Capitola, CA
April 15, 2007 Details: F10 ISO-100 1/320 18mm land
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Here is the first picture from my new Sony Alpha DSLR. So far I've noticed the Alpha is heavier, larger and louder ( it makes loud clicks and buzzing noises ) which I think are good things. Picture quality is about the same as with the old Sony ( 90% of the photos to date on this site have been shot with a dinosaur DSC-F717 ) except that color saturation is about 50% better. The bottom line was, I needed to replace my aged camera with one of at least equivalent quality. The modern DSC line just didn't seem as good as my 5 year old camera. I looked around a lot of places, but I had a tight budget and I love Sony so I opted for the Alpha which is basically a big Minolta on steroids with a Sony badge. I wanted to take some stunning pictures, but this weekend was a total bore. This picture shows the nice colors (notice the brighter blues in comparison to the shot of me with the Red Bull) you can get out of the box with todays modern image sensors. The resolution would be a lot better if you could come to my house and look at my computer screen (please don't). One thing I have noticed is that the i-photo image compression software is kinda lousy. I never realized that until I tried compressing the huge photos the Alpha takes. Here's to 5 more years of trusty Sony picture taking!
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Westcliff Drive, Santa Cruz
March 30, 2007
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Sunset from the walkway along Westcliff.
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UCSC Bike Trail
March 15, 2007
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This was taken around dusk in the meadow next to the campus bike trail. My philosophy on photography is simple. Take lots of pictures - of the places you go, of your friends, the ones you love, and of yourself. With digital cameras, pictures are basically free. So take advantage of that. Because one day, that's all you'll be is a photograph.
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Wilder Ranch
March 10, 2007
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Spring has arrived in Wilder Ranch. I went for a nice long jog in the park following the twin oaks trail to the old cabin trail, and then returning along the engelsman loop. In 9 days it will be the 1 year anniversary of the photo gallery on my website. The first trip was the wilder ranch bike ride.
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Lighthouse Field State Beach
March 5, 2007
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Lou came to visit for the weekend. We did a lot of fun things, including a little road trip up to Pescadero and a nice bike ride. The monarch mating season was in full swing at Lighthouse Field in Santa Cruz. This was an incredible sight. More pics to come later in the main gallery.
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Andrew Molera SP, part deux
February 19, 2007
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This Red Bull is for you! (whoever built this table) Check out the rest of the photos from the recent Big Sur camping weekend here.
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Andrew Molera SP
February 3, 2007
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Went on a couple of fun trips with Lou. Details can be found on the "Steinbeck Country" page. I snapped this pic at a little secluded cove in Andrew Molera SP. The view is looking up towards the mountains that frame the Big Sur watershed.
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Anna Jean Cummings Park
January 27, 2007
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I originally planned on jogging in northern Nisene Marks, but the trailhead along Olive Springs Road was already full to capacity with cars. That was surprising since the forecast was for rain today. I headed to the main entrance and parked in the normal lot. From there I jogged up along the Loma Prieta grade trail, which is actually the former narrow guage railroad bed. For most of the way, you can actually still see the timbers, but the tracks were removed for scrap. You also pass a ghost camp, called Hoffmann where most of the old buildings have fallen over, except curiously, the outhouse. I did a quick side trip to Maple falls and returned along the Bridge Creek trail to Aptos Creek Road. Folks traveling along Soquel-San Jose Road will find these Indiana Jones style blue balls at Anna Jean Cummings park.
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Along Soquel- San Jose Road
January 21, 2007
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I decided to head up Loma Prieta to check out the view. Some snow patches lingered in the shade (from December most likely) on the upper slopes of the mountain. The views were good in all directions. On the way back I stopped at an 80 year old gas station. The fridges there are the big white 30's style. The screen doors have these wrought iron 7up logos on them. The guy behind the counter made me realize why I should never take up the habit of chewing tobacco.
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Borel Hill, Russian Ridge OSP
January 13, 2007
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I knew it would be a clear day so I headed up to Borel Hill. The temperature up there was one degree above freezing, and with a constant 30 mph wind it felt like someone was sticking needles into my face. In the pic above you can see the Stanford bell tower on the left, Mt. Diablo to the right of that, and on the far right the giant airship hanger at Moffat Field.
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Lou, Slot Canyon off Calcite Mine Road
January 2, 2007
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It's satisfying when a solid axle Jeep running 38 inch boggers and an 8 inch lift rolls up and the driver asks: "Is that a stock truck?". Went to Anza Borrego with Lou to check out the slot canyons on Calcite Mine Road. I also did the full length of the road all the way to the mine.
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A Boy and His Dog, Eagle Rock
December 29, 2006
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Went to Visit Eagle Rock with Lou, Steve, Harry and Christa.
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Pink's Hot Dog Stand, Hollywood
December 23, 2006
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Cruisin' the steets of tinsel town big Lars style on Christmas eve eve. We needed some sustenance so we stopped by for a "Heull Dog". This is a rather short line for Pink's.
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Sea Stack near Bonny Doon Beach
December 20, 2006
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Went for about a 10 mile jog this morning in Wilder Ranch. After mile 8 I had barely any energy left (I think the Red Bull I drank wore off). Knowing I had 2 miles left to go before I reached the car was quite depressing. I guess I was running pretty quietly because somehow I saw a bobcat before he saw me. I got to watch him for a couple of minutes before he noticed me and ran off. If I had had my camera I would have had the shot of a lifetime. Anyway, I snapped this pick of the sea stack halfway between Davenport (the CEMEX plant is visible in the distance) and Bonny Doon Beach. There's also a pretty nice arch at this little cove. It is a scenic place to visit during the day, but I think they have some pretty wild parties there. The little beach at this cove is just littered with broken glass and trash. I wouldn't feel comfortable being there at sunset when I think pictures of the arch would be incredible.
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Catholic Church, Davenport CA
December 17, 2006
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I went for a long hike in Butano State Park on the day after a winter storm. Temperatures were in the mid 40's. I didn't see a single other person on the whole hike. Hordes of banana slugs and newts were out though. The views were pretty good along the Olmo Fire Road where it separates the Butano drainage from Gazos Creek and Big Basin. It's pretty cool to look out as far as you can see and all the hills are covered in redwoods. On the way back I stopped to photograph the little catholic church in Davenport. It's built entirely of cement from the CEMEX plant at the other end of town.
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Ancient Oaks Trail, Russian Ridge OSP
December 13, 2006
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Since it has been rainy for the last 5 days I worked through the weekend.
I knew the rain was supposed to let up today, so I decided to reward myself with a morning fun run in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve. I didn't get to experience much of the world famous view from Borrel hill. Also, a constant mist was coming practically horizontally the entire time I was running, but the great part was that I got to have one of the most heavily used parks in the bay area all to myself.
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White House Canyon
December 3, 2006
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Went for a jog on White House Canyon Road near Ano Nuevo and Cascade Ranch. Then I hiked another 1.5 miles up the trail that runs from the end of the road up to the Chalk Road at the edge of Big Basin. That trail is a no nonsense climb but the scenery is spectacular. The forest is pristine and calming, the views toward the coast are awesome, and if that wasn't enough, as soon as you get out on the ridge you have views in every direction. The soil up there has a white chalky consistency to it (probably crushed coral), and it doesn't support many trees. This was a gamble of a hike that turned out to be a real hidden gem. BTW I took a few other good pics along this trail and I plan to combine them with others to make one large page for the hikes in this area.
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Old Blog Photos Vol. 1 (2006)
Old Blog Photos Vol. 3 (May 2007 - ???)
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All photos copyright Edward Laag 2006