This for me is a slice of Heaven.  This is an image of the sun setting in Pismo Beach, CA.  When I look at it I can feel the sand, hear the waves and birds and smell the sea.  The ocean for me is home.  Even though I was born and raised in the middle of the United States my love is for the ocean and beaches along the coasts.  I hope that love is evident when you view this image.

Sometimes we have to get out of our "comfort zone" and see what happens.  I really wanted to try and make some images that were low light and long exposure.  I would like to tell you that it all went smoothly and I made this image in one take.  Not even close.  I went out one evening, hiked out on the rocks, set my tripod up, got my camera all ready and then realized that I had forgotten my ND110 filter.  The ND110 is a filter that looks like black glass and is used to let very little light onto your camera's sensor.  This allows you to use long shutter times so that things that are moving, i.e., water, clouds, etc., are smoothed out and made to look, well, silky for lack of a better term.  So there I am all set up and ready to try something new and I am stuck.  Instead of going back home and getting the filter and missing a great sunset, I stayed put and shot some multiple exposures for use as HDR images.  Not one to give up and still wanting to try the long exposure images I returned to the same spot the next evening with my trusty ND110 filter in hand and began to try and capture the image you see here.  After much trial and error, I was fortunate to capture this beautiful sunset. Was I successful in getting out of my comfort zone?  Yes but it took me twice as long as it should have.  Was it worth it?  You can be the judge of that, but I am very happy with the image.  Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.  You just might find that it is worth the effort.

 Sometimes we go through stages in our life when we feel overwhelmed, frustrated and maybe forgotten.  Then something happens and we get a phone call, letter, email or text and we realize that there are others that care about us.  All it took was for that other person to take a moment and reach out, make contact, make an effort.  When that happens it is like a flood of wonderful light coming into the darkness.  You just feel better, hopeful, cared about.  That person who reached out was a wonderful, warm, rainbow shaft of light penetrating a dark moment.  All we had to do was “Let The Light Shine In.”  When was the last time you were a light to someone you cared about?

 

You never know what life is going to bring you.  Every since I was old enough to remember, I wanted a red Chevy Corvette.  I would ask my parents every Christmas and every birthday for a red Corvette.  They went as far as to buy me a Matchbox red Corvette toy and gave it to me for my 16th birthday.  They thought they were funny, I didn't.  As the years passed I gave up on the desire for a red Corvette and turned my attention to other things.  Suddenly, from the most unexpected place, I was given a beautiful red Corvette.  It is pristine and runs like a rocket on rails.  It is all that I ever thought one would be and then some.  Never give up on your dreams, never quit hoping, and most importantly never doubt a true friendship.  Thanks John!

Life sometimes gets in the way of what we really want to do.  It has been a very busy past month or two.  Trading cars, traveling, and houseguests have made the summer fly by.  One thing I did do was shoot my nephew and niece's wedding.  It was an honor that they felt they could ask me to do this for them.  It was a horror when I thought of all the things I might mess up.  This is one of their engagement images that I made of and for them.  It really helps when the people you are photographing are very photogenic.  I wish them all the best, all the happiness and all the love they could ever hope for.  They are two of the finest people I know and I am proud to call them my family.  But now that all the commotion is over, I hope that they like me, will enjoy "A Quiet Moment."

Another birthday, come and gone.  The best part was the quality time I was able to spend with these two rascals.  My oldest and youngest grandsons.  Had a whole day alone with them, and oh, the memories we made!  Our toes in the sand, our feet in the water, and the smiles that would not stop!  The wave splashing over our legs, taking turns burying each other's feet in the sand, and chasing each other with buckets of water.  Quesadillas for lunch and off to the park.  Swings, slides and jungle gyms.  All topped of with ice cream from the ice cream truck!  A quality life is based on the memories you make!  My life is good!!

This image was one of my first efforts when I purchased my DSLR.  It was taken before I aquired Photoshop or Lightoom or any other quality software.  I was standing on the platform watching this train go by in Old Town Sacramento.  I just happened to raise the camera and snap off a few frames.  I wish I could tell you that this was skill, that it was preplanned and on purpose but it was not.  Just dumb luck on my part.  This image is what makes me want to go back out over and over and try and capture life.  The joy on this little boy's face, the pleaure on his mother's face watching him, these are the true wonderful moments in life.  Do you remember your first train ride?  Have you ever been on a train?  I remember mine and it was grand.  If you get the chance go on the train, take your children or grandchildren on a train.  Let them experience the joy of the "First Ride."  

So I asked SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) to make me a list of things she wanted to do for her birthday.  She gave me a list that consisted of two things, the first was “Zip lining on Catalina Island,” the second was “anything on Catalina Island!”  I am not making this up.  That was her exact list!  I told her this is not a list, she insisted that it was and please refer to the first sentence concerning the fact that I am married to SWMBO!  So, for two weeks I try and make the zip lining thing happen to no avail.  No openings, booked months ahead, etc.  Ok, so we go with plan B.  Anything on Catalina Island!  I do some minor magic and set up a helicopter ride from the Queen Mary to Catalina Island, a glass bottom boat tour, a tour of the world famous Avalon Casino and then a helicopter ride back finishing up with dinner at a lighthouse (well, the Lighthouse Restaurant anyway).  The highlight of the day had to be the tour of the casino for both of us.  This place is so cool we plan on doing it again!  

A little bit about the Casino:  William Wrigley, Jr., who purchased Santa Catalina Island in 1919, built the Casino because his wife, Ada, and her sisters loved to dance. In the 1920s, the word casino was Italian, meaning a place of gathering or entertainment, or a grand dance pavilion—nothing at all to do with gambling.  Mural artist John Gabriel Beckman, already famous for his work at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, was hired to design all of the interior and exterior artwork.  Wrigley’s budget for the design and construction of the Casino was $600,000, but he ended up spending $2 million.

This image is of the ballroom at the Casino in Avalon on Catalina Island.  The man in the middle is Chuck Liddell who was the tour guide.  Chuck was born and raised on the Island and provided a spectacular tour.  The Catalina Casino’s ballroom was made by dancers, for dancers.  Underneath the beautiful wooden dance floor are layer upon layer of foam, pine, paper machét and cork. Below that, is five feet of plain “air”, that deadens the noise so as not to disturb the theatre on the first floor.  This type of layering gives the floor a springy bounciness, which puts less wear and tear on dancer’s leg muscles.  Huge, hidden ceiling fans above the mirrored glass ball circulate the warm breeze throughout the entire ballroom.  The cone-shaped mirrored ball is no ball at all.  It was made by Tiffany’s of London, and is beautifully decorated with solid gold and silver plating.

Happy 4th of July!  I hope you have a safe and happy holiday!  Thank you to all of you that joined me in serving our country to make it a great place to live!  Gratitude is the right attitude.  Remember to start your days being thankful for what you do have and not bemoaning what you don’t.  Yes, it is difficult sometimes but if you can make it a habit it will change your life.  Relax and enjoy your day and remember, “one minute you're here and the next you're gone,” so enjoy this moment!!!!!

This was my second attempt at creating an “Out Of Bounds” image.  This Mustang was at the first SoCal Car Show I went to and really caught my eye.  I had been wanting to do an “Out Of Bounds” image for some time however there were lots of steps and I am not the most patient person.  Nevertheless, I decided to give it a try and this was the result.  I am quite happy with it and hope you enjoy it.