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.

Saturday, December 7, 2019
Evening at Mount Carmel Vertical

One of my favorite local landmarks, Our Lady of Mount Carmel church in Montecito. There are many well known sights to see in Santa Barbara, but this is one of the little local gems that is more tucked away off the beaten path.

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.

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.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Corvalis Crystals

A beautiful snow (and ice) covered evening in Corvallis, Oregon was the perfect opportunity to go out and play. :-) I have always loved the snow, and this evening was amazing. Just like being a kid outside until late. Only, difference is the lights froze much easier than the old hot little lights I remember, and every one of them was like a little crystal work of art.

Saturday, June 25, 2016
Golden Gate Twilight

Evening at the Golden Gate Bridge. Just after dark is always one of my favorite times to go sightseeing around California with my camera. I found myself in the bay area a couple weeks ago for a project, and fortunately I was able to make time to enjoy the sights.

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.

Saturday, April 16, 2016
Twilight Harbor Mist

The evening mist rolling in over Santa Barbara always puts on a beautiful show. This particular evening the beautiful fog was just enveloping Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor as the last colors of the setting sun bathed the city in a beautiful glow.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Bixby Pastel Twilight

The evening light changes moment to moment along Highway one. Just a few minutes earlier it seemed that the light was all gone, but as the evening settled in, the glow from the unseen sunset over the horizon seemed to fill the air with a beautiful warmth.

Sunday, January 17, 2016
Point Pinos Golden Hour

A beautiful evening at Point Pinos Lighthouse in Pacific Grove. I love how, if you look really close, you can see the sky and sunset inverted in the lens of the light.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Bixby Creek Bridge Twilight

South of Monterey along the Pacific Coast Highway there is a stretch of California coastline that has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Among the many amazing things this area known as Big Sur has to offer are some amazing man made wonders. This is Bixby Creek Bridge an open spandrel (referring to the spaces above the arches) concrete arch bridge. It's completion in 1932 meant an end to the 11 mile inland trek required to cross Bixby creek which was all but impassable in the winter. As beautiful as the bridge is during the day, just after sunset the colors really come alive especially with a nice long exposure.

Saturday, September 5, 2015
Clocktower Twilight

An amazing view of Santa Barbara just after sunset from the top of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

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.

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.

Sunday, August 16, 2015
Milky Way Vista

This week was a great week for stargazing. In case you missed it, the Perseid meteor shower peaked on Wednesday. If you did miss it, don't feel bad. I love that sort of thing and I would have missed it if it weren't for running into a good friend at the beach while I was taking an evening walk with my wife. Fortunately we were all set up for taking photos of the stars anyway. We got a few nice meteor shots, (this NOT being one of them, that's just a passing jet in the sky) and saw even more really beautiful meteors. But I was, purely coincidentally looking to experiment with a wide enough view to capture more of the milky way. Although the meteors were amazing, this is more the image I was looking for and it just goes to show, you don't need to wait for the next meteor shower (October 8th, by the way) to find something absolutely amazing as close as the night sky.

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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.

Thursday, August 13, 2015
Cypress and Perseid

Last night at Butterfly Beach hanging out under the beautiful Cypress Tree watching the meteors go by. There were some really spectacular displays, this was just a tiny one, but every one was really exciting to see!

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.

Saturday, August 8, 2015
Harbor Glow

Another view of one of the spectacular sunsets from this week. This is our reward for the hot humid days, usually we have to wait until winter to see sunsets like this. But every once in a while we get a nice surprise.

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.

Thursday, August 6, 2015
Thoughtful Dolphin

This evening was another unseasonable evening of beautiful clouds and moist air. In fact the clouds were so heavy it looked like there wouldn't be much of a sunset at all. The clouds had completely blocked the sun about an hour before sunset. But it was still a beautiful evening for a nice walk. As we were wandering along the breakwater, it became apparent that the sun had other ideas. Even though we never actually saw the sun itself, just after sunset it decided to make its presence known. The sky started to glow pink, and it just kept getting brighter until the whole sky from horizon to horizon was involved. It was truly a spectacular scene and as vibrant as the colors are in this image, it was even more amazing standing there. At the peak of the sunset we reached the end of the breakwater. We watched the show with this beautiful dolphin who seemed to be pondering the sunset as much as we were. He is actually part of a memorial sculpted by Bud Bottoms in memory of those lost at sea. You can't see it from this angle, but the plaque in front of him reads "IN MEMORY OF OUR LOVED ONES WHOSE LIVES AND DESTINIES HAVE BEEN CLAIMED BY THE SEA." I guess that's why he looks so thoughtful.

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 26, 2015
Clocktower Reopens

The beautiful view from the Santa Barbra County Courthouse Clock Tower officially reopened Friday after many months of work. Now the view is easily accessible by all with the elevator opening right out on the observation deck. The only drawback is, newcomers might not notice the beautiful clock gallery below that you had to walk past to get to that last flight of steps to the tower. The elevator still stops at the Clock Gallery though, so you can still enjoy every part of this local treasure!