Nature & Wildlife
I would not normally photograph a seagull. I do not often photograph birds in general as I only have a 70-200mm lens, which is great for my commercial photography work, but not exactly the lens you would use if you are into bird photography. However, this seagull was not far from me, and seemed to be wanting me to make its photograph, so I did! Thank you for the sassy head turn seagull!
Read MoreThere are often weather alerts for “sneaker waves” for the Monterey Bay coast where I live. Pacific Grove is a quiet small town, right on the coast that is often full of drama. Such was the case on a recent afternoon, so I took my camera with 70-200mm lens (medium telephoto) to see what wave splashes I could capture. When I took the above shot, about 100 shots into the time I was shooting, I knew immediately it was the shot I had been looking for, and that was even before I noticed the birds in it, which just added to the shot. I took a few more photos after that, but I knew I had gotten what I envisioned before even leaving the house. This is something very satisfying and recommended for any photographer, envision what photo you want to get before going out, and then when you get it, you will know.
Read MoreThere are many scenic viewing points along 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, California. I discovered Bird Rock because of a cycling group I was riding with stopped there one evening. Besides the great view, this lookout point has lots of parking and picnic tables and even a restroom. I decided to grab the camera and head out there, by car this time, to get a few shots of the sunset and twilight sky. It’s named Bird Rock for the big rock just offshore that is used as a rookery. Lots of birds were coming home from their day of work to spend the night on Bird Rock.
Read MoreDriving through Big Sur there are near infinite pullouts you can stop at and enjoy the views. However, not many of them allow you to go all the way down to the ocean itself. Partington Cove is a tiny inlet that you can access down a long gravel road enjoying the changing views of it as you descend. The cove itself is all large rocks, no beach at all. It is a rugged up-close view of the Pacific Ocean that was a combination of fog and ocean mist when I visited it. I found as cozy of a spot as there is there wedged between some boulders and listened to, looked at, and felt the incoming swells roll on shore.
Read MoreI have always been very curious about these funny little birds running along the shore at Asilomar Beach in Pacific Grove, California. They search along the water’s edge for food, but seem quite adverse to the water washing over their feet, so they run at an incredible fast pace, their little legs moving like a blur, to avoid getting wet! I finally learned their name, sanderlings, and had a chance to photograph them at their eye level thanks to an unusually high sand dune.
Read MoreThe sea lions have had their pups, and they are all over a popular section of the recreational trail in Monterey, California. People stop and enjoy their antics. I wonder though, how many who are in that area all the time enjoy this? Sea lions bark constantly, and are stinky. After an hour of photographing them, I was good! They certainly are entertaining though whether they know they are being so or not.
Read MoreFor a town on a peninsula surrounded by water, some of which faces west, Pacific Grove does not often have direct, to the horizon, sunsets. Various points make seeing west impossible over the water, and then of course there is the fog, especially in summer into early fall. So when the sun was shining an hour before actual sunset still, I grabbed my camera and headed to Asilomar Beach and was able to capture this rare to the horizon sunset! You never know when the next chance might come.
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