Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Shoreline Vibrance

Yet another one of those evenings recently that had such vibrant colors from horizon to horizon that you could actually hold your hand out and see the color of the sunset light falling on it. Interestingly, although the moisture came from the same weather system as my recent photos, the clouds this evening were completely different. The thing that was the same though was the beautiful light that bathes everything in such richness. Add that to the natural beauty of Shoreline Park during a nice walk with your best friend and you have a truly memorable evening.

Sunday, July 19, 2015
Dolores Sunset

Yesterday the most amazing thing happened. We were out enjoying the beautiful day and water actually started falling from the sky. Unfortunately it came with lightning bolts, so we postponed the walk we were planning on the beach, but it was still a very welcomed change. And by the end of the day the sun streaming through the clouds was so beautiful we decided to try again. As you can see we were greatly rewarded!

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!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014
I'd Rather Be

Would you rather be surfing? Fishing? (or even wandering on the beach with your camera) right now? I know I would! Well, something to look forward to... have a great day no matter where you are!

Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sunset Dog Run

Dogs always know how to have the most fun, especially at the beach. These guys were racing up and down the beach at Shoreline Park with seemingly infinite energy. Their people, like my wife and I, were more content to just take in the amazing beauty around us.

Sunday, October 13, 2013
Reflections of The Belt of Venus or...

...Paddle Boarding in the Shadow of the Earth. Just after sunset there is a beautiful phenomenon that we can clearly see in Santa Barbara thanks to generally clear skies and good views of the horizon. The blue band you see in the sky opposite the location where the sun recently set is actually the shadow of the earth. You can see it cast upon the atmosphere in the distance as the angle of the sunlight dips below the opposite horizon. The pink or purple layer above that is called the Belt of Venus or the anti-twilight arch, which is caused by a completely different phenomenon, a backscattering of the light from the already set sun. You could think of it as a reflection of the sunset that is happening further to the west of your location. Now isn't physics pretty? By the way, if you're more of a morning person you can see these effects just before sunrise too.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Shoreline Bluff

Just after sunset the colors are beautiful this time of year. This is looking east from Shoreline Park, one of the best places in town for a nice evening walk.

Friday, March 15, 2013
Sunset at Shoreline Bluff

Yesterday we took a nice walk at Shoreline Park in the evening. We decided the best use of our daylight savings hour was to spend it on the beach, or at least overlooking it. It was a bit of a hazy evening, but I think most of it was sea spray, and it made for an amazing sunset!

Saturday, March 2, 2013
Shoreline Snowy Egret

Time for another local resident! I love all the birds that frequent our shores, but the Egrets have to be some of my favorites. This is a Snowy Egret, fishing at the beach at Shoreline Park. If you ever get the chance to watch them fish it\'s definitely worth the patience to stay still and let them get comfortable with your presence. They like to slowly walk through the shallow water, reaching out with their free leg and large foot to agitate the water, trying to scare any tasty treats out of their hiding places. Their large feet, combined with the fact that they actually walk on their toes giving the impression that their knees bend backward (when in fact it\'s their ankle) makes them look like they are reaching out with a hand just like a person would. This guy does not normally have an upright crest, but those beautiful wispy neck feathers were getting quite blown by the wind. So they have another human-like trait, they can have bad feather days!

Sunday, January 27, 2013
Golden Shoreline Run

Girls running in the surf on the beach at Shoreline Park. I particularly like the gold water splashing up by their feet. They looked like two sisters enjoying the beach together. They stopped long enough to take in the sunset for a moment, then they were off again splashing in the breaking waves around their feet.

Monday, January 21, 2013
Shorline Reflection

This evening was a great one to spend on the beach. A few wispy high clouds and a great view of the setting sun. We found ourselves at Shoreline park late in the afternoon and decided to take a walk down the long stairway to the beach where we wandered and watched the setting sun. This is about the time everyone on the beach seemed to just stop and watch the beautiful scene. It was a wonderful evening!

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