Friday, January 17, 2020
Santa Barbara Twilight Glow Sepia

A little different take on the view over Santa Barbara. The glow of the city lights through the fog lends itself nicely to a sepia effect.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Sandpiper Lenticular Sunset Path

A little bit different view of an amazing evening at Sandpiper Golf Course. I never tire of the view from here, probably because every day is a new work of art.

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.

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!

Sunday, October 4, 2015
Endless Wonder

Every day is a work of art! Although the weather conditions can be similar and there are things I look for to give me hints where to stand with my camera, I never cease to be in awe of the individual beauty of each day. I can return to the same spot over and over, but there is always something new to see. This is from one of my favorite perches in the foothills overlooking the Santa Barbara Harbor, Stearns Wharf and Santa Cruz Island in the distance. This is the direction I like to face on a clear evening with high beautiful clouds like this. On an evening like this it's tempting to go somewhere and watch the sun set over the hills or at the beach. But when the conditions are right, the glow cast by that spectacular sunset can bathe everything in a wonderful new light. If you take the time to look around and not be distracted by the obvious show, sometimes you'll find something even more amazing. And if you can manage it, don't ever loose that sense of wonder, It makes every day amazing!

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.

Saturday, August 22, 2015
Santa Barbara Twilight Glow

The cool breezes lately in the evening have welcomed the return of an absent friend! This year more than most I have really missed the beautiful blanket of fog that rolls in over Santa Barbara. No two nights are ever quite the same. Sometimes the boundaries are less defined, but other evenings, like this amazing night, the marine layer has a distinct boundary making look like a slow gentle wave washing over the city. There is no better place to be when that happens than just above it watching the glow of the city lights peek through.

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.

Saturday, August 15, 2015
Sandpiper Glow

I've never been much of a golfer, but I do love spending my time on the beautiful courses around Santa Barbara. This is Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta, where some good friends hold a golf tournament just about every year. Although I wouldn't be much help to them with a club, I take great pleasure in wandering the course with my camera trying to do the amazing views justice. If you've ever tried to make a business out of something you love to do, you know it can have its challenges. But days in a spot like this are definitely the reward.

Friday, August 14, 2015
Montecito Golden Hour

The perfect end to an absolutely beautiful day. Sometimes the mist in the air does such wonderful things with the light as the sun dips low it seems almost magical. This particular evening the clouds were looking beautiful, but the sun was a little hidden behind them. Still a nice day for a drive to the nurseries in Carpenteria. But as the sun started to peek below the clouds, the light passing through the low mist on the water turned the most amazing shades of yellow and orange. As vibrant and beautiful as any south pacific island sunset. It's subtle in the photo, but the crepuscular rays created by the shadows of the trees on the hills were a sight to see.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Evening Sentinel

I love this palm tree. He's one of a few who live up at the edge of the hills above Santa Barbara keeping watch, as the evening mist rolls in like a gentle fluffy blanket to tuck in the city below. From down there the fog is sometimes called "June Gloom" but from this angle gloom is just about the last word I would use to describe it.

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.

Monday, July 27, 2015
Evening Arches in the Clock Tower

Evening view from the Santa Barbara County Courthouse clock tower. One of the most amazing views in the city, even more magical at twilight.

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!

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!

Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Winter Sunset Cruise

This week has been a beautiful week here in Santa Barbara. And the skies have been glowing more each evening. But tonight they put on a show that will not soon be forgotten! I'm not sure if that is a working fishing boat or someone just out for a cruise, but either way it looks like a great vantage point for the amazing light show.

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, December 14, 2014
End of the Rainbow

Friday after the storm, the late afternoon sun on the mountains was spectacular and the air was clear and beautiful from the rain. As the sun slipped below the remaining clouds there were several light rainbows appearing and disappearing moment by moment as the shafts of light played among the remaining clouds. It was an amazing afternoon to just enjoy our beautiful city at the end of the rainbow.

Sunday, September 14, 2014
Storke Tower Across the Lagoon Landscape

This view of Storke tower on the campus of UCSB is taken from the path around the lagoon by the residence halls. What an amazing view those halls must have.

Sunday, April 27, 2014
Jalama Road

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, we spent the afternoon just wandering the rolling hills from Santa Ynez to Jalama Beach. Jalama beach is actually closed through May Second, but the drive out the winding road is still a wonderful experience on a beautiful spring day. By the time we got out this far the California Poppies had all closed for the evening, but the yellow mustard flowers covered many of the hills making the further hills look painted with a yellow brush in the distance.

Thursday, April 10, 2014
Lone Tree Sunset

Overlooking Haskell's Beach in Goleta from the Sandpiper Golf Course, this little tree is standing watch at the edge of the bluff. This particular day was absolutely beautiful (come to think of it, most days are here), but in this case there was just enough moisture in the air to make this beautiful golden evening light, but not so much that we didn't have an amazing view of the ocean and the fluffy white clouds above.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Sandpiper Sunset Reflections

One of my favorite spots to watch the sunset, the 18th hole at the Sandpiper Golf Course in Goleta. If you want to chase a little white ball around this is the place to do it. Even if you don't know what you're doing you would have to admit this is a great place to spend the day.

Saturday, March 22, 2014
Santa Barbara Mountain View

A view of the Santa Barbara hills from downtown State Street