Category

California

La Jolla

Paragliding, Torrey Pines Gliderport

A photo of a paraglider at sunset, viewed over the Pacific ocean from the Torrey Pines Gliderport in La Jolla, California. I shot this yesterday at sunset, wearing shorts, flip flops (my lucky pair!), and a t-shirt. Sorry Rest-Of-The-Country, you can have your Big Apple and Windy City and Rockies…
March 1, 2010
La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Sunrise Pelican

On a recent winter morning I found this adult California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) displaying the species' characteristic winter breeding plumage (note the chestnut hindneck) posing nicely as the distant sky took on the pre-sunrise purple glow. This is basically straight out of the camera. I did not adjust…
February 15, 2010
La JollaPelicans of La JollaSeabird

Brown Pelicans

This morning I photographed brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus) in La Jolla. I really don't need any more photos of pelicans but the setting is so beautiful that I keep returning. I've enjoyed these cliffs for 30 years. (We used to cliff dive off of them in college but now…
February 13, 2010
Marine LifeSan Clemente Island

Red Gorgonian, Lophogorgia chilensis

The Red gorgonian (Lophogorgia chilensis) is my favorite species of sea fan. I got some nice shots of red gorgonians at San Clemente Island a few weeks ago. Like the golden gorgonion alongside which it is commonly found, the elegant red gorgonian is a colonial invertebrate that grows on rocky…
November 30, 2009
CaliforniaSan Clemente Island

Back in the Saddle

After a hiatus of almost four years away from the SCUBA gear, I decided to take a 3-day dive trip on my favorite vessel, the dive boat Horizon out of San Diego, for some diving at Catalina Island, Santa Barbara Island, and San Clemente Island. I got my regulator serviced…
November 27, 2009
CaliforniaOcean RealmSan Clemente Island

Kelp Forest Reminiscing

  Kelp forest underwater photography. This story was originally published as a pictorial in Ocean Realm Magazine in the Spring 2001 issue, the last of a series of articles I contributed to Ocean Realm in the '90s.   This blog post is now available as a downloadable PDF article. My…
November 7, 2009
Sierra Nevada

Aspens in Fall Beside a Creek

One image that just screams "eastern Sierra fall color" that I wanted to make when I last visited Bishop was one of turning aspen trees alongside running water. The three basins in the mountains above Bishop drain into the three three forks of Bishop Creek, and with aspen trees surrounding…
October 7, 2009
Sierra Nevada

The Aspen Tunnel

Along the road that runs beside North Lake in the Bishop Creek watershed is a section I have heard referred to as the "Aspen Tunnel", an apropos name certainly. Tall quaking aspen trees (Populus tremuloides) on either side lean over the road, creating a impressive cylinder of color. If you…
October 6, 2009
Sierra Nevada

Banzai Run To Bishop Creek and Rock Creek

I got reports that the Eastern Sierra fall colors in the Bishop Creek Canyon basin were starting to peak at higher elevations, and that one or two weather developments in the coming week might affect the weekend of 10/3-4, so I decided to jam up to Bishop (5 hours from…
September 28, 2009
Sierra Nevada

Photo of Devil’s Postpile National Monument

We wrapped up our end-of-summer family vacation in Mammoth, which we love to visit in the summer. We took the bus to Devil's Postpile National Monument, never having seen it before. Our timing could not have been better, we got there just before the sun went down, leaving the Devil's…
September 7, 2009
CaliforniaSierra Nevada

Eastern Sierra Fall Colors

I recently posted some new images from a September 2009 visit to the Bishop Creek and Rock Creek watersheds, as well as a list of resources for learning more about where and when the fall colors can be expected to appear, and how to best photograph Fall Colors in the…
September 6, 2009
Sierra NevadaTreesYosemite

Giant Sequoia Pictures

Many of my giant sequoia pictures are now on Photoshelter, which is the source of this nifty slideshow. Sequoia trees really are the most majestic of all plants. They are the largest (i.e., most massive) life forms on earth, and they are nearly the tallest (exceeded only by their cousins…
September 2, 2009
CaliforniaSierra NevadaYosemite

Photos of Glacial Erratic Boulders

Some years ago I posted a blog entry about photos of glacial erratic boulders on Olmsted Point in Yosemite National Park. Well, I was recently there and got a few more. Glacial erratic boulders are so named because they are erratic (i.e., differ materially from the naturally occuring stone nearby)…
September 1, 2009
CaliforniaSierra NevadaTreesYosemite

Giant Sequoia Tree Photo

My in-laws live year-round very near the south entrance to Yosemite National Park. It only takes a few minutes for me to drive in and reach the Mariposa grove of giant sequoia trees (Sequoiadendron giganteum), so I will often go into the park early in the morning and take a…
August 31, 2009
CaliforniaSierra Nevada

Bodie State Historical Park Photos

I recently made a banzai road trip run up to Bodie State Park, near Mono Lake, to make some photos. I got to the park gate about 30 minutes before sunrise, and to my delight found that only two other photographers were there that morning. Solitude, at sunrise, in one…
August 1, 2009
Aerial PhotographyCaliforniaSan Diego

San Diego Pictures

My San Diego pictures are now organized into a gallery of photos of San Diego on this website. San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1…
July 30, 2009
AbstractLa Jolla

Layers, Abstract Photo

Another abstract cloud photo. I like using a medium telephoto lens to isolate landscape elements, and patterns in clouds are no exception. This was probably shot with a 70-200 on Velvia film, vintage. Moments after the green flash, orange skies over La Jolla. Today's abstract photo, #12 of 15. Clouds…
June 16, 2009
CaliforniaSan Diego

Tijuana River Pollution, San Diego

The Tijuana River Valley, which skirts the U.S. - Mexico border, has a huge pollution problem. The Tijuana River, which passes through Tijuana before crossing into the United States, collects huge amounts of trash and debris with each winter's storms. The plastic bottles, cans, tires, garbage bags, clothes, and sewage…
February 27, 2009
California

Geothermal Power Generation Plant, Imperial County

If one is along the southern or eastern sides of the Salton Sea, one simply cannot miss the plumes of steam that are released from the several geothermal power generation plants that are there. These facilities tap the heat that resides deep in the Earth's crust to produce electricity. A…
February 22, 2009
California

Burrowing Owl, Salton Sea

My friend Jim Campbell told me about a nest of burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) he found near the Salton Sea. So while I was driving around out there, I went by to see if I could find them. I honestly didn't think I would find any. Yet there they were,…
February 21, 2009
California

Bombay Beach, Salton Sea

Bombay Beach is a small community on the edge of the Salton Sea. When I say "on the edge", I mean literally, to the point that the community is in danger of being flooded if the water level in the Salton Sea rises even just a few feet. In spite…
February 20, 2009
CaliforniaThe American Southwest

Salvation Mountain

I recently made a trip out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park to take a look at how the wildflowers are developing there. I arrived at sunrise and took a look at a few of the spots I go to for flowers to see what was blooming and what is…
February 19, 2009
California

Atascadero Hills

The rolling hills of Atascadero, decorated with power transmission lines and signal towers, sunrise. Hills between Morro Bay and Atascadero, early morning light, power transmission lines and signal attenae.Image ID: 22222Location: Morro Bay, California, USA
February 17, 2009
Beautiful Views of San DiegoCaliforniaSan Diego

Coast Highway 101

The Coast Highway, also known as Highway 101 or Coast Blvd, is one of the gems of San Diego County. It takes on somewhat different names as it passes through the beachside communities of La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. It passes spectacular ocean views, funky cafes…
February 13, 2009