Sonora Desert Sunrise Series #1

Sunrise over the Sonora Desert #1

Here is a series of interpretations of the one photo I took on a trip to the State of Sonora, Mexico at Chirstmas time 2002.

While driving the toll road down the state early in the morning the sun was just coming up. The mountain in the foreground was beautifully silhouetted and the clouds were full of energy and drama. I had to stop the car and take a photo.

In this series I have made various interpretations of the photo ranging from startling color, through sepia, to black and white. I hope you find something that appeals to your taste.

Click here for Sunrise Over the Sonora Desert Series

Sonora Desert Sunrise Series #3

Sunrise over the Sonora Desert

Beautiful cobalt blue sky and gold clouds set this interpretation apart.

Ginkgo Trees in Fall

I know I'm a bit late for this, it being winter now and all that, but can't let these beautiful ginkgo trees near the Pomona Fair Grounds in L.A. go by. This is nature's palette at it's best with yellow and green on blue.

Ginkgo trees have always been my autumn favorites. There a many of them along Prince's Street in Auckland right by the University of Auckland. I always used to think the carpet of bright yellow leaves that fell around the trees was the closest thing to yellow snow that you could get...and I'm not talking about anything to do with dogs here!

These Asian giants now come in dwarf varieties, which really pleases me since I love them so much, and I have two of the little beauties in my garden in pots.

San Gabriel Mountains from Irvine

I actually missed the best opportunity for this photo last Tuesday when there was more snow on the mountains and the sky was impeccably clear. It had rained on the prior Friday, which is a very good thing for us in Southern California where we are in a drought, and snow had fallen on the San Gabriel mountains east of Los Angeles. I didn't think to take my camera with me we I rode my bike to work on Monday morning and as soon as I saw the view of the mountains my heart sank. On Tuesday it was cloudy and then on Wednesday I finally got this shot. It's not as good as it could have been on that Monday when there was more snow and the air was crystal clear, but this isn't too bad, I guess.

This view of the San Gabriel mountains is looking north across South Lake on Yale Loop. On winter mornings after rain has fallen and passed, the view can be pretty spectacular. This just gives you some idea of what it's like. Perhaps later in the winter I'll get another shot at it with lots more snow.

One plus in this photo, however, is that the liquidambar trees still have their leaves so that makes for a great contrast of primary colors in this photo. They are the trees with red leaves on the left side.

This is an HDR (high dynamic range) image composed of three exposures at f/20 with exposures of 1/125, 1/30, and 1/8 at ISO 100.

Old Jetty Pile at Beckett Point

This old jetty pile has obviously seen better days. Having served its role at Beckett Point in the Puget Sound area, now it stands guard as a work of art.

Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/5
Focal Length: 38 mm
ISO Speed: 200

La Quinta Resort Pool

La Quinta is a small desert town in Southern California about 20 miles from Palm Springs. The La Quinta Resort and Club features several PGA golf courses and a tennis club, a spa, and several restaurants. The thing I like most about it is that unlike so many other hotels and resorts, La Quinta has smaller and more private pools that are enclosed by groups of rooms. I think in total there is something like 50 pools and they are never crowded. This is the view across the pool that was closest to our room on our recent stay. Between the rooms in the background you can see a peep of the San Jacinto Mountains and the wonderfully blue and clear autumn sky.

Here's another photo I took at the La Quinta Resort of the San Jacinto Mountains soon after sunrise with the full moon setting behind the mountains.

Camera: Canon EOS 20D
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/14
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 100