Recent Random Shots
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Wild Grapevine growing in Vista after a recent storm.
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Vista Sprawl after a February rain storm.
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A derelict old ford (1934 or 1936 maybe?) in a Riverside backyard.
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My grandma on a horse.
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San Diego CO, CA
March, 22-23 2008
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Lots of recent trips! I added several new pages on my trip to Daley Ranch to go biking, and several parks around Julian here.
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Penasquitos Cyn, CA
March, 16 2008
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Me and Lou went for a bike ride in Penasquitos Canyon.
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Rattlesnake Canyon, CA
March, 11 2008
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Me and Lou went back to Rattlesnake Canyon. The display was slightly past peak, but there were different flowers out than before so I'm glad we went back. I added more pictures to the gallery page here.
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Daley Ranch, CA
March, 2 2008
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Me and Lou went for a pleasant hike in Daley Ranch near Escondido. The details are here.
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Rattlesnake Canyon, CA
Mar 1, 2008
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Me and Lou went to see some awesome flower displays near Poway. Check out the whole story here.
Also check out Steve's extensive collection of pics at his Flickr page here.
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Hosp Grove, Oceanside, CA
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When I was a kid, I always wondered why there was a random forest of Eucalyptus trees behind the Oceanside Mall. It turns out they were planted to supply wood for the railroad.
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If you look closely you can see quite a number of native plants, like the maidenhair fern, mixed into this unnatural forest.
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February 23, 2008
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Me and Lou visited Hosp grove after a rainy week. Everything was green and wet. It's not the most natural setting, with major roads nearby, but you still kind of get the forest effect when you walk around.
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I wonder how many people pass that statue thingy and never stop to figure out what it means. While taking a leak in the nearby Port-A-John I thought about it. It must be something like: "Man and the Earth are one body. The crust and mantle of the earth are the pants. His shirt is the oceans and sky, and we are all connected in one circle, with man's mind or consciousness (represented by the sun) at the center."
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Upper San Diego River Cyn + Blizzard, SD Co., CA
February 14, 2008
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Valentines day was a historic day for San Diego County. Nobody predicted a blizzard at elevations as low as 2000 feet. Me and Steve picked this day (supposedly it was going to be mild weather) to hike the Upper San Diego River Canyon. Check out the whole story here.
Also check out Steve's extensive collection of pics at his Flickr page here.
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Three Sisters Falls, SD Co., CA
February 9, 2008
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Me and Lou hiked to Three Sisters Falls on Boulder Creek in San Diego County. We were impressed by the magnitude of these falls. Check out the full trip report with lots of pictures and descriptions here.
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Box Springs, CA
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The wild burros of Moreno Valley are still running free. They are pretty cute to watch as they roll in the dirt and scratch their backs.
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February 7, 2008
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Had to go to Riverside, so I snuck in a little hike up to the throne on Box Springs. Everything was green up there because of the recent storms.
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Vista, CA
February 5, 2008
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This is a small park in Vista.
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Crystal Cove, CA
January 29, 2008
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We visited with one of Lou's high school friends in the O.C. In the last picture the sun is setting on Catalina.
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Hellhole Canyon Open Space Preserve, CA
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This formerly oak shaded trail follows the path of the old Escondido canal.
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Sadly the preserve has been heavily fire damaged, making it kind of a hot dry ghost forest.
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I bushwhacked through god knows what, probably poison oak, to get to this tree shaded spot.
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The creek was flowing and there were some nice mini-waterfalls.
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A view of nearby Lake Wolford.
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This preserve was probably a pleasant place for hiking some years back. Now it is more Box Springs like. The creek is a tributary of the San Luis Rey River.
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Cedar Creek Falls, CA
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Early morning ground fog in the San Pasquale valley area. People were speeding by me on their way to work as I snapped this shot. Within minutes of my taking the picture the fog had dissipated.
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Taken from the very steep hillside to the North of the falls.
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Near the base of the falls.
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January 8, 2007
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After Julian got close to 8 inches of rain me and Steve decided it might be fun to check out Cedar Creek Falls at flood stage. It lived up to all expectations! We got buzzed by military and sheriff helicopters. Apparently, we weren't the only ones checking out the falls. Full trip report here. |
Anza-Borrego SP, CA
December 31, 2007
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This was a fun road trip to the southwestern parts of the park. Full trip report located here. |
Christmas in Wisconsin, 2007
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This spectacular sunset capped Christmas day 2007.
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Louisa Potter.
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Can't say as I've ever really played with icicles before.
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The Rock River was just beginning to freeze.
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Now small town is complete without their very own giant catfish sculpture.
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Beemer makes a great pillow.
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Me and Lou decided to spend this Christmas with her family in Wisconsin.
On the Sunday before Christmas, temperatures plummeted to 15 degrees F, with blowing snow. This weather did not agree with me. Fortunately, following this we had 3 very nice winter days with mild temperatures for this time of year. Overall it was a very fun Christmas with the Kempemas. Incidentally, I did not bring the Alpha with me, so all of these were taken with Lou's dad's Nikon D50.
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The Sigma 135-400 mm Lens Sharpness
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Here's another shot with the Sigma 135-400 mm lens on the Sony Alpha 100. Once again I set the aperture to F4.5, and the zoom was at 300mm, where the MTF is still rated very good. The bird was approximately 50 yards away. All of these are hand held BTW.
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And here's a 100% crop of just the head. However, unlike the Tamron lens at 300 mm, the Sigma image is very well focused, and the LCAs are under control. Notice the detail in the neck feathers, and the little bumps on his beak. NOTE: I HAD PREVIOUSLY (PRIOR TO 12.19) HAD THIS PHOTO SIZED INCORRECTLY. D'OH. NOW IT SHOULD LOOK SHARP.
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Daley Ranch, Escondido, CA
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The four pictures here were taken with the new Sigma 135-400 lens, at about 300mm (F4.5) where it is supposed to be sharpest. There is a bit of motion blur in this first one. These shots are straight out of the camera in JPG. No special software was used. The next 3 shots are very sharp.
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A white Pelican. This one is much sharper, partly because the subject was moving more slowly.
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The heron dives again.
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December 15, 2007
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His dive pays off.
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Vista, CA
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Looking Northeast towards Mt. Palomar.
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A cross near the apartment.
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December 9, 2007
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Another storm came through and gave us a few more inches of snow in the mountains.
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Catalina Island from San Marcos CA!
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San Clemente Island.
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San Elijo Lagoon.
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December 2, 2007
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It was an epic clear day today in North County. Me and Lou decided to head over to this really cool park called Simmons Family Park in San Marcos. That park is cool because the view towards the ocean is awesome. I've never seen it like this though. You could see San Gorgonio with snow on it, and you could see both Catalina island and San Clemente island.
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November 23, 2007
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Went with Lou to the San Diego Zoo on black Friday. Word to the wise, hit the pandas and the polar bears early. These are the two most popular exhibits and the crowds form by noon. More pictures here.
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November 22, 2007
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Happy Thanksgiving. The Turkey sits majestically on the grill.
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Quail Gardens, Encinitas, CA
November 17, 2007
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Went with Lou down to Quail Gardens in Encinitas. I wasn't expecting much. It was kind of a scouting mission for possible wedding locations. As it turned out this was a pretty cool garden. Also stopped off for breakfast at St. Tropez in Encinitas. If you're ever in the area, this is seriously the best cup of coffee in the county! More pictures here
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Tour of San Diego
November 11, 2007
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Happy Veteran's Day. We were delighted to have the Kempemas come visit for the weekend. They couldn't have picked a better time weather wise. We had our first good sunny weekend since the horrible fires last month. More pictures here and here.
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Bruin Woods, Lake Arrowhead, CA
November 1-3, 2007
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I was glad to have a little getaway after the hectic time of the fires. The CfAO fall retreat was held again at the UCLA conference center. here.
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San Diego County on Fire
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Thick smoke descends upon Shadowridge.
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October 23, 2007
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Morning smoke from Fallbrook Fire, looking Northeast from Shadowridge.
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The Shit Hits the Fan
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Smoke from the San Marcos Fire, on the Morning of October 22.
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October 22, 2007
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Later the smoke approaches Vista.
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Quick Trip to Avalon, CA
October 12, 2007
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Just got back from a quick weekend trip to Catalina. We had a good rain the night we arrived and it made for some awesome picture taking lighting on Saturday. More pictures here.
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Saving the day at Grandma's!
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A big old spider in grandma's garden.
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One of grandma's rain gutters fell down, and it was a critical one above the room addition that prevents that room from flooding. Something had to be done, so we climbed the ladder and crawled along the crappy vinyl roofing material. I decided to use some hard core screws instead of the crappy nails. I realized that to get the last part up, someone would have to climb above it on the 45 degree angle slanting part. Lou volunteered for the task. I wish I had a picture of Lou hanging on the roof and with her free arm heroically reaching underneath to screw in the gutter!
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Lars and Kelly's Engagement Party
September 29, 2007
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Sunset from the Embassy Suites in Oxnard, CA. This beach totally reminds me of some I've visited on Maui. Really cool to see the channel islands out there. More pictures here.
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Leo Carillo Ranch
September 9, 2007
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I hung out with Steve and Nicole at Leo Carillo Ranch in Carlsbad, CA. This was a nice peaceful spot nestled in a big tract of high end housing. More pictures here.
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Torrey Pines S.R.
September 1, 2007
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At Broken Hill in Torrey Pines. More pictures here.
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The City at Night
August 28, 2007
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Looking down on Pasadena from the viewpoint between Mt. Lowe and Mt. Wilson. More pictures here.
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Still Moving In
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"This house is just an address, you're my home.." -Ellis Paul
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Lou christens the new kitchen by making her famous enchiladas.
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Meanwhile I attempt to unpack my clothes to find that I had packed them so tightly they had literally molded to the shape of the box.
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August 17-19, 2007
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We had to visit Riverside to bring another load of stuff from the apartment. I took this pic of good old Box Springs (where it all began). We heard an ad on the radio for a new subdivision and they described the homes as "nestled in the rolling hills of gorgeous Moreno Valley."
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Evening hike in Vista
August 15, 2007
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Went for a pleasant hike in one of the many small riparian greenbelts weaving through Vista. The days here are hot but we get a nice onshore flow towards the evening hours that cools things off quite nicely.
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Visiting Steve
August 8, 2007
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I went to visit Steve in his mountain fortification in eastern San Diego county. It's a little piece of heaven up there. Steve snapped this nice pic of me in the juniper forests of Mt. Laguna.
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Last Day in Santa Cruz
August 3, 2007
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Praise the Lord! Somehow, one man managed to get all of that huge pile of crap into the U-Haul trailer. That was a total nightmare. It was like 10 straight hours of just walking back and forth from the living room to the truck with boxes and cramming them into that trailer. That's when years of Tetris training pays off. A page documenting the entire move process can be found here.
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"I'm Leaving Las Vegas ..."
August 2, 2007
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.. well Santa Cruz actually. Where did all this crap come from in just a year and a half? Everything not part of the house you see in this picture is something that came from my tiny upstairs apartment - and that's not all of it either! There's another row of boxes behind that row that you can't see.
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Steamer Lane Part Deux
July 26, 2007
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Trying out the new 300mm zoom lens from Tamron. Seems to be working. For more pics with the new lens check out the small album I created here.
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Steamer Lane
July 3, 2007
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A hot day in Santa Cruz, but it was still rather clear. I can't remember a day in summer when you could see Monterey this well. I snapped this pic near sunset .
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Galway Ireland 2007
June 17, 2007
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Spectacular scenes from my recent trip to Ireland for the 6th International Adaptive Optics for Industry and Medicine conference. This year it was at the National University of Ireland campus in Galway. An elaborate trip report with probably about 50 pictures will be coming soon. Update: Pictures are now up in the gallery.
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Afternoon Walk by the River
June 3, 2007
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Along the river trail in Henry Cowell Redwoods.
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Funny Junk Mail
May 25, 2007
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This is fabulous. Inside the envelope it just got better. It came with a bumper sticker that said "Official Member of the North American Hunting Club". Sure, that baby will look good on the bumper of my rusted out 79 Jeep Comanche with the gun rack in the back. I'll put it next to my Bush/Cheney sticker. It's like: "Yeah, that new deer pattern hunting vest. My buddy didn't like it."
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Heading Home from Campus, UCSC
May 20, 2007
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Sea Cliff State Beach / "Cement" Ship
May 19, 2007
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My camera thought the settings for this shot were preposterous, and wanted to expose only for the background. You can kind of fiddle around with the settings and about half the time it doesn't create any weird artifacts when you shoot into the sun.
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Ghost Town, UCSC campus
May 17, 2007
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I've been super stressed with grad school. I thought some fresh air would do me some good. I followed an animal trail through some thistles to get to a good view point of this place. The old rose bush still volunteering there is kinda cool.
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Hummers, UCSC Arboretum
May 13, 2007
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The frantic chirping and hum of wings can only mean one thing. Hummingbird mating season is here! These little birds are real fighters swooping in on each other whenever one takes a moments rest. I was reading a blog, and a so-called wildlife photography expert said "the only way to get decent pictures of hummingbirds is to set up a hummingbird feeder." Following that advice, I suppose the best way to take pictures of bears is to toss out a big load of garbage. Always one to try things the hard way, I was hoping for a more natural setting. So I headed over to the arboretum and chased them around for a couple hours. After a while, you learn to follow them with your ears before you even see them. With the Sony Alpha set at the fastest shutter speed, their wings are still a blur. A longer lens probably helps, but it still needs instant go-to-focus capability. One second of hesitation and these little guys have moved on.
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Oak Tree with Swing, UCSC
May 10, 2007
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We skipped spring and went right into summer here in Santa Cruz with temps in the 80's for a few days.
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Fall Creek, Santa Cruz Co. CA
May 5, 2007
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I brought Lou to Fall Creek for a hike. Lou was amazed by the amount of vegetation along the trail. She counted 9 different types of ferns. The waterfall photo was hand held. The steady-shot feature really helped as it was way too dark to be shooting without a tripod on an ordinary camera.
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Yosemite, CA
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A classic day at tunnel view with some snow on clouds rest.
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May 1, 2007
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Lou on the mist trail. See the full trip report in the photo gallery.
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Limekiln Ruins, UCSC
April 28, 2007
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Just off the main entrance road. I wanted to get some practice in with the new camera.
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Capitola, CA Part Deux
April 17, 2007 Details: F8 ISO-100 1/125 70mm suns
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Having found the spot I wanted to take a picture from, I returned today with a lawn chair, my tripod and my Alpha. I waited until I thought the light was kind of peaking and snapped this one. A bit longer and the clouds would have been better, but the light would not have been hitting the old houses. This photo is un-altered color wise.
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Old Blog Photos Vol. 1 (2006)
Old Blog Photos Vol. 2 ( Dec. 3 2006 - Apr. 15 2007 )
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All photos copyright Edward Laag 2006