At Hahn Park in Los Angeles, looking west toward Santa Monica and Malibu.
Category: Parallel Lines
Curves of Morro Bay
Morro Bay lies along the central California Coast near San Luis Obispo, and is known for two major landmarks: Morro Rock, a large volcanic dome right near the shoreline, and a power plant with three very tall smokestacks.
Some miles north, Highway 46 cuts through the coastal mountains from Cambria to Paso Robles, revealing cattle ranches, wineries, and empty hills. There’s one spot along the road where the hills part, revealing a perfect view of the bay and the rock. Better yet, there’s a turnout, making it easy to stop and look.
The first time I drove this way, it was gray and overcast, and might actually have been raining. A year later I took the same drive again on an sunny day, unable to remember how far along the turnout was but watching for it the whole way. The result: this shot.
The curves of the dome, the bay, the rolling hills and the patch of heavier vegetation all fit in with this week’s photo challenge theme.
Fleeting Rays of Sunlight
I’m fascinated by the interplay of sunlight and clouds, particularly oddly-shaped clouds and optical effects like haloes and sundogs. The trick with photographing them is that you have to take the picture now. You can’t run and get another camera and come back. You can’t wait until you reach your destination even if it’s only 5-10 minutes away.
Lighting conditions will change. A halo might get stronger, or it might vanish entirely. A cloud that looks like a flaming dragon or phoenix right now will be a dull gray in a few minutes. Patterns of rays will fade from view. I’ve missed my chance a lot of times by being stuck on the road, unable to find a suitable place to stop until the moment had passed.
This last shot is a circumhorizon arc formed by ice crystals. It always appears parallel to the horizon, like a flattened out rainbow, and if the crystals cover enough of the sky it will actually form a circle all the way around the sky. I spotted it while walking back to work from lunch and only had my phone with me — and I actually ran the rest of the way to the office so I could get my camera. I was lucky, since these really don’t appear very often.
The Sign Says: Don’t Even Think About It!
I couldn’t decide between these two photos for the latest photo challenge. The first is a warning sign at the edge of Del Cerro Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. It’s a part up at the top of the hill, ending in if not exactly cliffs, a steep drop hundreds of feet down as the hills roll toward the ocean.
“Danger” signs are a dime a dozen. It’s the “Don’t even think about it!” that struck me as photo-worthy.
As for this second one, it’s not so much the sign that I found interesting as the fact that the bird looks like it’s staring at it, dismayed.
“Gee, I hope this doesn’t apply to seagulls, too!”
I collect pictures of funny/odd/interesting signs at K-Squared Ramblings, so if you’re interested in more, head over there for a look.
Fountain by Night
Nighttime fountain in Pasadena, on the upper terrace at Paseo Colorado. This was taken during Planetfest last summer, a celebration of space exploration timed with the landing of the Mars rover Curiosity.
Sunset: Smoke on the Water
Last Friday I went out to the beach to watch the sun set into the smoke layer from the Springs Fire and other wildfires burning near Los Angeles. More photos from this evening on Flickr.
Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, originally built in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition, as seen on a November afternoon. This place would fit in perfectly in a Maxfield Parrish painting, and I was pleasantly surprised when we left the museum that evening to see a Maxfield Parrish sky behind it.
Red Flower
Outside WonderCon
Sometime in the past year, the Anaheim Convention Center tore out a street between two hotels and turned it into a pedestrian plaza with fountains and lights. It turned out to be a great gathering place for con-goers who wanted to take a break, socialize, hold photoshoots, etc.
I’ve written up my experience of the weekend over at K-Squared Ramblings, and you can see more photos on Flickr including exhibits, people in costumes, and sightseeing.
River of Stars
Night at the new pedestrian area at the Anaheim Convention Center, taken during WonderCon this past weekend. This walkway replaces a street that used to run between two hotels, and is anchored by fountains at either end. It turned out to be a perfect place for con-goers to gather socially during the day, and for cosplayers to hold photoshoots.
More photos on Flickr including exhibits, people in costumes, and sightseeing.
Comet Pan-STARRS and the Moon
On Tuesday I drove up to a hillside park to get above the clouds and look for the comet. I arrived just a few minutes before sunset and found a large group of people with telescopes, binoculars and cameras lined up along the western side of the hill. The sun set, the moon came out, and the comet slowly came into view. I left just after the moon set a little over an hour later. More photos and write-up at K-Squared Ramblings.
Solar Eclipse Through the Eyepiece
A look through the eyepiece of a filtered telescope at the May 2012 solar eclipse.
There were at least two groups at the park with telescopes, and one of them was letting anyone look at the eclipse through it. The lens on my regular camera was too long to line up with the focus of the eyepiece, but my phone was just about perfect.
I came back several times, including this one about five minutes after the peak of the eclipse. I actually took two photos, one a bit clearer, but this looked more interesting.
» Full blog post with more photos.
Tree Shadows in the Fog
The fog was pouring over the ridge just before sunset, and just minutes after a solar eclipse. I’d gone up into the hills to get above the fog and watch the eclipse and discovered a sort of mini-festival of people who had all had the same idea. More photos & writeup of the eclipse.
Downtown San Francisco at Night
Nighttime on the sun deck of the Best Western Americania. Yes, San Francisco hotels have sun decks.
Yellow Flower
Bluff Cove
Bluff Cove in the Palos Verdes area near Los Angeles. One of these days I’ll get around to hiking that trail down to the base of the cliffs.
San Diego at Night
Downtown San Diego’s nighttime skyline, seen from Harbor Island across the bay to the west. You can see the light trails from a couple of boats. The yellowish sky is the reflection of street lights on low-lying clouds. I have a wider shot that shows how much darker the sky is away from the city.
This was taken during last year’s Comic-Con. I figured I’d post it this week because the first round of hotel rooms go on sale this Wednesday. These are non-refundable, outside of downtown, and in some cases specific packages with minimum stays, but if you already have tickets and want to avoid the “Hoteloween” rush when the rest of the rooms go on sale, it might be worth taking a look.
Either way, you might be interested in my collection of Tips for Comic-Con.
Santa Monica Bay at Dawn
I don’t usually get out before sunrise, but on this particular morning in 2011 I was up to watch a lunar eclipse. I found myself out on the road running along the top of the cliffs near the beach, watching the eclipsed moon set through the haze above the ocean.
You can see the Redondo Beach power plant near the right, with the pier in front of it and King Harbor jutting out into the bay. Way off in the distance you can see the lights of Santa Monica and Malibu, with the Santa Monica mountains behind them.
Looking Up
An office building and a tree.
Longitude
Globe sculpture and flag near the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.