The Sun Sets on 2008

I heard someone say that no one will remember 2008 fondly. Not me, I found it to be a pleasant and profitable year. I hope you did to.

Light Posts and Palm Trees

There is nothing like high clouds at sunset. These high wispy ones always make for a startling red evenings. This one is at the northern edge of Hermosa Beach.

Slightest Sliver

This is the smallest sliver of a moon I have ever seen. With two stars just above the moon, it made for a great sunset.

A Long Evening at the Pier

This evening I stayed at the beach long after sunset and capture the shot about a half hour after sunset. I like the contrast of colors in the scene

Sailboats At Sunset

Today I found two sailboats sailing southward as the sun was setting.

Christmas 2008

Manhattan Beach Sunset

Cresent Over LA

This shot was taken about a half hour after sunset with a double expoused effect thrown in. This angle comes from the seaside cliffs at Palos Verdes looking towards LA. You can see the lighted skyscrappers if you look hard enough in the lower right.

Romance by the Sea

I found this couple watching the last glimpse of sunset and overlooking the sea. Romance was in the air this eveining.

Half Dozen Palms

This evening I travelled to Palos Verdes to get a different view of the sunset. I found these palm trees made a nice subject to offset the sun.

Sunday's End

A lot photographers met on the beach waiting for this sunset. The clouds started to separate before sunset and the masses came.
It was such a spectacular sunset, many stayed up to a half hour afterwards taking shot after shot. I must admit I was one.

Manhattan Beach Pier at Dusk

High clouds settled in at sunset and made for a nice show shortly after dusk.

Girl in the Surf

Not much of a sunset this evening. Disappointing in many ways but this young girl found much pleasure in the surf.

Moon and Palms

As the full moon approachs, I found it advancing on these palm trees.

Lucky Shot

Check this lucky shot out. I saw this helicopter flying towards the pier and tried to photograph it just as it passed over the top of the pier. As luck would have it, I caught it just before the Christmas star on top of the pier. Perfect.

Sundown

A true sundown. It is not often that I get a shot of the sun at this angle. Another nice sunset this evening but the weather report suggests this may be the last one for a while.

A Hunch

The day stayed overcast but I had a hunch the sun would break through at sunset. I walked to the beach and was not disappointed. In fact, it was one of the best I have seen. But then again, all week I have been saying this is the best sunset yet.

Approaching Storm IR

As I was driving home from work I saw this amazing cloud bank approaching from the south. I raced home to grab my camera and shot a few infrared shots and a few panoramas.

I thought this image appeared like a set of angel wings and in the spirit of the holiday season.

November's End

November was a great month for my photography and I am sad to see it end. I only hope the rest of the winter is fruitful.

Cresent Above the Pier

This evening's sunset was absent of any clouds so I took advantage of the cresent moon above the pier. I waited about 20 minutes after the sun set for the light and color to be right. Just as someone approached the moon, I snapped this shot.

Happy Thanksgiving

A Banner Day

Today was a great photography day. A storm rolled in and dropped an inch of rain last night. Early in the morning I walked the neighborhood looking for nice flowers to shoot. I haven't done this in 2 years as there was little rain last year.





In the afternoon, large clouds filled the sky and I pulled out the IR camera. I haven't done that in 4 months. The winter sun angle was not good for IR but I shot some photos anyways.



I went to Manhattan Beach Pier hoping to capture a great sunset. I was disappointed so I stitched together a panorama of the stormy sky. 3 photo opportunities in one day left me exhausted but excited.

Worth Waiting For

I always hear stories from famous photographers about bad weather photo shoots. They tell a story about how everyone gave up for the day but they waited for something to happen. Miraculously, the skies opened up and the photo of a lifetime emerged.

Having heard that enough, it is engraved into my head. Today was one of those days. Clouds rolled in early and swallowed the sun and sky. I trekked down to beach anyways as I knew the sky would part for a spectacular sunset. My hunch paid off as it was one the best of the season. Too bad I wasn't smart enough to stitch a panorama shot together.

Family Time

This past week has been a bonanza of sunsets. In this photo, I captured several people in action. The lifeguard to the right is closing up for the day and a family spends time swinging during the last glimpse of daylight.

Panoramic of the Fires

This is a composite of 4 photos. I merge these to give a good representation of the smoke clouds the fires sent to the Pacific.

Firestorms

The fires in southern California have created a hazy, smoke layer in the sky diffusing the sunlight. Sunsets are spectacular as a soft golden light warms the sky.

Wildfires in California

Living in the South Bay area of Southern California, I'm indirectly effected when wildfires rage. The recent Santa Ana wind conditions caused hurricane speed winds ripping through neighboring cities, resulting in devastating fire damage, Today, in the beach cities, we watched the skies become murky with smoke. Ashes fell like snow.

Before the fallout began, it was just another beautiful day at the beach. I rode north on the oceanside bikepath for my usual weekend ride to Playa del Rey.

At that point, as I headed for home, I was shocked to see the smoke eerily rolling in across the sky.

A few wildfires began today about 40 or so miles away. With the Santa Ana winds blowing from east to west, much of the smoke headed this way.

This shot is looking toward Palos Verde with Catalina Island at the end. It highligts the smoke cloud layer that formed this evening.

Veteran's Day

As we celebrate the great sacrifice our veteran's gave this nation, God blessed us with the most spectacular sunset I have seen in a long time.

I couldn't resist photographing this young girl swinging in the twilight.


This one captures the intense colors that painted the sky.

Monday's Gift

Monday afternoon looked promising and I trekked to the pier. Scattered clouds created a beautiful sunset and a splended start to the week.

A Great Season Start

I've waited since early last April for this time of year and it has paid off. The last three days' sunsets have been spectacular. They have overwhelmed me.


Today I headed for 8th Street and shot these people playing volleyball. It made for a nice shot while I waited for the sunset.



I walked to the pier and found a few people fishing off the side. I took a few shots and settled on this one for uploading.

This a great start to the winter sunsets and I know there will only be more ahead of me. I look forward to the daily walk to the beach to capture the moment.

And So It Begins

And so it begins. I have been waiting for the time change and the beginning of November. This marks the start of the sunset photo season for me. Storms and clouds start to add drama to each sunset.

Yesterday, a storm cleared out at sunset but I realized it to late. Tonight I caught the sunset but it wasn't much to brag about.

For the next four months, I should be at beach greeting all the great sunsets ahead. Stay tuned.

Long Pier

I was reading about adding "pop" into your photo. The author suggested adding a new layer in PS CS3 and sliding the opacity level to 50%. I did this to this photo and, sure enough, it did add a little zip. I made another layer and adjusted the Levels also. This photo is a composite of the 3 layers.

Evening for Sailing

The Sunset Season Begins

Finally, it looks like the Fall season has ushered in the sunset season. With storms begins their approach, I am excited to hit the beach each evening and capture the magic on my Nikon DSLRs.

These God Rays were a pleasant rarity.

This afternoon was very cloudy and it looked like a promising sunset. As usual, the clouds began to break up before sunset. With a cresent moon hanging on the horizen, it proved to be a wonderful sunset nonetheless.

Sunset Over the City

IR

This was one of the first IR shots I took on my vacation. It remains one of my favorites.

Migration Season

I recently set out the hummingbird feeder as hummingbirds start their southward migration. This guy hangs in this tree most of the day and doesn't allow others near his feeder.

Summer in Ohio

A summer thunderstorm rose upon the horizen. It was only a matter of time before the storm overtook the area and brought strong winds and rain.

The Old Barn

Before departing back to California, I had one last opportunity to take a few IR shots in the countryside.

After a long, hard, arduos morning carrying, hauling and stacking wood with my cousins, I took this shot beforing heading home. This last shot is easily my favorite of the bunch.

More IR

I like the way this photo is framed. I sat for 10 minutes on the old railroad tracks waiting for the clouds to part. The cloud's shadow provided a perfect border drawing the eye to the center.
A little patience paid off as this is among my favorite shots of the two weeks.