The Dingo

The dingo is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. On 17 August 1980, a nine-week-old girl named Azaria Chamberlain was taken by a dingo near Uluru (Ayers Rock) and killed. Her mother, Lindy Chamberlain, whose story of the attack was not believed, was suspected and wrongly convicted of murder. After serving more than three years of her sentence, Lindy was released from prison when the jacket of the baby was found in a dingo den and the mother was therefore found innocent. This incident caused much outcry for and against the dingoes and is a subject of controversy to this day. On 12 June 2012, Azaria was officially found to have been killed by a dingo.

The Koala

The koala is a marsupial native to Australia. As of 2012 there have been increasing concerns about the animals sustainable future in the environment. Although the koala is not a bear, English-speaking settlers from the late 18th century first called it koala bear due to its similarity in appearance to bears. The brain of the koala is one of the smallest in marsupials with no more than 0.2% of its body weight. The koala has a very low metabolic rate for a mammal and rests motionless for about 16 to 18 hours a day, sleeping most of that time. It eats eat an average of 500 g (18 oz) of eucalypt leaves each day, chewing them with powerful jaws to a very fine paste before swallowing.

The Saltwater Crocodile

The saltwater crocodile is the largest of all living reptiles. This image, taken at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, is the largest crocodile in captivity in Australia. Generally very lethargic, a trait which helps it survive months at a time without food, it typically loiters in the water or basks in the sun through much of the day, preferring to hunt at night. Saltwater crocodiles can swim at 15 to 18 miles per hour in short bursts, around three times as fast as the fastest human swimmers.

The Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. It is characterized by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odor, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate amongst the strongest bite per unit body mass of any extant mammal land predator. Tasmanian devils can take prey up to the size of a small kangaroo, but in practice they are opportunistic and eat carrion (dead and decaying flesh of an animal) more often than they hunt live prey.

The Wedge-tail Eagle

The Wedge-tailed Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia, and is also found in southern New Guinea. It has long, fairly broad wings, fully feathered legs and an unmistakable wedge-shaped tail. Because of both its tail and its size, it is one of the largest birds of prey in the world, it can be identified at a glance as a "Wedgie" even by the non-expert. They are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wing beat or effort, regularly reaching 1,800 meters (5,900 ft) and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy.

These images, that I took at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, are just some of the animals unique to the Australian continent that I have come across on my trip Down Under. Yes, I have not included an image of the Kangaroo in my blog but have not found a photographic opportunity that I cared for. The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia: its emblem is used on the Australia coat of arms on some of its currency as well as by some of Australia's well known organisations, including Qantas Airlines.  The kangaroo is important to both Australian culture and the national image and consequently there are numerous popular cultural references.

The Gold Coast is a coastal city located in the South East of the state of Queensland, Australia. The city is about 60 miles south of the state capital Brisbane. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous non-capital city in Australia. The Gold Coast is today known as a major tourist destination with its sunny subtropical climate, surfing beaches, canal and waterway systems, its high-rise dominated skyline, theme parks, nightlife, and rainforest hinterland, making tourism one of its most significant industries.

Currumbin is a suburb in the Gold Coast. At the beach front, Elephant Rock and Currumbin Rock enclose a discrete surf beach. Currumbin Alley is a popular surfing site formed on the bar of Currumbin Creek, particularly for longboards. Some properties to the south are only separated from the beach by an undeveloped public road reserve and the elevated land provides opportunities for views unusual at the coast.

Living in California, I do not get to see a sunrise over the ocean. This is one of the many things I look forward to on my trips down to the Gold Coast of Queensland. It requires me to wake up at 4:30 AM and make a 10 minute drive down to the beach. While this is a simple drive, it is always complicated the first few times as it requires me to drive on the left hand side of the road! First thing in the morning, and on the dark streets that I drive once a year requires all the concentration that I can muster, so it always fun and a little scary at the same time.

No major cloud cover this morning but I managed to pick up these three images.

What is a Blue Moon? According to the more recent definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month (the average span between two moons is 29.5 days). The full moon on August 31, 2012, was this type of blue moon; it was the second full moon in one month, giving sky watchers their last chance to observe this celestial phenomenon for nearly three years.

The August 31, 2012 blue moon also happened to fall on the day of late astronaut Neil Armstrong's memorial service. Armstrong, became the first person to set foot on the moon who on July 20, 1969.

Over the next 20 years there will be about 15 blue moons. The next blue moon occurs on July 31, 2015. We get two blue moons in 2018 when they fall within January and March.

"Blue moon" appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528: ‘If they say the moon is blue, we must believe that it is true.’

Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain.

Upon taking the first step onto the surface of the moon in 1969, Neil Armstrong uttered what would become one of history's most famous one-liners, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

The image above was captured from the backyard of my home in El Dorado Hills on August 31, 2012. I used a Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-200mm 1:4 L USM, at 200mm, attached to a Canon 1.4x, which was then attached to a 2x Extender.

I dedicate this to the courage and honor of first man to set foot on the moon over 43 years ago ~ RIP Mr. Armstrong!

Over the last few years, I have learned to love winters at Yosemite National Park. What I have learned is that the arrival of a winter’s snow storm transforms the Park into a winter wonderland, a photographer’s dream and a source of never ending delight, and most unique to Yosemite is the Natural Firefall.

The Natural Firefall is one of Yosemite’s most amazing winter spectacles. Typically, around the latter part of February, the setting sun hits Horsetail Fall at just the right angle to illuminate the upper reaches of the waterfall. When conditions are perfect, Horsetail Fall glows orange and red at sunset. Although Horsetail Fall is visible from multiple viewpoints in Yosemite Valley, several factors must converge to trigger the Firefall. If conditions are not perfect, the Firefall will not glow. First and foremost, Horsetail Fall must be flowing. If there’s not enough snowpack in February, there will not be enough snowmelt to feed the waterfall, which tumbles 1,570 feet (480 meters) down the east face of El Capitan. Likewise, temperatures must be warm enough during the day to melt the snowpack. If temperatures are too cold, the snow will stay frozen and Horsetail Fall won’t flow. Second, the western sky must be clear at sunset. If it’s snowing, raining, or even just cloudy, the sun’s rays will be blocked and Horsetail Falls will not light up. Winter weather can be highly variable in Yosemite, however, and days that start off cloudy can clear up by sunset. If everything comes together and conditions are just right, the Firefall will light up for about ten minutes. To see Horsetail Fall glowing blood red is an almost supernatural experience.

The two images above were captured on February, 27th, 2011, albeit completely by accident. I 'happened' to be in Yosemite that winter at this time, and had just read about the phenomena of the Natural Firefall in a local newspaper. What I learned was that in 1973 the photographer Galen Rowell took the first-known photograph of the Firefall, and there was essentially a two week window when this could occur in any given year. Earlier that evening I was at Tunnel View and made the decision that I would like to shoot the sunset at Valley View instead. I was driving along Southside Drive, on the way to my intended destination, when I came upon an unusual number of vehicles parked along the road. This caught my attention, and I also noticed a number of photographers with cameras on tripods pointed in the direction of El Capitan, the majestic 7,569 foot monolith, a dominant feature in the Park.

While driving I looked back in the direction of the pointed cameras and was fortunate to notice the beginning stages of the Natural Firefall. I parked my car immediately and illegally up against a snow bank on the side of the road, jumped out with my camera and tripod, crossed the road and set up next to two photographers, who looked like they knew what they were doing and had planned to be at this particular spot. The Natural Firefall show had just begun and I was extremely fortunate to capture the images shown in this post. I was told by the two photographers that I set up next to that they had been in the park for the last two weeks and this was the first night the Firefall had occurred during that time. I could not help thinking driving home that night, sometimes it is better to lucky than good!

The California State Capitol is home to the government of California. The building houses the state legislature and the office of the governor. Located in Sacramento, the Neoclassical structure was completed between 1861 and 1874, and is based on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington D.C.

The immigration of thousands of "Forty-niners" in search of gold prompted California's admission as the 31st state into the Union in 1850, thus creating the need for a state capital. California did not have a permanent seat of government until 1860. Cities vied for the opportunity to house the state capital for the power, prestige, and economic benefit that accompanied it. Four capitol buildings existed in other cities before Sacramento became the permanent site.

The image above was captured August 1, 2012, about half an hour after the rise of the full moon. Two blog entries in less than a week? These are tell tale signs that I have finally got around to updating my website some 11 months after it was completed for me. It takes hours and hours of time to figure out how to use each page, add and subtract images/text and in general become familiar with how to find and use all the various available features. Like anything else in life, it all seems so easy once you know what you are doing!

Triple digit heat is headed to El Dorado Hills, where I live, over the next several days! Never been a fan of air conditioning (pun intended), an unfortunate necessity in these temperatures, so last night I headed off to one of my favorite spots on the America River in Coloma to cool off and shoot some images. Just in case you are not familiar with this part of the world, on January 24, 1848, an event occurred in Coloma that would radically impact the history of California and the Nation. James W. Marshall was building a sawmill for Captain John Sutter, using water from the South Fork of the American River. He noticed several flakes of metal in the tailrace water and recognized them to be gold. Though he tried to keep it a secret, the word spread quickly, and triggered the California Gold Rush of 1849.

There are a couple of spots I like to photograph at the river in Coloma, both of them are within a few hundred yards from the actual spot where James Marshall first noticed the gold flakes in the water. The best times to shoot down here is at sunset, where on a hot, clear sunny day, if you look closely you will find gold reflections dancing on the water among the rapids! The irony of the 'gold' in the river does not escape me and makes me think of what must have been exciting, pioneering days ever so long ago

I had never seen this phenomena on a river until I accidentally stumbled upon this lighting a few years ago at the Troublemaker rapids of the South Fork of the American River in Coloma. I find it just beautiful to have these gold reflections of the sun dancing around in the turquoise water among the rapids of the flowing river. It makes for some beautiful images when I can add some of the rocks or green vegetation along the banks, juxtaposed with the magical colors in the river.

Here are a couple of the images from last night.

Enjoy!

“Sometimes you get more than you deserve and sometimes you get worse than you deserve”, words of wisdom given to me by my best golf instructor (also my dentist) many, many years about how a game of golf has its ups and downs. I have also found there to be many parallels between life and the game of golf, and now it includes my experiences on a recent photo shoot with photography. Last week I had a wonderful experience on a sunset photo shoot in Crystal Cove. Crystal Cove is a stretch of coastal cliffs and a beach front cove sandwiched between Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean just north of Laguna Beach. I drove down to the beach with anticipation that “tonight could be a great sunset because there are a bunch of clouds in the sky”. I arrived about thirty minutes before sunset in an area that has become one of my favorite go to “sunset places” in SoCal.

What makes Crystal Cove special for me is the variety and abundance of foreground elements for sunset shots, as well as the requisite colorful sunsets and the Pacific Ocean. Foreground elements lend a point of interest to the viewer in a landscape shot and draws attention toward the main focal points of the composition.

As a photographer I am drawn to light and its colors in nature when considering what I want to shoot and the image I want to create. Sometimes this image isn’t where you are expecting it to be. Sometimes you need to look around you and sometimes you are fortunate to see the alternatives that Mother Nature provides.

Then, when you have discovered this magnificent alternative, it’s up to you as an artist to compose an image that captures the light and colors found and incorporate the available elements that make the image unique or interesting. You then need to have the necessary equipment and technical expertise to pull this all together and release your camera’s shutter and capture that image in all its glory. Sometimes when it all comes together you find gold!

I began the evening with my attention in the direction of the setting sun and "by chance" looked to the left of me and was captivated by the light and colors you see below. This was one of those moments I was given on that Monday night (Labor Day), where all of the above came together and I got “better than I deserve”! Here are a couple of the images from that magical evening.

Enjoy!

Hello World!

I am happy to be online, finally, and to be given an opportunity to share my passion for landscape photography with as many people as possible!

I am writing this first entry to my blog from Elanora, Queensland, Australia. Elanora is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland. It is located  ninety minutes south of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. I try to make this trip to visit family and friends in Australia annually and I just arrived here  today. I was feeling tired and worn out (20 plus hours of travel door to door) until I decided to go for a long walk, which then inspired me to a sunset photo shoot.

Driving down to the beach was an interesting experience. It has been many years since I drove a vehicle on the left hand side of the road. All the controls are different to what I am used to in America. The turn signal control in on the right hand side instead of the left and the windsheild wiper control is on the left. So too many times I have the windshield wipers on when I am getting ready to make a turn! Present time is your friend driving on the wrong side of the road and all's well that ends well!

Here is an image that I captured at Currumbin tonight, a place just 5 miles away from where I am staying, which was a favorite surfing spot of mine when I lived in Australia in the late sixties! There are silver haired people that I see here who l am sure have never left in all that time and are still surfing Currumbin 40 plus years later - way to go guys!

Thanks for visiting my website! I plan to keep this blog current with sample images of photo shoots and experiences as an artist trying to capture the wonders of Mother Nature in this world and the beautiful places that I am fortunate to visit!

Enjoy!