Peace Photos

Sunday, October 6, 2013
UCSB Labyrinth
Another peaceful spot. This is the stone Labyrinth at UCSB. If you follow the path around the Lagoon toward the southern most point of UCSB you come to a beautiful bluff overlooking, well, no end of amazing views. At this spot the students at UCSB have constructed this Labyrinth from stones and gravel. In the evening like this it's an absolutely amazing spot to be.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Great Blue Heron Silhouette
This little lake on the eighteenth hole of the Sandpiper golf course is one of my favorite sunset spots. The birds seem to like it too. This particular evening I was coming back after getting some sunset shots of the rest of the course when I noticed this beautiful Heron resting at the near edge of the island. But try as I might, I could not get a good shot. After he watched me pace back and forth a few times he must have decided I looked too much like a hungry cat. So he decided to go get some dinner of his own. I watched him slowly cruise across the island moving as elegantly and stealthfully as possible hoping he would move into the remaining glow of the setting sun. After a few minutes you can see that my patience was rewarded.

Friday, September 14, 2012
Sandpiper Mountain Panorama
Late in the evening as the sun is low and the shadows are long is the time I love to wander with my camera. Downtown, when there are lights and buildings, I usually start a little later. But out here where things are a little more wide open the golden light in the hours before the sun actually sets is amazing. This day had the perfect combination of clear skies to capture our amazing mountains with just enough marine layer out over the ocean to give the sun a golden color as it dipped low in the sky. This is near one of the middle greens on the bluff at Sandpiper. I was traveling the path just looking for interesting angles, planning to come back when the clouds were more intense for a time-lapse shot. But as so often happens on these scouting trips, I was able to get some beautiful images that were different than what I was planning on for the final shoot. Eventually I did come back and get that time-lapse and I was really happy with it. But the shots I got on the scouting trip to this day are some of my favorites.

Friday, January 18, 2008
Shorline Sunset Panorama
Click the main image for a larger view
As I have mentioned before, there are very
few places you can see the sunset over the
water in Santa Barbara. Our coast faces the
south for the most part. But there are a few
small sections that give you a glimpse of the
setting sun.
This is a combination of thirteen shots covering
more than 200°. My intention was to shoot
an entire 360° image. In the end this particular
set of images caught the best lighting to bring out the
beautiful texture of the clouds. But it did not quite
make the full circle.
If you like the panoramas, you should check back.
My wife got me a couple of nice tripods, and one
will be perfect for a panoramic head I have been
drooling over... er, I mean carefully considering investing in. :-D

Thursday, December 6, 2007
Mission Nativity
By request! This is actually a little older shot, I still have not seen if they are doing the nativity this year. I'll have to go check it out. This is one of my favorite Christmas attractions in Santa Barbara too.