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.

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.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Reflections

Ahh sailboats, I know it seems like a theme lately. It's only partially because I really love them (especially the bright colors in this shot.) The other reason is, near the water is about the only comfortable place to be these days. The cool air coming across the breakwater is the only thing that makes a walk bearable during the day lately. Well that and the cool water if you don't time the waves right. Still humid summer or not, it's absolutely 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.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Butterfy Watch

These beautiful palm trees watch over Butterfly Beach in Montecito. They all seem to be trying to lean out to see the sunset around their friends. And who could blame them? What better place to spend the end of the day especially walking on the beach with your best friend.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Channel Islands Cirrus

A view of the Channel Islands on a beautiful summer day from Shoreline Park in Santa Barbara

Sunday, August 10, 2014
Friday Night Lights at Butterfly

I've always enjoyed taking my camera out after dark. A long exposure can reveal all kinds of interesting things you didn't even know were there. This was Friday night at Butterfly Beach. The moon was bright enough in the sky to easily catch the details at a faster shutter speed than this. But I intentionally lengthened the exposure to try to capture a more dreamy effect. In the middle of my exposure the people at the right walked up carrying some kind of small light, a cell phone presumably, which made for some unexpected interest in the form of an abstract light painting along the wall.

Sunday, July 13, 2014
Cypress Super Moon

The view from last night above Butterfly Beach. At the time I did not realize this was a "supermoon". A full moon that coincides with the moon's perigee, the closest part of the moon's orbit to Earth. But the crowds of people out along the beach watching seemed to suggest something was up. Of course the moon needs to be very close to the horizon to really notice a difference in size, but then every moonrise is beautiful here.

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, March 13, 2014
Bixby Creek Coastline Big Sur

Bixby Creek Coastline in Big Sur on Pacific Coast Highway. Whenever I'm in Monterey I like to take a day to drive down Highway 1. There is no end of beautiful things to see, and every day is absolutely unique. This day was virtually cloudless, but there was still enough fog over the water and mist from the waves to give the late afternoon sun some nice golden color.

Thursday, February 27, 2014
Sunset Dog Run

Dogs always know how to have the most fun, especially at the beach. These guys were racing up and down the beach at Shoreline Park with seemingly infinite energy. Their people, like my wife and I, were more content to just take in the amazing beauty around us.

Friday, January 24, 2014
Golden Reflection

Reflecting on the last sunset of 2013. This was during a beach walk on New Years Eve. I love the sailboats anchored off the coast, they always make me ponder going down to the harbor and renting one for a day or two. This one was at the perfect location relative to the beautiful stretch of Butterfly Beach I found myself on to line up perfectly with the sun and cloud above. Perhaps before the sun sets on another year I'll get down to the harbor and get the perspective from out on the water.

Thursday, January 2, 2014
Santa Barbara Harbor Golden Hour

Just after the sun dipped below the mountains in the distance the sky still had some amazing color. An evening walk on the breakwater is a great place to watch the sunset.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013
New Years Eve On Butterfly Beach

The Last Sunset of 2013. What better way to enjoy it than at the beach?

Friday, December 13, 2013
Christmastime at Stearns Wharf

Stearns Wharf in Santa Barbara decorated for Christmas.

Saturday, November 16, 2013
Twilight Bluff

An early evening long exposure from Butterfly Beach. The glow in the distance is the reflection of the city lights on the evening marine layer, and the last light of the setting sun. This is about half an hour after sunset while there was still a little color in the sky. Of course these days a long exposure like this is 3.2 seconds. Once upon a time I would have been standing there for minutes with a stopwatch.

Saturday, November 2, 2013
Backlit Breaker

Whenever I'm wandering near the beach this time of year I love to try to capture these wonderful backlit waves. I particularly love the clarity of this wave and how you can see the inside of the tube through the top of it. The beautiful blue green glass like quality is something that always reminds me of my dad, and how he loves watching this kind of wave, so this one is for him. I intentionally used a slower shutter speed to see the motion of the drops of water at the front of the splashing waves.

Sunday, October 20, 2013
Butterfly Sunset Panorama

An amazing evening at Butterfly Beach. Some evenings the sunset just doesn't quit. This was one of those evenings. As the sun set the display was breathtaking, and every time it seemed like it was going to fade, a whole new deeper pallete of colors appeared. This was not only one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen, it had to be the longest.

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.