Weekend visit from Jackie's Dad

This past weekend, Jackie's dad came to visit for the last time before he goes on his big trip to Europe!  We drove out east to near Palm Springs to visit his sister near the Mt. San Jacinto State Park.  It was a really nice drive, and was a great opportunity to see a bunch of really cool scenery.

Sony Alpha 200, 28.0 mm, ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/160

Going east, it's amazing how quickly the terrain changes in Southern California.

 

Sony Alpha 200, 75.0 mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/100 

We traveled from the Mediterranean-esque brush of the coast, to a region with actual trees!  And not only that, but moss as well!  It really brings me back to my Northwest roots.



*(As a tangent, this Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners play   their season opener against the Oakland Athletics in Tokyo!  It will be at 3 am, but that only barely discourages me from watching it.  It'll be good to play the A's again, a team we might have a chance against, unlike the two Japanese teams we just finished playing.)







The scenery up that way was really beautiful; the golden fields were very inspiring for future outings to try to capture the wildflowers, something I have yet to do in my time in San Diego.

Sony Alpha 200, 28.0 mm, ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/160 

 It was a really nice photo trip overall, and it was great getting to spend some time with both Jackie and her dad.  Hopefully his trip goes well!  Everyone should be sure to follow his blog as well to get updates of his European trek in the coming months!

I'll leave things off for tonight with two final shots from the drive back, down Highway 79.

Sony Alpha 200, 28.0 mm, ISO 200, f/8.0, 1/200 

Sony Alpha 200, 35.0 mm, ISO 200, f/8.0, 1/125

Photoshoot with Friends

Sony  Alpha 200, 55.0mm,  f/3.5, ISO 200, 1/640

Hello everyone!  Jackie and I had a great opportunity recently to do some photographs for one of our friends, Dan.  He was a really great model, and I think everyone had a really great time!

  To begin with, we went to SDSU, which has some neat architecture and warm tones.  It also has flags with a suitably epic feel!  Jackie did a great job scouting out places ahead of time, as you can see from some of the pictures that she has put together (See above link!)

Sony  Alpha 200, 35.0mm,  f/4.0, ISO 200, 1/160

With the sun rapidly fading, though, the time was perfect to head to Coronado.  Besides being a really cute a area of San Diego, Coronado has great views of the downtown area across San Diego Bay.  It's just a 10 minute drive or so from downtown to get to a cute little park.





(As a side note, there were lots of  fancy events being photographed there at the same time we were, including wedding photos.  So if someone's looking for a great place to get photos, I'd recommend it as a very interesting location)

Sony  Alpha 200, 70.0mm,  f/4.0, ISO 200, 1/640 

The quality of this location is especially true in the late evening, as the sunset casts a warm glow on downtown San Diego





As you can see, it's hard to beat that view, especially considering what month of the year it was (March).  Winter in southern latitudes has more perks than just great weather, though; the nice weather means great lighting earlier in the evening, so you're not trying to get shots at 7, 8, 9 o'clock.

Sony  Alpha 200, 60.0mm,  f/4.0, ISO 200, 1/80 

Don't want to get too verbose on this, not really any bigger motive for this other than wanting to share these shots with you, so I think I'll leave you with these final two shots and bid you all good day.

Sony  Alpha 200, 75.0mm,  f/4.0, ISO 200, 1/60 

Another quick jaunt to La Jolla

This past weekend was incredibly busy, but I managed to snag a few minutes to take a walk in downtown La Jolla again around sunset, and this time my girlfriend was able to come too!  Unfortunately, we were moving quickly and there was no time for a photo shoot, so all I have to show are an enjoyable evening and some cool photos from the sea-side village.

Sony Alpha 200, 28.0 mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/500

 When crossing the street in front of the St. James by-the-sea church (editors note: See previous post) and the  Museum of Contemporary Art, I saw this old VW van cruising towards me.  I shot this off the cuff, but I really liked the palms in the background.  Of course, being off the cuff, the lighting was a bit crazy, but I still enjoyed looking at the shot.

Sony Alpha 200, 55.0 mm, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/13

After sunset, we took the long way back around to my car, and right as the light was disappearing, I saw this neat rusty piece of street art.  I was just going to get a shot of it as it was, but Jackie took the initiative and spun the number (thanks Jackie!) giving a really neat effect with the medium length exposure.  Plus, 7 is a good, stereotypical, lucky number.  Seen in this light, this photo can be seen as an omen of things to come, as we got Don Carlos right after! (Editors note: Go to Don Carlos if you are in La Jolla.  It is tasty.)

A walk around La Jolla

Saturday was a rainy day, but when things cleared up I was able to take a nice walk around downtown La Jolla!  It also gave me a chance to play a bit with my new lens!

Now, I have zero sense of direction, so I ended up getting pretty lost, but I saw a lot of neat things I haven't seen before!

 One place I ended up was the St. James by-the-sea Episcopal Church, which had both this neat fountain:

Sony Alpha 200, 75.0 mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/320

As well as all sorts of interesting nautical-themed objects on the church doors.  Also, for some reason someone left an apple and plastic bag, and what looked like half an animal cracker?

Sony Alpha 200, 28.0 mm, ISO 200, f/4.0, 1/50

Sony Alpha 200, 75.0 mm, ISO 200, f/4.0, 1/320

There was also one of those rotating-ball-fountain thingies close to the La Jolla Cove.  Got some interesting stares when I was getting close to this for the shot, but if you're not getting weird stares in public, you must be doing something wrong!

Nate and Kayla Visit (A Very Looooong Time Ago)

So back in September when my friends from Seattle (Nate and Kayla) visited, I took some photos of them.  Unfortunately, I can be really lazy sometimes, so I'm just now getting around to sharing some of my favorite shots.  Better late than never is how the maxim generally goes, (and unless you think really hard about it, there are few circumstances in which it is better to be never than late), so here we go!

For these pictures, we went to this eucalyptus grove near my school, UCSD (for the curious reader, the location is tagged in the post).  The lighting was really cool, and they were awesome models for me!

Sony Alpha 200, 85.0 mm, ISO 400, f 5.6, 1/320

There was a nice little walk, with a view of the Pacific (not shown, so trust me).

Sony Alpha 200, 300.0 mm, ISO 400, f 5.6, 1/250

Sony Alpha 200, 135.0 mm, ISO 200, f 5.6, 1/125

Despite the bark-covered ground and all the sharp dry grasses, it was a nice place for a sit.

Sony Alpha 200, 110.0 mm, ISO 200, f 5.6, 1/250

I like a goofy picture even more than a serious one, because it makes me feel like I know the subjects better.

Sony Alpha 200, 300.0 mm, ISO 200, f 5.6, 1/640

I just got that blanket earlier in the day!  It was a nice prop.

Sony Alpha 200, 230.0 mm, ISO 200, f 5.6, 1/1000

Aww...

Thanks for visiting guys!

Many new things at once

I got a new lens this morning (Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8), and to commemorate this occasion, I decided to take a macro photo of several new things I had received for the holidays.

Sony Alpha 200, 75.0 mm, ISO 400, f 2.8, 1/30

Happy January everyone!

Night Photography (or the joys of living in a warm climate)

One of the more enjoyable aspects of living in San Diego is that 70's and sunny in January is not a rarity.  Though this is pleasant during the day, the best part is that warm days often lead to warm-ish nights.  For one interested in exploring night photography, this is beneficial, as you get the warmth of a spring day in other climates, while getting access to the night as early as 5:00, maximizing the time available for these shots.

With these on my side, I made a trip to Balboa Park near downtown San Diego after work on Friday to try and see what sort of sights I could capture.  As it was still early in the evening, there were still a few people around, though far from the daytime crowds.

Sony Alpha 200, 18.0 mm, ISO 200, f 10.0, 5.0 s

 Many holiday lights were still strung out, and as the evening progressed a fog layer rolled in, leading to progressively ethereal photos.

Sony Alpha 200, 18.0 mm, ISO 200, f 10.0, 8.0 s

 Also, for the first time I came across this hedge garden with a Grecian bench lit through the fog by overhead lights.

Sony Alpha 200, 18.0 mm, ISO 200,  f 8.0, 25.0 s

Soon after this, I was completely blanketed in fog.

One of the most interesting and enjoyable parts of nighttime urban photography is the decrease in crowd size while maintaining all the interesting landmarks and architecture.  As a photographer, you have more control over when people will be in your shot, and you don't have to worry so much about a guy with an ice-cream cone walking right in front of you at the perfect moment.  And, with a good tripod under your camera, the lack of light is hardly a problem at all, allowing for the exploration of interesting effects.

Overall, a neat Friday night.