Random Acts of Photography

This last weekend we went out to the coast for a mini family reunion planned by my cousin, Rose. We all stayed at the Beachcomber because it is right next to Pudding Creek Beach and the Haul Road. It's only a three minute drive to downtown as well. It's a great place for families to meet and hang out. It's also a great place to just wander around with my camera and photograph most anything and everything I ended up with a lot of images to edit. It was fun and challenging to attempt to photograph Pudding Creek Beach from a variety of different perspectives. Enjoy the images and God bless, chris All images were created with a Canon T1i camera and a variety of lenses. #TeamCanon

Gritty City

First off Copenhagen, Denmark is a beautiful city with its harbor, parks and beautiful architecture. One night I decided to photograph a more gritty side of the city by photographing one of the rail yards. I love doing night photography! In processing the image this morning I used a bleaching filter to help emphasize the gritty feel. Thank God it's Friday. I hope that you have an enjoyable weekend., chris This image was created with a Canon 7D MkII camera with a Tamron 18-200mm lens at 38mm. The camera settings used were AV mode, ISO 100, F 8.0 for 30 Sec. The camera was supported with a MeFoto A1350 RoadTrip tripod. I really like this tripod because it fits perfectly in my carryon for travel. #TeamCanon, #takenwithmytamron

Last Post of 2016

I have been away from my photoblog for quite some time galavanting around on a three city tour of Scandinavia. We visited Copenhagen, Denmark, Vaxjo and Stocholm, Sweden. It was Christmas time so there was an incredible amount of decorations up to light our way. I did a lot of night and long term exposure photography. At that latitude in December the sun rises at about ten a.m. and goes down around four p.m. and it doesn't rise very high in the sky. This will be my last posting of 2016. Here isn image of Nyhavn, Copenhagen. There will be many more images and details to follow over the next month as I slowly get around to processing all of our images from the trip. God's love and blessings upon a New Year, chris Many thanks to Jenny Senter of Celtic Heritage Destinations for organizing such a fantastic trip.

Crossing the Milky Way

I was up and about attempting to photograph the Perseid Meteor shower at four a.m. this morning. All the meteors that I captured were too faint or centered in the image. The only bright spot was an airliner that passed through the Milky Way. It took a full minute and a half to pass overhead so this image is a composite of three images put together. It flew over so silent and high that its engines could barely be heard. Most likely it was flying into San Francisco or LA as where I live is directly under the flight path of airliners coming from Asia. Happy Friday! Enjoy the upcoming weekend and God bless, chris Image created with a canon 7D mkII and a Canon EFS 10-22 mm lens. Camera settings used were M mode, ISO 3200, F 4.5 at 30 seconds. Camera was on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen ballhead.#TeamCanon

Orion Rising

I was up this morning way,way before the sun rise. I was doing some star photography and I wanted to capture the constellation Orion coming up over the Mendocino Range and the Little Lake Valley. I created quite a few images but this one was my favorite. For those of you that don't know Orion's Belt is that row of three bright stars in the lower right bottom of the frame. God's love and blessings upon your day, chris This image was created with a Canon 7D mkII and a Canon 50mm F 1.8 lens. the camera settings used were Manual mode,ISO 1600, F 1.8 at 8 sec. The camera was supported on a Gorilla Pod on our window sill.

Light in the Forest

On Saturday Lenore and I were working on the drainage on our shared road. Some idiot in a four wheel drive tore it up really badly over the winter creating a bunch of ruts where the water has pooled creating great breeding spots for mosquitoes. The road also functions as a fire escape route and the big ruts will make it difficult for passenger cars to negotiate.(Rant Over) Along our route I discovered one of the last fungi that must have popped up during the recent rain. Later on during the night Jay and I went back out and he helped me photograph the fungi by holding a flashlight directly over it. It gave it an unusual look. This image was created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF-S17-85 mm lens at 33mm. Camera settings used were Manual mode, ISO 400, F 13.0 at 1/8th of a sec. The camerawas supported by a Gorilla Pod on the ground.God's blessings upon your week, chris

Is It the Star of Bethlehem?

Yesterday morning after putting Badger out to go for his morning pit stop I glanced to the east to see a brilliant light in the sky. Oh that's right I reminded myself. This week there was going to be a major convergence of Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the eastern sky just before dawn. Apparently I have already missed when the planets were at their closest last weekend. I crawled back under the warm covers only to realize that I should get up and take a few photographs of it. After all it was an important event. Some astronomers believe that a similar convergence around 2-3 A.D. was the star of Bethlehem that led the wisemen to find Jesus in Bethlehem. Pretty cool if it was. In any case here is the convergence of the planets over the Mendocino Mountain Range east of Willits, Ca.I couldn't decide which image I liked best. God's precious light and love to all, chris These images were created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EF- s17-85mm lens. Camera settings used were Manual Mode, ISO 800, F 4.5 for 15sec.The camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.

I Joined the Lemmings!

Okay, I'll admit it! Tonight I was out there with thousands of other photographers photographing the "Super Moon Eclipse". I joined the Lemmings! Though I will say that I didn't go out of my way and track down some exotic backdrop or foreground to go with it. I was pretty lazy and just photographed it from my backyard. I'm kind of glad I did too because the whole first part was hidden in a cloud layer and I missed it. In the afternoon I did a diligent search using "The Photographer's Ephemeris" so I would know exactly where the moon was supposed to rise. I was all set up and waiting and nothing happened. I waited and waited and no moon. I went back and checked the time and the bearing and they were correct. So where did the moon go? When I went back outside I could see a really thin moon trying to shine through a pretty heavy layer of moisture on the horizon. As time passed the moon rose above it and it got a lot better. I stayed and watched the whole eclipse and I must say it was pretty cool. God created a vast and incredible heavens to keep us in awe. May you have a blessed day, chrisAll images created with a Canon 7D and a Tamron 150-600mm lens at 600mm on a Manfrotto 055 XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 heavy duty ballhead.Exposures varied wildly with the changing light.

When the Stars Come Out at Night

Today was a busy day with home projects and no time for photography. This evening we went out for dinner and by the time we got home it was close to eleven P.M. Walking down the walkway into the house I looked up to see the Milky way and all its mysteries blazing overhead. I went inside and grabbed my camera and a wide angle lens and started making some images of it. These two were my favorite. One is a selfie no less! Both images were made with a Canon 7D and a Canon EFS 10-22mm wide angle lens. Manual mode, ISO 3200, F 4.5 at 30 seconds. Camera was supported on a Manfrotto XPROB tripod with a Bogen ballhead. God's light and love to all, chris

Little City Lights

I love night photography. It is just so cool the way a camera renders car lights as a blur if you leave the shutter open during a long exposure. Cityscapes are just amazing. I love photographing San Francisco at night with the Golden Gate Bridge bridge or the Oakland Bay Bridge in the foreground. Today I had the urge to do some night photography. The problem is San Francisco is a two and a half hour drive south. Then I remembered that they were running trucks at night on the construction of the bypass of highway 101 around Willits. The truck lights would look great under the Willits Arch. I drove downtown and sure enough there was plenty of traffic under the arch for a great image.A perfect little cityscape. Image created with a Canon 7d and a Canon 17-85mm lens at 70mm. On a Manfrotto 3055 XPROB tripod. Camera settings used were AV mode,ISO 100,F 32.0 at 15 sec.

Wandering Aimlessly in the Night

Ah the best laid plans of mice and men. On Saturday Lenore was meeting old high school mates from high school down in Novato, Ca at five p.m. The sun doesn't go down until six. That would make it perfect for me to have an hour before the sun went down to do some photography. Such was the plan I had in my mind until we got lost and couldn't find the place where we were meeting them. By Lenore's dead reckoning we finally found the house at about five minutes until six. I jumped out of the car and braced my camera on a wood chipper that was parked near the house and photographed an oak tree silhouetted by the sunset.Wait a minute.. a wood chipper what the? Then it hit me. Who keeps a wood chipper parked on the street a nice upscale residential area? To give you some reference I was just in the middle of reading a murder mystery where all of the victims are thrown into a wood chipper before the bodies are disposed of. Just plain creepy to see one sitting there in such a nice neighborhood. Pushing those thoughts from my mind I drove westward hoping to find a ridge top to photograph from. I found a couple but there was no room on the narrow road to pull off. I then drove south past the Cheese Factory and around Lake Nicasio. A stiff breeze was up making reflections off of the lake all but impossible. I turned toward San Rafael and when I hit the freeway I went further south and turned off in Tiburon. I was hoping for a good view of San Francisco. The views of the city from there weren't all that noteworthy. I tried a few but I wasn't happy with them. I drove north and then on a random chance took the exit for the San Rafael Bridge. I took the last and only exit before the bridge at San Quentin Prison. Surprisingly there was a sign with a small parking lot that said "Scenic View". I created some images of views of the bridge but only one of them came out because there was too much vibration on the camera from the wind off of the bay. After that I packed it in and went back to pick up Lenore. Lucky for me she had a piece of chocolate truffle cake for me to nibble on. Love and God's blessings to all, chris

Out Into the Darkness

Saturday afternoon we went out to the coast and hung out around the Mendocino Headlands watching the sun go down. We had a fantastic tail gate dinner of clam chowder, olives and Camenbert Cheese. We counted so many Gray Whale spouts that I lost count. Right now they are migrating north to Alaska. Such a pretty cool sight to see. The sunrise ended pretty quickly in a fog bank so we headed up the coast to where we were staying at Pudding Creek north of Fort Bragg. We walked out onto the Pudding Creek Trestle in the fading light and created one image of the rocks off shore. We went back to our room watched an old western movie with Jimmy Stuart and drifted off to sleep. Around midnight the dog decided it would be a great time to go to the bathroom. I plodded out into the darkness and worked on an image of the rocks and the beach. The dog really put me into a mood when he wanted to go out at four a.m. I grabbed my camera again and this time made an image of the water shining with the silvery light of the moon. It was a great trip except for my lack of sleep. Next time the dog is staying home! God's love and blessings to all, chris All images created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 28-105 lens. The first image was created by bracing the camera against the trestle railing for a long exposure. The other two were taken on a Manfrotto 190 PROXB Tripod with a Manfrotto 3055 ballhead. Camera settings used AV mode,ISO 400,F 4.5 at 30 seconds.

North to Humboldt County

This last weekend we traveled one county to the north of us to the little mill town of Scotia California for a friends wedding. The wedding was held at the beautiful Scotia Inn. After we left the reception Lenore and I headed out to the front of the inn to photograph it. Very few cars were driving by for me to include in my composition so I had Lenore drive by in my pick up which was just perfect. Enjoy the image and God bless, chris Image created with a Canon 50D and a Canon EF-S10-22mm lens at 17mm. Camera settings used were. Manual mode ISO 400, F 29.0 at 13 seconds. Camera was supported on a Manfrotto 055X PROB tripod with a Bogen 3055 ballhead.

One for Fun

Last night we had a great time creating an image. These kinds of images are pretty common and if you look you can find many of them on the web. They are just so cool looking and fun to do! It was raining out and there was no danger of fire in the forest so we spun some burning steel wool to make a pretty cool effect. The sparks were flying far and wide so it was pretty awesome. We did three of them but this one was my favorite.It was created using a Canon 7D and a Canon 10-22 lens at an ISO 800 with an exposure of 30 seconds at F 5.6. Have a great weekend and God bless, chris

City by the Bay

Those regular viewers of this photoblog may have noticed that I had gone AWOL. I just got back yesterday from a two week photography trip to Colorado and Wyoming. I have more images of Elk bugling than I know what to do with. I got some beautiful images. Throw in gorgeous aspen trees, Pikas, Bison, Prairie Dogs, rabbits and Pronghorn Antelope and I had a marvelous time. It took me a good part of today just to upload all of the images to my computer and back up drive. Now on to my main message for today's photoblog. Because I was flying out of San Francisco I thought it would be a great idea to get some images of the San Francisco skyline. I left my hotel room just before sunset to photograph the city from Treasure Island. A long the way I changed my destination and headed up to the top of Twin Peaks instead. I hadn't been there since I was a young boy when my Uncle Bill brought me up there to show me what he called the best view of the city you will ever get. He was right and the views were fantastic. The night was clear and warm though it was a bit windy. Enjoy the view and God bless, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon EFS-10-22mm lens mounted on Manfotto 055XB tripod and a Bogen 3055 ballhead. Camera settings used Manual,ISO 100, F10.0 at 25 seconds. The panorama is 5 images merged together.

Milky Way Rising Above the Redwoods

Last night just before midnight I hatched a plan in my mind to photograph a dandelion in front of the Milky Way. The plan wasn't successful though after a bit of thought I figured out what I need to do to correct the error of my ways. Now that is almost an impossible with out divine intervention. Thank you Lord for providing it. Now back to where I was. I didn't succeed in photographing the dandelion but I did get a nice image of the Milky Way rising up over the redwoods. God's light and love to all, chris Image Created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 10-22mm wide angle lens at 10mm on a Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings used- Manual Mode, ISO 3200, F4.5 at 30 seconds, 2 second timer delay.

Cast a Little Light on It

I haven't posted any blog entries for the past few days as we were on a short trip to Chico, CA. It was nice to be over in the Central Valley enjoying the heat. One evening we ventured out for some frozen yogurt. While I was waiting for Lenore and Annika to finish eating their yogurt I began photographing the cars going by the yogurt place. All of the images I was creating were coming out OK. Just as we were standing up to leave I noticed a bicycle taxi coming down the street with some bright blue flashing lights. Very quickly I ran back to the bench where we were sitting and recomposed an image. I clicked the shutter and waited for the little taxi to go by. I just love the blue light streaks from the taxi. God's light and love to all, chris Image created with a Canon 7D and a Canon 10-22mm lens at 21mm Camera Settings Used- Manual mode,ISO 100, F8.0 at a shutter speed of 4 seconds.

Carnival Time

Frontier days is the premier event that rolls around once a year "Fourth of July" week in the small town of Willts, California where I live. It is the biggest fundraiser benefit for charities and other groups. Planning for the events surrounding it go on all year as it includes dances,rodeos,a parade,a carnival and other events. Last night Lenore and I went down to the carnival. She wanted to ride the ferris wheel and I wanted to photograph the colorful rides and carnival atmosphere. We both walked away happy. Today is the parade BBQ and the rodeo.It's going to be a full day. Blessings and happy Fourth of July to all, chris PS: Part two of the round up is still on its way. Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon 10-22 lens. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings Used- Manual mode,ISO 100, Shutter speeds and F stops varied.

Passin' Thru

I live outside of the little town of Willits which is bisected by Highway 101. 101 runs the length of the west coast of the United States passing through from Southern California all the way through Oregon to Northern Washington State. During summer there are people passing through from all over the world to see the tall spires of redwoods and the crashing waves of the Pacific on the North Coast. There are also a lot of concerts and events ranging from motor cycles runs to concerts on the Eel River that people are traveling to see. There are people headed the other way as well to spend time visiting San Francisco and see the famous Golden Gate Bridge. Willits is just a little spot along the way to other places. It's a beautiful spot to those who take the time to stop and enjoy it. A bit of small town calm and beauty in a fast paced world.Here is one of our little towns claim to fame the Willits Arch spanning Highway 101. God's love and blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon 10-22 lens at 12mm. Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- AV Mode, ISO 100, F22.0, Shutter speed of 3.2 seconds .

Chasing the Moon

Last nights photography was rather frustrating. Primarily due to my poor planning. I wanted to photograph the moon just as it crested the ridge line to the east of us. Great idea don't you think? The idea simple in form was hard to execute. Mainly because about twenty minutes before it was supposed to rise I thought it would be a good idea to look it up on TPE (The Photographer's Ephemeris) so I could use my compass to line up the shot of where the moon was going to rise. This is where my biggest obstacle arose. My main computer that died recently is the one that has TPE on it. Our home computer doesn't have it. My attempts at a quick download of the program failed because our computer also doesn't have Adobe Air which it also needed. So much for that idea. I went out into the backyard and waited for the appointed time for it to rise. That much I did know from checking the moonrise and set times in the local weather report. When it rose it was a bright, bright orange behind a tall row of redwood trees blocking my view! I ran quickly to the car and searched for a better view point. Coming down off of the ridge I found a decent spot and I hurriedly created a few images. Below is the best one. This month's moon is called the "Strawberry Moon". It was named by the Algonquin tribes of Northeastern North America. In Europe it was called the "Rose Moon". After photographing the moon I went home and I made sure to install Adobe air and TPE on the family computer. I'll be ready next time! Blessings to all, chris Camera Equipment Used- Canon 7D, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Lens, Manfrotto 055XPROB Tripod with a Bogen 3055 Ballhead. Camera Settings- Manual mode, ISO 400,F 5.6, shutter speed Squirrel 1/250th of a sec.