time of year, and standing in the exact same spot I can get a completely different picture from one I would take in the spring. Although the beautiful palm tree in the foreground doesn't give any hint to the season the way the fall leaves in New England would, we still enjoy amazing autumn colors of our own.

Sunday, August 4, 2013
Moonlit Island Fog

On the surface near the beach they call it June Gloom. In Santa Barbara the fog that rolls in the late spring and early summer can be very thick right at the surface. But if you take a step back and get a better view you can appreciate its beauty more. This evening the fog was hugging the surface in the marine layer, a cool layer of air just above the water. As it met the resistance of the islands, at first it was not thick enough so it went around, but as the evening progressed it started to pour over the island like running water.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Montecito Sunset Panorama

This spot in Montecito on the walk by Butterfly Beach is one of my favorite spots to watch the sunset. The lights on the land to the right are in downtown Santa Barbara, on the left you can see the channel islands.

Saturday, January 12, 2013
Gone Fishin'

This week was great for fishing, at least if you're a Brown Pelican in the Santa Barbara area. There are almost always pelicans feeding off the coast here, but there must have been some impressive schools of fish off of Butterfly Beach a few nights ago. The two Pelicans on the surface behind the dive bombers just surfaced from their dives and there must have been hundreds of attempts. If you look closely to the left of the photo you can see a nose sticking out of the water of what I believe must be a sea otter. But it's hard to say since I was paying so much attention to the Pelicans I did not actually see him until I looked at the photo.

Saturday, January 5, 2013
Santa Barbara Twilight

This angle over the city is one of my favorite views of Santa Barbara. But I usually wait for just the right combination of weather and clear air to make the sky beautiful, and the islands sharp. Usually the islands are shrowded in mist at this time of the evening if there are good sunset clouds, and you can't truly appreciate how large they actually are since they just poke out of the fog with their bases hidden. After my last shot at this location I knew I wanted to focus on the harbor and the wharf when I returned. This evening everything finally fell into place to get the image I was looking for.

Saturday, September 29, 2012
Putting on the 18th Green

Final shots of the game, putting on the 18th hole at Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta.

Thursday, September 27, 2012
Tenth Hole Tee Off

A shot from the tee at the tenth hole of Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta, California. In the distance is the green and water hazard of the 18th hole, with the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Barbara Channel islands in the background. And amzing spot for a great shot (and a nice picture too).

Sunday, July 1, 2012
Westmont Evening Island View

Another one of the beautiful higher education opportunities in the Santa Barbara area, this is Westmont College out in Montecito. There are many beautiful views to choose from on this campus, but this has to be my favorite, from atop this large boulder overlooking (appropriately enough) The Adams Center for the Visual Arts, you can see all the way out to the Channel Islands.

Monday, January 16, 2012
Santa Barbara Channel Islands View

This winter has been unseasonably dry, but this weekend we had some beautiful clouds. I had been planning a trip to this spot in the hills for some time. But to get what I wanted (a view of the islands and a clear shot of the wharf and harbor with a beautiful sky) I needed the perfect combination of clouds and clear air. I finally got it!

Friday, January 18, 2008
Shorline Sunset Panorama

Click the main image for a larger view

As I have mentioned before, there are very few places you can see the sunset over the water in Santa Barbara. Our coast faces the south for the most part. But there are a few small sections that give you a glimpse of the setting sun.

This is a combination of thirteen shots covering more than 200°. My intention was to shoot an entire 360° image. In the end this particular set of images caught the best lighting to bring out the beautiful texture of the clouds. But it did not quite make the full circle.

If you like the panoramas, you should check back. My wife got me a couple of nice tripods, and one will be perfect for a panoramic head I have been drooling over... er, I mean carefully considering investing in. :-D

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Leadbetter Beach Woodcut - No Lifeguard On Duty

I went out this evening to get some evening shots of the city. I was not sure exactly what I was looking for, but when I drove by Leadbetter Beach I saw it. :-D

This scene reminds me of a woodcut technique where the black silhouette is printed over a gradient background. The sky was cloudless, the dark outline at the left on the horizon is Santa Cruz Island part of Channel Islands National Park.

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!