Malibu Creek on an Autumn's Afternnoon

These trees were side-lit by the reposing sun with the darkened mountain face behind. This almost appears to be an infrared image because of the contrasting lighting.

The Santa Ana winds were making a lot of leaf/tree shaking.

This area is not too far from the old MASH T.V. show set, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu,CA., Sunday, Nov 29, 2009.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 98mm, F/8, ISO 200, 1/100s, -1.0 EV, tripod mounted, remote release.

Getting to Know Each Other

My self-portrait in the eye of a horse.

The Eyes Have It.

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/400s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod

The Eyes Have It.

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/400s, ISO 400, 0 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eye

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/200s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

The Eyes Have It.

Their eyes fascinate me.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 98mm, F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/320s, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted

Getting to Know Each Other

In monochome.

Getting to Know Each Other

Another view of this beautiful horse.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 98mm, F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/320s, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted

A Mallard Mob

My goodness. After I finished the snaps of my neighbors' horses, I checked our little stream. I hadn't been down here recently.

Mallards were everywhere. Usually they head south, and in the spring only 6 or so live here. It will be fun checking to see if they stay or if they will migrate further south.

This image was created by CS3 Photomerge from 3 images.

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/4.5, 1/80s, ISO 2500, 0 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eyes, I Can't Stop Looking

You see, I've never paid very close attention to these horses. Now with my photographs I am seeing them as if for the first time, and I can't keep my eyes off them. Now I know why so many people adore these animals.


D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/160s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eyes Again

This horse is so photogenic, and its eyes and coat stand out so well from the background. I never knew until now that their pupils were rectangles--sort of wide screen 16:9 cinemascope! Cool.

I love this hobby. Surprises abound.

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/4.5, 1/80s, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, VR on, tripod.

A Moment's Rest

Photography is serendipity for me. Originally I went out late in the afternoon in my little neighborhood to shoot some fall color, what we have of it. It was a bust. A couple of liquid ambers had vivid color but nada was the composition. Oh well. So I drove down aways and spotted my neighbors' horses. While shooting those, this little fellow kept zooming around feeding on insects, I presume. I had tried to capture an image of one in my own yard for a long time without success. The day ended marvelously well. Plus I found that our little mallard population had exploded in size in the little creek near the stables. More fun. I believe this is a California flycatcher. Am I correct?


D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/4.5, 1/50s, ISO 400, +0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

Getting to Know Each Other

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

Getting to Know Each Other

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/80s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eyes

D300, VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eyes

D300 with VR 300mm F/2.8G lens, 300mm, F/2.8, 1/250s, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, VR on, tripod.

White Eyes in Black & White

I like the softer look of this monochrome image. But it is a tough choice for me, because I like the warm colors of the original.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 110mm, F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/200s, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted

White Eyes

This horse has beautiful white eyes.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 70mm, F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/800s, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted

Getting to Know Each Other

My neighbor's horse likes to say hello over the fence.

D300, VR 70-200mm F/2.8G, 110mm, F/2.8, ISO 200, 1/200s, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted

Halloween in our Backyard

Making preparations for the trick-or-treaters to arrive, I found that I liked the last rays of the setting sun hitting our trees on the slope above the yard.


So I decided to shoot this scene and learn something about using my new Singh-Ray graduated neutral density filters.

I have wanted to learn how to shoot in the more traditional fashion. This is a pano made with my new filter(s) to hold back the sky. It is composed of six images and two exposures. I had to use 5 stops of soft stop filters to even out the sky with the gazebo in this just-before sunset exposure, and even then I had to take another set of sky shots with the EV decreased by about another stop.

So this is a recipe cooked twice, once in the traditional way and another in the digital HDR way. Too bad there were no clouds to give some sky interest.

Big Sur: Setting Sun at Point Lobos

I'm not a big fan of magenta and red, preferring blue and yellow hues primarily, but this was a spectacular day's end at this feature-rich area just south of quaint Carmel-by-the Sea, CA.

D300 with 12-24mm F/4G, 22mm, F/16, 4s, +2.3EV, Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter, tripod mounted, remote release.

Sunrise at the Watchtower, Grand Canyon, NP

Desert View is the most eastern viewpoint on the south rim and shows the Colorado winding into the main part of the Grand Canyon with the desert plains off in the distance.
The sun is just rising above the horizon when I took this shot at the Watchtower base.

Nikon Coolpix 8400, 10mm, F/3.2, 1/2.4 sec, ISO 50, -2.0 EV, tripod mounted, timed release.

Sunrise at the Watchtower, Grand Canyon, NP

Going over some of my old digicam images, I resurrected this one taken from the desert view vista point at sunrise 2 years ago. I sure wish I had had my D300 then, but one grows in stages.

Nikon Coolpix 8800, 13.8mm, F/3.5, 1/42.7 sec, ISO 50, -0.7 EV, tripod mounted, timed release.

Going Loupe-y

So Laur is starting her clinical career this year. Those loupes are really cool. Way to go, Laur.
And no, Laur doesn't have methemoglobinemia, just used Topaz Adjust 3 to clean up the low-rez jpegs from her webcam.

Soberanes Point Sunset, Big Sur, in Monochrome

Another interpretation of that evening I spent on a high bluff watching the Big Sur day end.

D300, 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G, 20mm, F/14, 1.25s, ISO 200, tripod mounted, remote release.

Soberanes Point Sunset, Big Sur, California

Setting sun, sea, and craggy bluffs make a recipe for lasting memories.
I like the linear patterns of the rocks contrasted with the swirling lines of the waves.



D300, 18-200mm F/3.5-5.6G, 20mm, F/14, 1.25s, ISO 200, tripod mounted, remote release.

Last Light at Point Lobos, Big Sur, in Monochrome

Another interpretation of my last day in Big Sur.

D300 with 12-24mm F/4G, 22mm, F/16, 4s, Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter, tripod mounted, remote release.

Last light at Point Lobos, Big Sur

This was the culmination of my little trip exploring the wonders of Big Sur in my home state of California. It was a rewarding experience, especially since I saw it from a photographic point of view.

D300 with 12-24mm F/4G, 22mm, F/16, 4s, Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter, tripod mounted, remote release.

Orchid Archipelago

Another macro cooked up in our kitchen.

D300 with AF-S 105mm F/2.8G lens, 105mm, F/8, 1/6s, ISO 200, +1.3 EV, tripod mounted, remote release.