Thursday, January 9, 2020
Fronds Close Up

The details of nature never cease to amaze me!

Thursday, December 19, 2019
Winter Monarchs

It's a wonderful time of year to catch the Monarchs overwintering. They love these Eucalyptus trees, even though they are not native to the area. Still they have made a wonderful sanctuary for these weary travelers who have come so far!

Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Waikiki Bolt

Another beautiful display over Waikiki. You hear a lot about the rain in Hawaii, but it's usually all in the context of rainbows and beautiful flowers with water droplets on them. This evening was a bit more energetic!

Monday, November 25, 2019
Waikiki Harbor Storm

It's no secret that Hawaii, Waikiki especially, is known for its breathtaking views. But one of the things I enjoy in a place like this is capturing something a little different. Now don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful sunset view and have shot my share of them, but to my eye this has to be one of the most interesting and beautiful images I've ever captured in Hawaii. This is a single image, captured in camera, and not a particularly long exposure since the movement of the boats in their slips would make them unpleasantly blurry over even a matter of seconds. I'm always amazed at the beauty and complexity of lightning bolts as they try to find their way through the atmosphere, and after staring at the structure of these for longer than I probably could accurately estimate I'm convinced that lower one on the left was generally coming straight for us emanating from the bright point in the center of it. An absolutely beautiful evening, and the sunset that preceded it was actually something to behold too, I'll probably share that at a later date.

Thursday, July 11, 2019
Fox Tongue

A Gray Fox cub in the wild lounging with his brothers and sisters. This was siesta time, sleeping in the sunbeam in the afternoon with mom off to the side watching for anything out of the ordinary. Like a guy with a camera maybe?

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, May 19, 2017
Pink Dogwood at Oregon Gardens

Springtime in Oregon means the trees that once put on a beautiful autumn show are now trying their hardest to outdo themselves. Where only a few weeks ago you saw dormant branches, the trees are covered in fresh new growth, but many of them don't bother with leaves this time of year. It's solid flowers as far as the eye can see. And the colors are even more vibrant than the fall in many cases.

Thursday, May 18, 2017
Oregon Garden Fronds

Another image from our recent stroll through The Oregon Gardens in Silverton. Everything was enjoying the nice spring day, it looked like every plant was in a race with its neighbor to see how much new growth it could get out in the beautiful afternoon light. These beautiful fern fronds were no exception, you could almost imagine them unfurling as you watched.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Oregon Garden Cone

Waling through The Oregon Garden in Silverton, Oregon makes it quite clear that spring is definitely here. If you thought autumn in the north west was beautiful, wait until you walk through a botanic garden in the spring time. So many bushes and trees are so covered in blossoms that you can't see the leaves or branches. Strolling through this beauty makes for a wonderful way to spend a day. This little guy seemed like he had just opened up, it looks so delicate, almost like it is made of paper.

Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Silver Falls Golden Hour

Silver Falls State Park in Oregon is an amazing spot where with a relatively mellow hike you can seem some amazing falls. If you're more energetic you can actually see at least 10 beautiful waterfalls, but you don't need to go far to be rewarded. This is South Falls, not far at all from the parking lot on a very nice trail. To give you an idea of the amazing scale, if you look closely you can see a railing that that lines the path passing behind the falls. (Be sure to bring rain gear if you take that path though, even on the sunniest day it's quite wet and cool back there.)

Sunday, October 26, 2014
Andree Clark Sunset Reflections

The drought has been hard on all of the natives and visitors of California, the Andree Clark Bird Refuge and its visitors have been no exception. But standing there on a beautiful peaceful evening like this enjoying the sunset with the ducks offers a wonderful break from all the cares of the day.

Friday, August 1, 2014
Andree Clark Sunset

One of serveral absolutely spectacular sunsets this week thanks to high clouds in the area from Hurricane Hernan. This was the view from the Andree Clark Bird Refuge, one of the amazing natural places in the Santa Barbara area, named in memory of the sister of the refuge's primary patron, Huguette Clark. A special thanks to Alan Rose at KEYT, for the heads up early in the week about the impending high level moisture. Knew it was going to be a good week when I heard that.

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.

Sunday, January 26, 2014
Backlit Monarchs

It's a wonderful time of year for a trip to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve. This was last weekend about two-thirty in the afternoon when the light was coming around behind them. But the light moves fast in their little gorge, only a few moments later the sun was gone from this cluster.

Sunday, December 29, 2013
Dragon Perch

This is a Meadowhawk Dragonfly (A Saffron-winged Meadowhawk I believe) and he was very partial to this one bush. I love chasing these guys. He would tollerate my presence for a while, then he would fly to the other side of the bush. But unlike some Dragonflies, he didn't seem to have particular favorite perches. Each time he moved to a new spot and a different pose, this was my favorite. They commonly rest with their wings spread wide and straight. But this leaf was more exposed so he had to hold his wings down a little and put his back into the breeze. It made for a much more interesting composition. Dragonflies or people, portraits look better when the subject is not so stiff and still.

Thursday, December 5, 2013
Late Afternoon Flight

On an afternoon walk at the beach recently we noticed this hummingbird who seemed to be contemplating the sinking late afternoon sun. It took a little manuvering, but I was able to get a few silhouette shots just as he took flight. This is a double exposure of two successive frames. In the first frame he had released his grip on the perch and spread his wings, but not actually taken flight yet. Only one sixth of a second later he was moving fast. Fast enough to leave me staring into the glare of the sun with no idea where he'd gone after that.

Sunday, November 17, 2013
Bewicks Wren

This weekend I took a drive to Santa Ynez for, among other things, a walk around the Santa Ynez Mission. The timing wasn't quite right to get the sun on the building, but there are always beatiful things to see. I know there are hummingbirds that hang out in the gardens, so I went in search of them. Instead I found this beautiful little bird, a Bewick's Wren. He was quite nervous, but he really liked this bush. He was able to dive into it any time I got too close. But then he was curious enough to come back out pretty quickly. Apparently, they Bewick's Wren is moving westward. There are less of them in the east than there used to be. But the numbers have been increasing here, and I'm glad to have them. He was very entertaining and beautiful.

Saturday, October 19, 2013
Swim Class

A young Sea Lion taking a tentative swim not far from his mom in the beautiful waters off the Monterey Peninsula.

Monday, October 7, 2013
Pacific Grove Sunset

In every city I spend much time, I always end up with my favorite spots where I try to end up at the end of the day. This is Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove on the tip of the Monterey Peninsula. Some days the waves are huge and breathtaking, other days the sun slides down past the horizon peacefully, but every evening it's a wonderful show.

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.

Sunday, September 8, 2013
Stretch

After a big meal it's nice to go back to your favorite perch, stretch your wings and relax!

Sunday, May 19, 2013
Blueberries on the Hoof

Yesterday we went to Buelton to pick Blueberries at a great little spot, Santa Barbara Blueberries. They have a wide variety of bushes so you can find your favorite ones. It's just the beginning of their season and they are only open limited hours, so be sure to check out their Facebook page for updates.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sunset Leaves

This is just being in the right place at the right time. As I was coming out of Starbucks in Montecito the other day I saw this beautiful backlit scene.

Thursday, April 4, 2013
Resting Monarchs

This is a shot from our beautiful Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Goleta. This year the butterfly population seemed a bit smaller than years past, but they are still an absoultely amazing sight.