A sea otter cleans his teeth with his tongue as he eats his meal.
This week’s photo was taken last month in Moss Landing, California. Sea otters can frequently be seen here floating in the small harbor, usually eating or grooming. This area is also home to the Elkhorn Slough – famous for its many birding opportunities. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation boasts a checklist of 346 species of resident and migratory birds.
Sea otters are fascinating to watch due to their displays of anthropomorphism and (sometimes comical) interactions with each other. By floating on their backs as they eat, they appear very relaxed and laid back. I always imagine a big smile on their face, as if they are about to tell a great joke.
Turning orange and yellow at sunset, clouds are reflected in the still waters of the San Francisco Bay. The sky has been cleansed by a passing storm. Foster City, California.
Don’t wait for the weekend or vacations to get out the camera. Take one along with you as you go about your every day life. You never know when you might have an opportunity to capture something unexpected.
Even when I don’t have my camera with me (which isn’t TOO often!), I’m constantly on the lookout for interesting ideas for photographs. I get especially excited when I see opportunities for shots that are outside of the subject I normally shoot (nature, landscape, wildlife, etc). This helps keep my creativity going, especially when I’m stuck close to home for long stretches of time.
The moon rises over the San Francisco Bay at sunset.
While working one afternoon last week I could see out my window that there were some pretty interesting looking clouds lining up over the bay after a particularly wet winter storm had passed through. I quickly checked my tide chart and saw that it would be low tide right around sunset. It was a quick 5 minute drive out to the edge of the bay, and only 30-40 minutes out of my day. By being on the lookout for something that caught my eye during my day-to-day life, I was able to capture some beautiful colors in the heart of an urban environment of over six million people.
The moon sets behind off-shore fog, cast in a purple hue from the rising sun
On a recent morning out at the coast, I was lucky enough to have the conditions of a clear sky, a full moon, and a moonset close to the moment of sunrise. My goal had been to use my longest telephoto lens to zoom in on the moon and capture it setting over the horizon, or behind on offshore rock formation. By using my long lens, the moon would have appeared huge.
However, as soon as I got to my desired location (in the dark of course), I saw that the morning also brought with it the typical fog bank looming just off shore. Once the moon set behind this layer of cloud, it would be gone – long before ever reaching the horizon.
I now had to quickly decide what kind of image this new challenge would allow me. With the rising sun behind me, I was sure to get some interesting colors off of the fog. The telephoto lens would no longer work for this composure because with no strong elements (only moon and fog), the photo might lack interest. I looked around and saw and old fence that could serve well as a silhouetted foreground. I set up my tripod with my 24-70mm zoom just in time to capture the moon before it disappeared behind the fog.
Sometimes when I head out for something particular in mind and it doesn’t work out, I can be happily surprised by unexpected opportunities. This week’s photo is a prime example. Recently I traveled down the coast to try to get some photographs of wintering Monarch butterflies. The butterflies were there, but not very active. I have since realized that I was a little too late in the year to capture them clustering on eucalyptus trees. However, the tree in the above photograph had flowered and the blossoms seemed to glow in the soft light of the overcast afternoon. Just as I was starting to leave, a Townsend’s warbler perched itself on one of the most photogenic branches. I was ready to capture the fleeting moment, and came away from the trip with something entirely different than that which I set out to capture.
Soft light filtered by the forest canopy partially silhouettes this moss covered tree, Muir Woods National Monument
Early this year, I made a very brief stop to Muir Woods National Monument as my wife and I were touring around with an out-of-town guest. I knew that I wanted to come back soon to do some more in-depth photography, and last week I was able to do just that. Armed with a lightweight tripod, a polarized filter, and my 24-70mm zoom lens, I worked my way through the heart of the canyon in which Muir Woods is situated. The day was overcast and slightly drizzling – perfect conditions for forest photography.
The photo above was created from five photos stitched together. I love the tree’s long, gangly branches and the bright green of the moss-covered bark. The way in which the filtered light penetrates the thick canopy above gives the grass and green foliage an almost translucent glow.
Scroll down to see more photos from that day, or click here to see the entire gallery.
A fern grows at the base of a massive redwood tree, flourishing in the light of a rare clearing, Muir Woods National Monument
Redwood Creek flows through the forest, bringing nourishment to the many ferns and redwood behemoths that flourish along its length, Muir Woods National Monument
The white and black bark of these redwood trees are tied together by the ubiquitous green of forest life, Muir Woods National Monument
I wish you all a happy and safe Valentines Day. May it be a day where you can truly celebrate the relationships in your life, and spend some quality time with loved ones!
A harbor seal glances up after a rising tide awakens him from his slumber
I took this photo last week in Moss Beach, just north of Half Moon Bay. At low tide, harbor seals can sometimes be seen lounging on the exposed rocks, far away from the beach. However, I was here at dawn, and it was still about an hour away from high tide. I knew the rocks would be covered, and I was hoping I might see some along the beach. Unfortunately, the tide was in much further than I thought it would, leaving only about 20 feet between the sea cliff and the pounding surf.
Not seeing any seals, I decided to focus instead on landscapes. I set up my tripod at the base on the path going down to the beach. As I was setting up a shot, far in the distance down the beach I saw movement. This had to be the seals. I re-evaluated the tide situation, and figured if I gave myself a strict time limit, I should be able to make it down the beach and back before the tide rose to the bottom of the cliff (kids don’t try this at home). Not wanting to get stranded against a cliff and sucked out to sea, I gave myself 10 minutes to get a shot and get out.
I preset the camera controls and got my long lens ready, then did my fastest “stealth” walk I could muster. As I got closer, I saw there was one seal left on the beach, the others having gone into the ocean (I believe this was the movement I had seen when I was down the beach). He appeared fast asleep. Just then, a large wave came in and broke just below him, sending water underneath him, and waking him up. He only looked up once, but I was ready. I got the shot, and knew it was time to get out of there.
One of the largest, most majestic and ubiquitous birds around my house year round is the Great Egret. A short walk along the bay will usually yield at least one sighting, no matter the time of year. As captivating as this bird is because of its sheer size, it becomes even more interesting when observing its behavior. Whether fishing, preening, flying, or just poking around in the mud with its smaller Snowy Egret cousins, the Great Egret seems intent on whatever it is doing.
Both photos presented here are of the same egret on the same day. The shot below was taken just after a stiff wind had ruffled the bird’s feathers. To settle its feathers back in place, it began to shake its entire body back and forth like a wet dog. Captured mid-shake, it looks more like an overgrown chick than its usual stately self.
A great egret shakes its body, fluffing its feathers as it prepares to preen
I recently updated my Panoramas gallery to include some more recent photos. Most of these were created by taking several photos and stitching them together, creating one larger photo. Some were simply cropped to a panoramic format. Most of the photos have a 3:1 aspect ratio. While there is no true standard panoramic photo ratio, 3:1 has been used by several film-based cameras over the years, including the Fuji GX617.
Check out the Flash gallery below, or click the Panoramas link below that to jump straight to the gallery page on my web site.
The sun sets over the Pacific Ocean beyond green hills, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
While one of the main draws is its old-growth and second-growth redwoods forests, Purisima Creek Redwoods just west of Redwood City also offers expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. I took this photo earlier this month, on a hike meant to capture some shots of the park’s redwoods and creek. However, if the weather was right, I thought it might be a nice opportunity for a good sunset.
I was toward the bottom of the park, trying to get some panoramas of redwood trunks shrouded in fog when I realized I only had 20 minutes to get back up the trail to the spot I had picked on the way down. I ran up the trail as fast as I could, climbing a good 700 feet in elevation, just in time to see the once-hidden sun peek out from beneath a thick cloud bank. I set up my tripod, threw the camera on, and started capturing images. This was one of my favorites due to the great blues reflecting off the bottom of the clouds which offset the warm tones of the sunset.
