Sunset at Crystal Cove #2 - Blend

In this version I applied the cool grey effect to the water. I think this is my favorite of the series.

See the entire Crystal Cove series

Sunset at Crystal Cove #2 - Cool Grey

To me this version of Sunset at Crystal cove could actually be the full-moon setting. But it's not; it's the same photo of the sunset but I cooled the colors down with blue-grey to give this nighttime appearance.

Sunset Opito Bay #2 Sepia Toned

This photo of the sunset at Crystal Cove but with a sepia effect this time. Make sure you click the image to get the full-sized version to be able to enjoy the full effect. Hope you like it.

See the entire Crystal Cove series.

Sunset at Crystal Cove #2

I thought this one had more focus by cropping it in a panorama format.

There's a boat on the horizon just to the left of the sun if you take a look at the full-sized version by clicking on the image.

Sunset at Crystal Cove #1

A group of us went for dinner at "The Beachcomber" at Crystal Cove last night, so I went a little early to catch the sunset which was at a couple of minutes before six. I am posting a series of the photos I took, with different coloring effects. I hope you like them all. This and the next one are "originals" that I haven't added color effects to.

Crystal Cove is famous around these parts because a small group of people had leases on land at the beach which recently went back to the State of California at the expiration of the leases. The State is in the process of renovating the cottages that had been built along the beach and the renovated ones are now available for rental. (See crystalcovebeachcottages.org for information). Dinner, by the way, was excellent, but a little pricey.

Crystal Cove is located between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach on the southern coast of Orange County, California.

This photo was created using HDR (high dynamic range) technique.
Camera: Canon EOS 20D
3 exposures at 2 EV (1/8, 1/30, 1/2)
Aperture: f/22
Focal Length: 45 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Grab this swicki from eurekster.com

Beckett Point North End - Black and White

I thought this photo of the north end of Beckett Point, Discovery Bay, WA might lend itself to black and white, so here it is. What do you think? Here's the original color version of this photo taken at Beckett Point.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 70-300mm lens at 135mm
1/2500 secs at f/5
ISO 400

Beckett Point North End - Color

I took this photo at Beckett Point on Discovery Bay in Washington State from in front of the house at which I stayed facing to the north end of Beckett Point. It was early morning and there was still a bit of marine fog in the air giving the background an ethereal look to the scene and making the point appear to almost be floating on the water. The day clear to be brilliantly fine and sunny.

Follow this link to the black and white version of this photo taken at Beckett Point, WA

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 70-300mm lens at 135mm
1/2500 secs at f/5
ISO 400

Sunset at Beckett Point #3

This photo was taken from Beckett Point Rd. on Discovery Bay looking north west. On the horizon is Victoria Island, British Columbia, Canada. The island rising on the right side of the photo is Protection Island. To the left side is the other side of Discovery Bay. You can put it all together by referring to the map I've pasted below. The bay was full of salmon jumping from the water when we arrived a couple of hours before sunset. You can see another photo I took that evening of two women performing a native American Indian chant to the salmon.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 18-55mm lens at 25mm
1/4 secs at f/18
ISO 400


View Larger Map

Sunset from Becket Point Color

Here's the very same photo as the previous sepia-toned photo post but in its original color. I like the way the pine trees are silhouetted against the sea and sky.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 18-55mm lens at 25mm
1/6 sec at f/5.6
ISO 800

Beckett Point After Sunset with Sepia Effect

I created a sepia effect for this photo taken from the same spot as the previous post. The pine tree in the center spoiled the photos I took with landscape orientation unfortunately. Actually, there were two pines in the center of the photo, one of which which was a very tall stump from which the branches and top of the tree had been removed. In front on this was the pine that features in the center of this photo and the previous one. I had to line it up so that the bare trunk of the other tree was hidden behind this tree - you can't tell that the second tree is there, but if I moved just a little either way, the bare trunk came into view and spoiled the composition completely. You can see stumps of the branches of the tree behind sticking out. This gives you some idea of just how high the stump was. I guess strictly speaking it's really too high to be a stump.

This photo was taken at 8:05pm so there was less light than for the previous photo, and I was at this point shooting at ISO 800. I shot thise photos without a tripod, so had to adjust the ISO and appeture settings so that the exposures weren't too long.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 18-55mm lens at 25mm
1/6 sec at f/5.6
ISO 800

Sunset from Becket Point Road Discovery Bay

This photo was taken just after sunset from Beckett Point on Discovery Bay in Washington State. I just spent some time up there this week. Beckett Point is at the top end of Discovery Bay, and north-west beyond Protection Island you are looking at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Canadian border and Victoria Island. It was quite a view at night with the lights of Victoria Island visible. The twilight was quite long; about 1 hour, and this photo was taken just a few minutes before eight. Here's a link to a map of the Beckett Point, Discovery Bay area.

Canon EOS 20D
Canon 18-55mm lens at 28mm
1/30 secs at f/5.6
ISO 400

Mitre Peak Milford Sound

Mitre Peak is far and away the most famous landmark at Milford Sound. The highest peak in the fiord, it gets its name from how its shape resembles a bishop's mitre. When we set out on our cruise in the mid-morning, the fiord was completely enclosed with fog and you couldn't see Mitre Peak at all. However, by time we reached the Tasman Sea and turned back, the fog was lifting until clear blue skies were revealed.

Milford Sound from the Shoreline

This photo of Milford Sound was taken from the shoreline. I really like how the driftwood, reeds, and tree on in the foreground add interest.

What do you think of this photo? Please feel free to post a comment. I'd appreciate it.

Cruising Milford Sound

Boat Cruising New Zealand's Milford Sound

I took a lot of photos on my trip to New Zealand in February but have published only a few of them so far. Here are a few more from Fiordland National Park which is a World Heritage park located at the southwestern corner of New Zealand's South Island. The most famous of the fiords is called "Milford Sound". A sound and a fiord are similar in that they are deep narrow waterways that extend for miles in from the sea. The distinction is in how they were formed. Fiords were carved out by glacial action during the last Ice Age, whereas sounds are carved out by the action of rivers. Milford Sound is actually a fiord, but was misnamed by Captain James Cook on one of his two voyages of discovery around New Zealand.

Sunrise Opitio Bay #4

Golden Sunrise Seascape Opito Bay

Opito Bay is located on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula which is to the east of Auckland. This remote area of New Zealand is blessed with numerous beautiful beaches and is a favored retreat from Auckland.

Nikon E8700
1/320s at f7.4
ISO 50

Sunrise Opitio Bay #3

Opito Bay Coromandel Peninsula at Sunrise

When taking these photos of the sunrise at Opito Bay , since the sun was above the horizon and I was shooting right into the sun, I adjusted the camera to a very fast film speed equivalent (ISO 50) and took very short exposures. The result was the beautiful gold color you see in these photos.

Nikon E8700
1/320s at f7.4
ISO 50

Sunrise Opito Bay #2

Sunrise Seascape Opito Bay #2

Opito Bay is located in the Mercury Bay area of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. The bay is reached by a gravel road, and there are no shops at the bay so you have to bring all your provisions. You typically have the long sweeping beach all to yourself. I like this photo for the reflection of the sun in the wet sand and shallow water.

Nikon E8700
1/500s at f7.4
ISO 50

Sunrise Opito Bay #1

Sunrise Seascape

I have lived by the sea my entire life, for 30 years growing up and living in New Zealand, and then living in Hiroshima on the "Inland Sea" of Western Japan for four years at the beginning of the 1990s, and then moving to Southern California in the late 90s. It is no surprise then that I have photographed the sea on many occasions.

This photo of sunrise was taken at Opito Bay on the eastern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island

Matiatia Waiheke Island

Sunrise at Matiatia Wharf Waiheke Island

Waiheke Island is a 30-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland. Still clinging somewhat to its appealing "stuck-in-the-past" atmosphere, in recent years it has also developed a successful boutique wine and olive-growing industry. The mix leads to a very appealing combination of the quaint and sophisticated. Blessed with beautiful beaches and a temperate climate, Waiheke Island is a "must-do" on any trip to Auckland.

Sunrise at Opito Bay

Photo of Sunrise at Opito Bay New Zealand

Opito Bay is located in the Mercury Bay area of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. I got to spend a couple of vacations at a beach house located right at the water's edge thanks to a good friend. This isolated beach was the perfect location for endless photos. Of course capturing the sunrise was a great treat. I like the sweep of cloud above the sea in this photo. Because I was shooting directly into the sun and with all that reflection off of the sea as well, I was shooting at a very fast film speed (ISO50), and at 1/700th second shutter speed. That's all very fast and the photos came out gold. Yes, it's true, the color of the photo has not been altered at all!

Nikon E870011/700s atf8.0ISO 50