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.

Sunday, August 19, 2012
Whale's Eye View at the Wharf

Did you ever wonder if it was possible to have an aquarium so big you could keep a pet whale? It would seem I'm not the only one who ponders these things. This is the Ty Warner Sea Center on Stearns Wharf. They have created a wonderful place to learn about the ocean and its inhabitants, as well as a home with an amazing view for a beautiful whale.

Controls from left to right:
+ Zoom in;
- Zoom out;
change the way the view moves when you drag;
toggle full screen

Friday, August 3, 2012
Panoramic Santa Barbara

Panoramic view of Santa Barbara from Santa Barbara City College. On the right you can see the Santa Barbara Harbor and Stearns Wharf. All the way on the left peeking out from under the fronds is the Santa Barbara Courthouse Clock Tower.

Friday, July 6, 2012
Santa Barbara Independence Day Celebration

Fourth of July fireworks over Santa Barbara California. This was early in the show, when there was just enough light left in the sky to see the horizon and for the long exposure to get the colors in the sky and the high clouds above the city.

Thursday, July 5, 2012
Fire Palm

The fourth of July fireworks, last night, from one of my favorite locations high above Santa Barbara. I love the closer palm trees in the photo, and from this angle it almost looks like the fireworks are trying to immitate the palm trees. Fire palms.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Fireworks Over Santa Barbara

The Santa Barbara Fireworks from one of my favorite spots in the Santa Barbara hills. Have a wonderful and safe holiday!!

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!

Saturday, July 25, 2009
Grand Finale Over Santa Barbara

So there I was thinking "If only I had a flash powerful enough to light up the whole city," and then...

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!

Saturday, July 4, 2009
Fourth of July Over Santa Barbara

We usually try to avoid the crowds when there is some sort of celebration in town. (The exception being the Solstice Parade.) This year however, I was looking for a nice Independence Day Photograph for a project I'm working on. The thing is I would not really have been interested in the normal looking-up-from-the-crowd shot anyway. So earlier in the day we spent some time scoping out a nice angle that would include the Wharf and a more interesting Santa Barbara view and this is the result. It always helps to scout your locations ahead of time.

You can click on the main image for a larger view.

Happy Independence Day!! And thank you to all the brave people in uniform who make this day possible.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Stearns Wharf in the Distance

This is the shot I was looking for when I got yesterday's photo of the day. Well sort of anyway. I was thinking this might be a nice angle a little later in the evening once the lights are on in the buildings on Stearns Wharf. Maybe next time I'll get out there a little later. And as I type this the evening news is calling for more clouds next week. I better start making some space on my hard drive for more photos!

Monday, January 26, 2009
SBCC Stearns Wharf View

Saturday was a beautiful day. We had the opportunity to wander around and enjoy the sunset. Which is one of the things I like to do as much as possible this time of year. This was the view from Santa Barbara City College just a bit before sunset. Sometimes my images are totally controlled and I have a plan for exactly what I'm looking for. In this case I stared with a shot from the pathway that you see. The streetlights were not very interesting looking. But after I got what I was looking for I took a walk around to see what I might be missing. I thought the path looked nice so I got a few shots, but even then I did not notice that the lights were already on. It was only after I got home and looked through the pictures that I saw the glow in the lights and decided this was one of my favorite images.

Sunday, March 16, 2008
Santa Barbara Harbor Sunset view from the Breakwater

Another beautiful sunset and another massive image. If you look closely you can see stearns wharf in the image off to the right. (if you have Flash 9 installed, you can use the up arrow to zoom in)

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!

Monday, December 3, 2007
Sunset Wharf Walk

The clouds in the distance are actually our "Marine Layer" (fog) that rolls in to the beach in the evening. It was a good night for a walk on the Wharf.

Friday, July 7, 2006
Santa Barbara Sunset at the Wharf

This image reminds me of visiting Santa Barbara, about nine years ago, on vacation with my best friend. When we first got here she told me that she had to warn me that I probably was not going to want to leave. She was right! But Santa Barbara was not the only thing I got attached to. Now that we live here, my best friend has also become my wife!

Saturday, July 1, 2006
Catamaran Beach

Another Santa Barbara sunset shot taken a few minutes after yesterday's.

Friday, June 30, 2006
Stearns Sunset Panorama

(click to see a bigger version)

More shots from yesterday's wharf walk. Actually, it's a combination of 9 shots. It was a beautiful evening.

Thursday, June 29, 2006
Stearns Twilight

Tonight we took a walk on Stearns Wharf. It was hot and we were hoping to cool off. Of course, we were not the only ones with that idea. It was pretty crowded, but it was a nice walk and a beautiful evening.

Saturday, December 24, 2005
Santa Barbara Beach Panorama

(click to see a bigger version)

Ok I got a new toy! This is actually seven images stitched together in a panorama by a cool little tool named PTGui. Actually it is quite powerful. I am a bit fanatical about image quality and size. I usually work with 16 bit originals from my scanner and the this tool can work with them which is rare.

To truly appreciate this image you have to realize the full resolution version is over 500 megabytes and could easily be printed almost nine feet wide.

Friday, November 4, 2005
Stearns Sunset

Fall has finally arrived. Last week still felt like summer. During the summer there is not usually enough moisture in the air to make an interesting sunset so I always enjoy this time of year.

Thursday, October 20, 2005
Old Sea Center

Just went to the new Sea Center recently, it is very cool. This one burned down but they had been planning on remodeling anyway. If you are ever in the Santa Barbara area this is a great place to learn about the Ocean, especially if you bring kids!

This shot was taken the same evening as this one.

Sunday, August 28, 2005
Stearns Sunset

Ahhh, the end of summer. I don't have to go to school tomorrow, but I can't believe it's over already.

Sunday, July 10, 2005
East Beach Sunset

This is looking back at East beach from Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara. I like the single glowing cloud. It really makes the sky a lot more interesting.