A Trip to the Zoo...

Selected shots from a trip we took to the San Diego Zoo this past Saturday.


House of Blues


The other side of the fence


Cuvier Gazelles [from the rear]


Pink Parade


Patterns


Yield


Tusk


Polar nap


Mother & Child - all San Diego, CA © 2005

Closed for good - Chitina, AK © 1994

On a day drive outside of Valdez, Alaska, I came upon the little town of Chitina. At this point, the road went from asphalt to gravel and, being in a rental, I didn't want to invite a windshield damage repair bill. So I wandered around a bit and found this dilapidated old saloon building. It was an overcast day and the image came out a bit bland. On the pc I played around with the colors, bumping up the color of the fireweed, and toning down just about everything else.

Stack - Chama, NM © 1998

Church in Ramsau - Ramsau, Germany © 1993

Digitally manipulated to garner a poster-type effect.

Flower Garden - near Corvallis, OR © 1995

Thursday Challenge entry: "Motion"

Reeds at Sweet Springs - Los Osos, CA © 1994

In the Summer of 1994, just before I was to head to Valdez, Alaska, for a job assignment, my wife and I took a few days off and headed up to California's Central Coast. This picture was shot one lazy morning as we sat in the quiet solitude of Sweet Springs Nature Preserve, in Los Osos.

Blue & Red - Monument Valley, AZ © 1992

The color in some parts of the Southwest is truly astounding.

Lupine - southern California © 1998

A closeup of a blue lupine in our front yard.

Field of Lupine - near Santa Margarita, CA © 1998

While cruising the backroads of San Luis Obispo County one Spring I would stop, every so often, to get a few photos of the wildflowers in bloom. At one location a local stopped and asked if I'd like to see the flowers at the ranch where she was living. We followed her a few miles and then spent an hour or so wandering among the fields of lupine they had sowed.

Old Shovel - southern California © 2005

Thursday Challenge entry: "Tool"

Springtime - near Los Olivos, CA © 1993

PhotoFriday entry: Rural

Flower balcony - Interlaken, Switzerland © 1993

Fireweed on ISO 400 - Valdez, AK © 1994

Shooting with 400 speed film produce a slightly different color cast and resulted in a slightly more grainy image. I bumped up the grain effect by adding noise to the image.

On the flower covered hillside - S.R. 14, CA © 1995

Sunset at Margo Dodd Park - Shell Beach, CA © 1992

The effect on the ocean in this image was made by shooting a timed exposure just after sunset.

Water and Society Garlic - southern California © 2005

Nasturtiums with water (color) - southern California © 2005

Water droplets on Nasturtium leaf - southern California © 2005

Society Garlic - southern California © 2005

Self-portrait - southern California © 2005

Discarded Shovel - southern California © 2005

Powerline Sequence - southern California © 2005

Storm Aftermath - southern California © 2005

Old Bathroom Tiles - southern California © 2005

Kalanchoe amongst Nasturtiums - southern California © 2005

Gutter Bark - southern California © 2005

Gutter runoff - southern California © 2005

Dusty Millers (yet to be) - southern California © 2005

Rain cleansed freshness - southern California © 2005

Birdbath pedestal - southern California © 2005

Bark jigsaw - southern California © 2005

Backyard Powerlines - southern California © 2005

A gathering of daisies - southern California © 2005

There are several "photo project" websites out in cyberspace (e.g., PhotoFriday, Theme Thursday, etc.). This weekend I decided to have a little photo project of my own. Thursday night the weather forecasters told us that we'd be having a storm roll through southern California dropping about an inch of rain. Well, it rained all Thursday night, all Friday, and most of Friday night. Sigh. With our plans for Saturday morning shot, I asked my 9 year old daughter if she'd like to go wandering about our yard with me shooting photographs. She did, and we both had a great time shooting (over 100 images each). To complete my "weekend photo project" I've selected 19 of the images I shot Saturday, February 12th, (starting with the previous image "A Tangled Web") to display.

A Tangled Web - southern California © 2005

Thursday Challenge entry: "Mess"

U-Pick Strawberries - Nipomo, CA © 1998

The strawberries you pick in the Nipomo / Santa Maria area are just as sweet and juicy as they are big. The best part is you get to sample as you pick!

PhotoFriday entry: "Luscious"

Ristra and White Window (part 1) - Santa Fe, NM © 1998

See the story behind this image in the post below.

Ristra and White Window (part 2) - Santa Fe, NM © 1998

The story behind this shot has not so much to do with when and where it was shot, but with what happened afterwards. I was preparing a "coffee table" book for use at home and wanted to use this image. However, the aspect ratio of the template I was using did not match my original photo. I compensated by turning a 5 x 3 pane window into a 4 x 3 pane window (see the real original in the image above this one). Does this digital alteration cross the line from enhancement to that of potential fraud?

January Bloom - southern California © 2005

The daisies in my front yard have been blooming for over a month now.

Purple and Gold - S.R. 14, CA © 1995

A very fine photo-blog site can be found at A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania.

Ray Doan Photographic Collection - Ed Brayton has directed me to the website of his cousin who has a wonderful collection of nature photography. Check it out!

Gondola over Swiss landscape - near Grindelwald, Switzerland © 1993

During that day hike my wife and I took we half-expected Julie Andrews to come running up, mid-song - but it was the wrong country.

Flower box - Rothenberg, Germany © 1993

The walled city of Rothenberg ob der Tauber is such a kick to visit. A tourist trap? Yeah, but it's still filled with interesting images.

Church in German countryside - Oberndorf, Germany © 1993

On a morning walk, from our inn in Huber, I was intrigued by this tiny church in an equally tiny German town.

Swans - Oberammergau, Germany © 1993

Kinda looks like they think they're gonna get fed... doesn't it?

Sunset in Nipomo - Nipomo, CA © 1998

The familiar Immigrant Mother photograph, taken during the Great Depression, was supposedly taken in Nipomo. A few years ago, while staying with my cousins, I took a walk outside just before dinner. The setting sun had set the sky ablaze. Running back in, I retrieved my camera and shot at least one roll of film as the sky slowly changed colors.

Row Boat - Port San Luis, CA © 1995

A small bit of color on a gray day.

Country Road - near Santa Margarita, CA © 1993

A bit of a stretch here - attempting to grab a Spring shot while shooting almost directly towards the Sun.

Bryce Canyon Clouds - Bryce Canyon, UT © 1998

The immensity of the sky over Bryce is truly breathtaking.

Morro Rock - Morro Bay, CA © 1994

On California's Central Coast there are a series of volcanic "plugs" - the rhyolite remnants of volcanoes that were active some 24 million years ago. This particular one, 576 feet tall, sits right at waters edge in the town of Morro Bay.

Poppy Fields (forever) - S.R. 14, CA © 1995

A wonderful vision of a day in Spring.

Fireweed - Robe Lake, AK © 1994

By the time Summer rolls around Robe Lake has thawed and the ever colorful fireweed emerges. It was a drizzly, rainforest type of day, so much so that I shot this pic from the car with the window rolled down.

Oak Tree near Santa Margarita Lake - CA © 1993

Hiking on Digger Pine Trail we ran into oak trees instead of pine trees.

Eucalyptus Reflection at Sweet Springs - Los Osos, CA © 1995

A tiny town just south of Morro Bay, Los Osos also sports a tiny nature preserve known as Sweet Springs. A fresh water spring feeds into the estuary nearby. Besides being a birder's paradise, you can also find monarch butterflies nesting there in the Winter.

PhotoFriday entry.

Foggy Harbor Morning - Port San Luis, CA © 1995

The pier at Port San Luis receives fishing boats that supply not only local restaurants, but those of Los Angeles and San Francisco. As such, it is not unusual to see flocks of gulls, pelicans, and groups of seals converging amongst the fishing boats. The mood, as captured by the peaceful image above, though, can be fatally deceptive. A year or so ago a swimmer was killed by a shark while she swam among a group of seals not more than a half a mile from this spot.

Worthington Glacier Contrast - Worthington Glacier, AK © 1994

The base of a glacier is hardly pristine. It is filled with a lot of dirty snow and ice, especially around the time of "breakup." It was getting close to dusk when I stopped at the base of the Worthington Glacier, walked up to an overlook, and ventured to capture some of the contrast. The setting sun was coloring up the clouds a bit, as can be seen in the reflection on the water.

Monument Valley - AZ © 1998

It was the middle of summer and it was 100 degrees outside. We weren't able to spend much time at Monument Valley, so I was limited to taking some shots from the overlook by the Visitor Center. I think the shadows cast by the clouds adds to the impact of the photo.

Golden Poppy - southern California © 1998

One of the issues with getting wildflower photographs is knowing just when the wildflowers are in bloom. One year, I took measures into my own hands, and planted Golden Poppies in my front yard.

Sunrise - Paso Robles, CA © 1995

Cruising along Highway 46, just west of Highway 101, where the ranchland is being transformed into vineyards.

Foggy Morning - Paso Robles, CA © 1995

Taken on a trip up to California's Central Coast, while my wife was pregnant with our oldest daughter. I snuck out one morning to get some shots of the wine country in and around Paso Robles. The morning was cool and there were patches of fog throughout the countryside.

PhotoFriday entry: "Ghostly"

Branches at Oak Canyon - Anaheim, CA © 2005

I took my two daughters on an afternoon walk through a small nature preserve nestled within suburbia this past Sunday. Amidst the oaks and the running water was this strangely shaped tree.