Monday, December 16, 2019
Beach Glass Abstract

If you look close enough at the normal things around you, you'll find an amazing amount of detail and texture. This is a small piece of beach glass I had on my desk. Upon first inspection it looks like a frosty white piece of glass, but getting in close with my macro lens you start to see the chips and shards in the clear glass that make it look frosty from a distance. you can even see the tiny grains of sand that helped make it the beautiful piece of art it is.

Thursday, December 5, 2019
Shoreline Bluff Golden Hour

Just down from Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara is a beautiful beach. It's a fantastic spot for beach-combing, surfing or just relaxing in an area with less people. Of course, as with many spots around Santa Barbara it really shines as the day draws to a close. The golden light playing off the wet sand is just breathtaking especially this time of year when the sunset can line up so nicely with the beach.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019
Waikiki Fireworks Cityscape

Every Friday Night the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki puts on a fireworks show. It adds yet another layer of beauty to an already amazing view. The idea, of course, is to entertain the tourists, but there are quite a few locals who make an event out of the show too. A good reason to get together and enjoy the beauty all around us that is so easy to take for granted when you see it every day.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Beach Retriever

A Chocolate Lab playing on Butterfly Beach. As with most Labs this guy was tireless, he could have retrieved that ball all day. As long as I was there watching him he didn't slow down a bit, and it took a family of five to keep up with throwing the ball for him. Dogs are great!

Friday, May 31, 2019
Bixby Lights

Bixby Bridge south of Monterey is one of my favorite places to explore especially in the evening. Any time of day the California coast is beautiful, but along with the glow of the few cars on the highway this evening, the clouds were just starting to roll over the hills like a slow motion waterfall making their way slowly to the ocean. In just a few short minutes the entire scene was wrapped in a soft haze.

Friday, April 29, 2016
Stearns Wharf Twilight

Stearns Wharf just after sunset. I can't think of a better place to relax after a long hot day.

Sunday, January 24, 2016
Sunset Surf

My wife and I spent this evening walking on Butterfly Beach. The view was spectacular as always, but this particular sunset coincided nicely with an extremely low tide making for a large beach with lots of rocks to turn over and interesting things to see. And of course plenty of room for every imaginable kind of dog to race after balls stopping only for a second to get a scratch behind the ears from us. (I'm pretty sure they can sense dog people) Since our recent winter storms the surf has been higher than usual, so there was something for everyone tonight. The best part for me was enjoying it all with my best friend!

Monday, January 11, 2016
Walking on the Beach

The rain was amazing last week, but it left our beaches a little less soft and sandy. Still, an amazing place to spend the evening. Fortunately it won't be long before the sand finds it's way back to the beach, and the beautiful hills in the background will be much greener and more alive.

Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Cypress Twilight

Last night at Butterfly Beach. One of the nice tradeoffs this time of year for our extremely early evenings are the fantastic sunsets. Of course you have to make sure you get out to see them. But even later in the evening after the sun is gone, the show can last for a surprisingly long time. You just have to slow down and take it all in (and being away from bright lights helps too). As the evening gets darker, the colors in the sky sometimes get richer and more purple. The sky can take on a completely different look well after the actual sunset seems like it has faded and the show can be just amazing!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Evening Harbor Glow

As we are at the start of another heat wave here in Santa Barbara, it's time to spend more time at the water. And I've noticed an interesting change, as the weather is so unseasonably warm, the water is actually warming up enough that people play in it much more and later into the evening than normally. They were still in the water well after dark, and if you've ever spent any time on our beaches you know they are usually get a bit cool once the sun goes down, and, unless you're really active the water can cool you off uncomfortably pretty quickly even during the day. But these days with over 70 degree water temperatures it's warm enough to stay quite pleasant. Hopefully this will also mean a good wet winter and an end to our drought.

Sunday, August 23, 2015
Carmel Highlands Sunset Mist

Every day is full of wonder. This is the coast of California, just between Carmel (on the Monterey Peninsula) and Big Sur. The views are amazing any time, but in the evening the show is always something special.

Friday, August 21, 2015
Butterfly Beach Milky Way

Waiting for Perseids out on Butterfly Beach. This was a really fun evening. There were only a few really spectacular meteors, but they were worth the wait. Especially with this view. Even without the camera, once your eyes really adjust it's breathtaking how many stars you can see. Even more amazing to think that the little spots of light are just our local neighbors. Really just a small handful of the stars in our galaxy, the bright swath of stars so numerous they blend together and are largely blocked out by the large clouds of gas and dust in the middle. Standing under the stars always brings out the child-like wonder in me! But then again, exploring most of the world with my camera does that too.

Thursday, August 20, 2015
Carmel Sunset Mist

Wandering on the beach in Carmel. I don't think I've ever seen a an evening that wasn't beautiful here, but there are some evenings that are really something special (Like evey evening I get to walk this way holding hands with my wife.) But this particular evening the beautiful marine layer put on an even better show than usual for us, swirling and rolling in over Pebble Hill in the distance. All while this amazing Cypress took it all in. I think it may be time for another trip up our beautiful coast!

Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Butterfly Rays

The sunlight streaming through the ocean mist always puts on a beautiful show. These humid days seem to have a head start, the mist from the waves lingers in the air even longer putting on a colorful show late into the evening.

Friday, August 7, 2015
Butterfly Bluff

A beautiful evening walk on Butterfly Beach. I love the last glow of the sunset. After the main show is over, and there is just a hint of color in the sky, everthing takes on a completely different feel. The same scene in the middle of the day is still beautiful, but the steep angle of the remaining light brings out the textures in the cliff and bathes everything in an amazing glow.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Butterfly Catamaran

There is this beautiful spot I love to take a walk at sunset. Sometimes it's more crowded than others, regularly there are weddings and parties and all maner of tourists passing through from drifter types to the executives staying in the very nice hotel across the street. But if you spend more than a couple of nights in a row there you start to recognize the regulars. Being a dog person, the people who are owned by the more recognizable pups are the ones who stand out the most. There are the Weimaraners, the golden labs and one very slow moving but adorable older Dachshund. Lately one of the regulars is this beautiful catamaran that comes for the sunset. Not sure which one it is from the Santa Barbara Harbor, but it usually just stays for the sunset then moves on. Must be a really nice perspective from out on the water.

Sunday, July 12, 2015
Stearns Reflections

On one of our evening escapes from the heat recently I found myself wandering Stearns Wharf with my wife. The reflections on the water were particularly beautiful this evening (as was the company). It took a little creativity with the railing and a standpipe to do the view any justice without a tripod, but I'm pretty happy with this nice memory of a wonderful evening.

Sunday, March 15, 2015
Golden Hour Paddle

Evening on the Santa Barbara Harbor breakwater. The afternoon was a little more cloudy than expected, it gave us a nice break from yesterday's heat. But the sun still managed to peek under the clouds at the end of the day to bathe the city in golden light. I had the good fortune to spend the day exploring with my best friend, location scouting for beautiful spots for a new senic shot of the city. But in the end everything came together at one of our favorite locations. That's ok, we still found some good spots for another day when the light is different, and had a great time!

Thursday, December 25, 2014
Stearns Christmas Sunset

Stearns Wharf is a wonderful destination any time of year. If you're looking for a spot to get away from the warm summer temperatures or just a beautiful place to watch the boats go by while eating an ice-cream cone. But this time of year the amazing sunsets and the Christmas decorations make it even more beautiful.

Sunday, November 30, 2014
1000 Steps Sunset

A beautiful evening at 1000 Steps beach. The wonderful and colorful dance the sun does as it slips below the horizon is due to the large amount of the atmosphere the light rays travel through at the steep angle near the horizon. You probably already knew that, but did you know that the moment you see the sun touch the horizon on a day like this it has actually already set? The refraction of the atmosphere bends the light around the curvature of the earth so you actually see the image of the sun projected slightly higher than it actually is. The same thing happens in the morning. When you see the sun peek above the horizon the leading edge is still actually below the horizon by slightly more than the diameter of the sun. The results of this atmospheric refraction result in about six minutes more daylight than simple geometry would suggest, which are always welcomed especially this time of year!

Thursday, November 27, 2014
Cannery Row View

Happy Thanksgiving from Cannery Row, Monterey! Ahh the beach, just one of the many things to be thankful for. I hope your blessings are too many to count! Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Stearns Sailing

There are few better places to spend a beautiful afternoon than on the water sailing. Just one of the many amazing things made even better by the wonderful views of Santa Barbara. Add to that an breathtaking show put on by mother nature and you'll have an adventure you won't soon forget. Now if we could just get those beautiful clouds to give us a little rain. Well I guess we can't have everything. (Maybe next week)

Monday, November 24, 2014
Gold Coast

Everyone enjoys the beautiful sunsets here in Santa Barbara. There are always Sandpipers and Seagulls on the beach seeming to watch the sunset with us. But this particular evening there was a comical crow playing chicken with the waves. Sometimes they seem to forget they can fly, and their comical gait makes for quite a show when they're enjoying the beach.

Saturday, September 27, 2014
Crescent Moon

The crescent moon setting over Santa Barbara. When the moon is just a sliver like this, it's easy to miss. (in fact you may have to click to view a larger size image) Especially on a day with a beautiful sunset to distract you. But if you look closely the tiny crescent following the sun over the horizon is a beautiful sight.