Zen Sunset

Life itself is not the reality.  We are the ones who put life into stones and pebbles.   ~Frederick Sommer

With the warmer weather we've been having the past few days there's been some gorgeous sunsets.    After I walked off some of Thanksgiving leftover carbs yesterday at the beach in Cardiff, I sat here near the road and watched these incredible gradations of color form as the sun went down.   Beautiful day!

Under the Blue Umbrella

I'm so grateful to my client here for being so openly expressive and free in our photo shoot and providing me such beauty to work with.  In this particular image I had a fun time experimenting with texture and making a different kind of portrait.

It's been so cold here for the past week...it's hard to believe that just one week ago we were soaking up the heat of the sun...

Sunday Services

This is a photo from the archives and is certainly not representative of the cloudy, rainy weather here in San Diego today.   It is Sunday though, and this is what I imagine to be a perfect Sunday evening.   Sitting in the stillness of the ocean as dolphins and pelicans go by, and watching the sun set just before you catch your last wave in.   Sounds like heaven to me.

Thirty-Seven Days...

Until Christmas!!  I know it's early to be posting these kinds of photos, but this is one of my favs from last year.  I'm clearing out space on my drives for the many photos I've been taking and this one is a keeper for me...my poinsettia after a good rain...

Free by the Sea

It was a first for me and a first for my beautiful client, Sarah.   The nudity was the easy part.  We had the "clothing optional" beach to ourselves, other than the surfers, dolphins, and seals that were all out in the water.   Well, there were a few passers-by, who were all smiles yet gave us our space to be free to create the beauty that we did.  The hard part was the long, steep hike down to Black's Beach, and more than that...the hike back up with equipment!  It was all worth it though.  It was an incredible morning and an incredible shoot!

My Mind's Eye

This isn't the way my camera saw this image, but this was somewhere in my mind and I thankfully found a way to put the picture inside of me to the screen.   As I write this, I wonder if it isn't what my heart sees?   I know that for me to post a photo here, I have to feel something about it so maybe it is my heart's eye?   I suspect it's a combo of the two, but in any case I often have a need to add or subtract from what comes from the camera.   It feels more true to who I am.  How could I not let my heart and mind have a part in all that I create and leave it all up to a camera?

My Heaven

This is image number 20,000 on my Canon 5D.  I read somewhere that once you've taken 10,000 shots, you've learned a lot!   I'm happy to say that I know I have learned, though at a somewhat slow pace.   I don't have one of the those brains that just soaks it up and remembers...so I've had to take twice as many!

This beach in Cardiff-by-the-Sea is where I have had most of my client sessions, from yoga clothing to family shoots and its where I have created some of my favorite fine art images.

I'm so grateful for this place and consider it my sanctuary.    It's so peaceful and everyone here is always happy.  I'm grateful I lived right up the hill for a year and a half of my life and that I can drive out here any time.  Mostly I'm grateful that this place is truly what inspired me to pick up a DSLR and make photos that would give people the feeling of being here.  It's heaven to me...

A Wider View of the World

Today was my first day shooting with my new 10-20mm lens.   I've been admiring the work of landscape photographers who use these wider lenses and decided to put my Amazon rewards to good use.   Here's one of my firsts from today...a beautiful, but brisk afternoon in Cardiff-by-the-Sea.

Dia de los Muertos

I didn't have much time at Old Town to find the altars that appear in shops and seemingly hidden places throughout this little village, but I took a couple of shots.  Everywhere I went, people were having their faces painted like the skeletons that symbolize this Mexican Holiday.   If I hadn't had school that night I would have stayed to see the altars in their glorious candlelight and may have seen the procession.  Next year!

Pumpkin Art

Every Halloween, the monks (and a few others) at the Self Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, line parts of Highway 101 with their artfully carved pumpkins.   I was inspired and completely in awe of their work.  Here are just a few of many!