Frost is here in Black and White

A black and white rendition of the post below.

Frost is here

Last night was the "coldest night of the year". It's California here, so it was 32°F. That's cold, right?

More Bay Area Fall Colors

This one was taken on Turkey Day.

Park Bench

A park bench in the early morning sun. My daughter had an early soccer game at the park. I had a few moments before the game started to snap this picture.

Fall Colors in the Eastern Sierras

Another picture from my trip to the Eastern Sierras a few weekends ago. As you can see, in some places the fall colors were just amazing.

Beaver Pond near Lundy Lake

I was shooting fall colors near Mono Lake and Lee Vining. A photographer who was helping out at the motel I was staying at recommended I'd go to this beaver pond near Lundy Lake. I don't regret going.

Mono Lake

I went to Mono Lake this past weekend. At sunset the place transformed into a Mars landscape. Truly magical.

Dried Grass

Same park as the previous post. Just a picture of dried grass.

Fall is here

I went to my favorite little park in the neighborhood. The fall colors are here.

Golden Gate

Golden Gate Bridge after sunset. Last Sunday I went on a photo shooting trip with my brother-in-law. We ended up at the Marin Headlands at sunset. One of the most beautiful bridges in the world.

Kesselse Heide - Belgium

Wow, I haven't posted since last April. I have been taking pictures though. This one is from our latest trip to Belgium. It's an HDR from 3 different exposures. The Kesselse Heide is a small nature preserve near the city where I was born. It's hard to see, but the purplish patch in the middle is heide or 'heather'. It wasn't in full bloom yet, which is too bad. Still I like how the picture came out.

Poppies

I hiked with some friends into the hills on Highway 1 close to Big Sur. We saw lots of poppies and other wild flowers.

Spring in the Bay Area

I blended 3 exposures together to get this picture. I hope you like it.

Fire in the Sky

Last Sunday we had a nice sunset. My wife and I went to a nearby park to witness it.

Macro Test (2)

Another macro with the reversed lens. Here you can truly see the amazing magnification you can get. Not sure what the pink glare is all about. Maybe just some reflection of the light?

Macro Test

I read somewhere that if you mount a lens backwards on your camera, it becomes a macro lens. I made my own reverse mount and shot some test pictures. This is an uncropped picture of sprinkles. They are about a millimeter "big". As you can see, focusing is not that easy. But it's fun to play with.

Petrified Forest

While driving cross-country to Atlanta, we stopped at the Petrified National Forest.

Hopper

I like trains. Yesterday I had the opportunity to take pictures of hoppers that are parked on some siding in Redwood City.

Trucks

Another one from my road trip to Atlanta. This one was early in the morning, at a truck stop somewhere in Oklahoma.

Fire in the Sky

The sun was setting. It's almost like the hills are on fire. A few minutes later, the clouds were gone and the magic was over.

Sea Otter

Another photo I took a few weekends ago when I went to the Elkhorn Slough with a couple of friends. Apparently she was pregnant. We followed her off and on the whole day to see if she would deliver, but it wasn't meant for us to see.

One of my favorite pictures. I took it last year in a park not too far from my home. It's called Guadalupe Oak Grove Park in San Jose, CA. The picture is best viewed BIG.

Reflections of birds

At the Moss Landing Harbor.

Elkhorn Slough

My first try with HDR. This picture is composed of 3 exposures (+1, 0, -1) and merged together with HDR software. Then I post-edited it in LightRoom 2.

Sardines

This is what the birds were waiting for at the Moss Landing harbor last Sunday.

Moss Landing

Actually both this and the previous picture were taken in the Moss Landing harbor. Some pictures of the Elkhorn Slough are coming soon.

Elkhorn Slough

A couple of friends and I went to Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough today. This one's taken in the harbor. Fishermen were unloading tons and tons of sardines. This pelican was waiting for one to drop into the water.

Macros (cont'd)

Another one of my macro pictures. This is drops of condensation on a pitcher. But you could have easily guessed that...

Macros

I rented a 100mm macro lens last year. I had a tone of fun with it. Too bad those lenses are so expensive. Can you guess what this is?

Oregon Coast

Another one from our trip to Oregon.

Petrified Forest National Park

At the Petrified Forest National Park. My friend Mike and I were driving by on our way to Atlanta. We drove 2600 miles in 47 hours. ROADTRIP!!

Mushrooms

Some fungus on a fallen tree. This photo was taken on a hike today at Villa Montalvo.

Oregon

We were in Gold Beach, Oregon during the summer of 2006. This is the Mary D. Hume. A boat built in Gold Beach, OR in 1881. The boat has retained her original name of registry from 1881 to present. It was in service for 97 years. The longest active sea service for any commercial vessel on the Pacific Coast.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
More of the same flowers I photographed on Christmas day.