Goleta Slough

I am currently in a Nature Photography class and on the first day of class we had some images due from a few local spots around Santa Barbara. Here are a few from from the Goleta Slough near UCSB.

Last Post for August!!

It has taken a while and now that September is all but over I am finally finished with August! Here are some pics from a trip to Zion National Park in Utah. It is an amazing place to visit, it was pretty hot but thankfully we were near a river. My buddy Josh and I drove through the night and arrived in Zion early to get a early start on the Narrow's Hike. This hike goes up through the North Fork Virgin River through canyons it has spent thousands of years making. It was pretty amazing! Unfortunately, there was a flash flood warning for later in the afternoon so we didn't lollygag in the canyon.

amazing sunset before embarking!
Jessica, Hannah, Josh, and me. Josh and I departed shortly after the sun set.
Sunrise on beautiful sandstone walls!
Into the canyons...




Early morning stratus covering the horizon
Cumulonimbus clouds forming just before sunset

"You don't take a photograph, you make it." - Ansel Adams

Sailing with Tom

On August 22 I got to go sailing with a friend of a friend, Tom, out on the Ventura Harbor. I can't remember ever being on a real sail boat before this, so again a first. I think if August were to have a theme it would be: Never Before. I have been able to do things I have never done and see places I have never been! It has been truly amazing! Here are some pics from sailing...




"Continual failure is a road to success - if you have the strength to go on." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lake Tahoe, Ca

On August 14-17 I drove my friend Breezy, who has a broken leg, to her hometown of Lake Tahoe so she could shoot a wedding. I have never been there so it was very cool to see some new spots and some amazing light! The mountain air breathes so well compared to this low level stuff. Here are some pics from the adventure...








"Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift." - Albert Einstein

Flagstaff Midnight Adventure Run

On August 12 my friend Evan was heading back to Oklahoma in 1979 VW Bus. Minutes before he left I decided to tag along to Flagstaff, Az and then ride the train home, supposedly, in time for class. It was quite an adventure!


Train tracks being resurfaced in the desert... it was an interesting sight to come upon in the desert in the middle of the night.
Texture of Flagstaff.
"To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them." - Elliott Erwitt

Redwoods

On August 7: Evan, Keri, and I made a banzai run to the Redwood National Park to experience some awe-inspiring magic. We found it... among thousand year old trees that extend out of view. We ventured down into the Tall Trees Grove along the Redwood Creek. Among beauty, past and present. Here is a short montage from the entire trip...

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” - Aaron Siskind

Mt Whitney - A bit late...

I was in the Eastern Sierra Mountains from June 25-29 hiking and taking time to breathe. I highly recommend it. Not only going to the Sierra but also taking time to breathe. It is so refreshing to simply be and breathe and take in all that is around. So often I am rushing from here to there or sitting for hours in front of a monitor. Looking back on this adventure I am caught up in how good it was. Hiking up mountains, jumping in glacier lakes, breathing in the fresh mountain (thin) air, peace, epic mountainscapes that have stood the test of time.
I learned that these mountains are still growing. With each earthquake on the eastern side it force them a little bit higher, however, wind and rain and ice are maintaining a consistent height.For more pictures from my trip click here.

"Photographs that transcend but do not deny their literal situation appeal to me." - Sam Abell

Sequoia National Park

The first weekend in August I was in Sequoia National Park with some friends. It was such a fun trip, lots of good conversation and I had not yet been to Sequoia so I was getting to see some new stuff! It was also cool because Sequoia is on the west side of the Sierra's and just a few weeks earlier I had been on the east side climbing Mt Whitney.


"Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and the skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man." - Edward Steichen

Whew!

It has been a while since my last post. I finished another class at Brooks. It feels so good to be on break, even it if is only for a week. I have been very busy exploring and adventuring across the western US, mainly California, Utah, and Arizona. Over the next several days I'll be updating the blog and sharing the adventures with you all. I hope you enjoy!

Here are a few from the sunset here in Ventura at the end of July: