Ruby Beach

I'm feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my blog this summer. I'm sorry about that. I try to make sure my priorities are in the right place when my children are home from school... and that means that I'm most likely to be found in the pool or the park during the day. I love having my kids home during the summer, but it means that I have very little time for wilderness photography - or updating my website or blog.

I hope you'll all put up with my absences until the end of August, when the kids are back in school. I'll have quite a lot of catching up to do - but I can't complain. This is what life is all about.

I did manage to process a shot a few weeks ago... this one is from our trip to Washington state. Ruby beach is fantastic - and the light was awfully nice that night. :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer - wherever you are.

Today in Brief

Showers for grownups, breakfast, beach, lunch, beach, pool, showers for kids, dinner, bed. A bit of sunburn despite enormous amounts of sunscreen. Five miles of hiking between parking lots and beaches. Six very happy and very tired children. We're having a fantastic time - but for some reason, I don't feel like I'm on vacation. :)

We did get some fun pictures - which I'll process when we get home.

Little Brother

We are just about ready for our June 20-21 iHDR seminar in San Jose next week. We have only a few spots left, so if anyone is still interested in signing up, you'll need to be quick about it. I'm really looking forward to meetings those of you who have signed up to join us!

Although we've been busy preparing for the seminar, I did take a few minutes to process this shot from Ruby Beach in Washington. I loved the moody feel to the image - and although I considered converting it to black and white, I felt that the subtle blue color worked best. The pretty rock in the foreground had been washed onto the shore behind me, but I moved it into the waves to I could capture the effect of the smooth water washing it's surface. The waves were strong enough to push it out of the way, so I had to take several shots before I got the one I wanted.

Although I love the dramatic lighting that we are always looking for on our photographic trips, sometimes these more subtle photos really make me smile. :)

And then there's the title for this one. I know it's a bit odd... but it's what keeps coming back to my mind when I look at this shot. That little stone may be the smaller of the two brothers... but its smooth surface and small size suggest that it has been around for a very long time. Humans grow up as they grow older, but stones grow smaller over time.

-Varina

Nevermind

We're ditching the coast and heading inland towards mono lake. The coast has a heavy layer of fog hanging over it - typical for this time of year. And there are no storms to bring interesting clouds. And when the fog lifts, the sky is hazy and dull. So, nevermind. We checked the weather conditions for the area, and the best we can hope for is the storm hanging over mono lake - East of Yosemite. So, we'll drive out this morning (about 4 hours) and shoot the lake at sunset. We'll stay out there tonight, and leave around 5am to return to San Francisco to catch our flights.

Yesterday, we drove along highway 1 to see what we could shoot at sunset. We stopped to check out McWay falls - but the park is closed because of fires. Too bad - the sun is at the right angle for a beautiful sunset shot at this time of year. At Pfeiffer beach, the sun was at the wrong angle for a good shot of the light coming through the natural doorways in the rocks. I did take a few shots there, but nothing spectacular. We headed Northward again, and stopped to capture a couple of shots along the highway. The light was beautiful at times, but the wind was exreme. It was nearly impossible to hold my tripod steady - and the wind nearly knocked me down, too. Maybe it's time to gain a few more pounds! Yikes! :)

We'd better get out of here. We have a bit of driving ahead of us - and we'd like to have some time to explore before sunset.

Rocky Shore

This image was taken at Ruby Beach. The water made such intricate patterns as it worked its way through the pebbles... and then this beautiful stone with such a distinct white ring. I took the shot with a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the water among the rocks. It's a miniature landscape. I've been taking more detail shots since our trip to Utah with our friend, Jim. I'll be able to put up a new gallery on my website before long - it won't be large, but it will be a start. I'll let you all know when it's up and running. And I'm hoping to get a chance to add some new images to my website as well.

We are leaving for Arizona tomorrow morning. I'll try to post updates when I can - but as usual, I can't promise anything. We're hoping to get a permit to visit The Wave again, and we'll be hiking to Antelope Canyon, and possibly the Subway. Can't wait!

"Rapture on the Lonely Shore"

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

-Lord Byron


I waited for a long time to get this shot just the way I wanted it. The beach surrounding the rock was covered with footprints and bicycle tracks, and I waited until the tide was high enough to wash the shore clean... and then I waited until the water receded enough to allow me to capture the rocks and the pool - plus the reflected light on the wet sand. I wanted to be positioned so that there was a separation between the two large rocks in the background - and also between the two foreground rocks. The tide was coming in fast, so I almost didn't get the shot - the waves would come up and wash the shore, and then receded - but not fast enough. As they receded, the next wave would come in and cover the beautiful depression around the rocks. Eventually, the waves pulled back enough to allow me to capture the shot as I wanted it - just when I though it wasn't going to happen. You can see the next small wave coming in to fill my little pond. :)

I love this place. It was so hard to leave!