Floating Cotton

Post storm cumulus clouds drifted over San Diego like giant cotton balls in the sky. Forecasts predict more stormy weather for San Diego this coming weekend.

Cumulus clouds hover of San Diego like cotton balls in the sky

Lazy Daisie

As if it's not hard enough to get a well balanced exposure of a Black Labrador Retriever, try getting one to sit still long enough to snap a photo or two. Well this weekend, my Labrador Daisie was lazy enough while lounging around in the warm sun, that I was able to get one decent portrait! Maybe I should just photograph her while she sleeps...

Portrait of my Black Labrador, Daisie.

Amazing Flight Back in Time

The Liberty Belle, a fully restored Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and one of the greatest military aircraft ever built, is again soaring the skies. The Liberty Foundation’s “Salute to Veterans Tour” is currently offering the public a chance to step back in time and get a first hand experience of what it what like to patrol the skies in the Flying Fortress. Flight cost is $430 for non-Liberty Foundation members. Please check the The Liberty Foundation’s web site for additional information and schedule details.

Below you will find a few photographs of the recently restored Liberty Belle flying directly over my house yesterday afternoon. What a site it was to see this magnificant piece of World War II history as it rumbled and roared overhead.

The Liberty Belle flying over San Diego.
Post processing deliberately added for an aged effect.

A Cluck, a Cumulus, and a Costa

Another cold and stormy day in San Diego made for some good photography. While out getting some pictures of the giant cumulus cloud that was drifting towards the east, I was lucky enough to catch an adult male Costa Hummingbird taking a quick breather out back on the lemon tree. I really wish he would have stuck around for a minute or two so that I could have gotten some more pictures of his vibrant metallic purple feathers. I was also lucky enough to get a halfway decent portrait of one of the chickens while she pecked her way across the lawn.

Enjoy the photographs!

Portrait of one of our Ameraucana hens
1/80s at 400mm and f/5.7 ISO 100



Giant cumulus cloud
1/160s at 100mm and f/22.6 ISO 50



Giant cumulus cloud
1/100s at 100mm and f/22.6 ISO 50



Adult male Costa Hummingbird
1/160s at 400mm and f/9.9 ISO 50

Stormy Skies Over San Diego

While some might think that you have to stay indoors on rainy days, stormy weather is almost always an opportunity to capture some dramatic cloudscapes. Don't just sit around in pajamas watching TV, grab that camera and capture some of natures most beautiful creations.... Clouds!

Today, during a break in the rain, I grabbed my Canon 5D and attached my 24mm-70mm lens along with the new circular polarizer and Giottos monopod and headed out back for a few shots of those amazing Cumulus clouds.

Below are a couple of the photos taken earlier today. Enjoy!

Taken at 1/160s at 54mm f/9.9 ISO 50



Taken at 1/160s at 24mm f/9.9 ISO 50



Taken at 1/160s at 45mm f/9.9 ISO 50

Shamu Sunday

After a busy Saturday on the soccer field, we decided to take Sunday off and use our SeaWorld passes. With the threat of rain and NFL games on TV, SeaWorld was basically empty which made for a relaxing day. Enjoy the photographs....

One of the killer whales at SeaWorld




Beached sea turtle enjoying some sun




Beluga whale coming up out of the water




Some of the beautiful landscape at SeaWorld

Big Thursday

With several storms off the coast heading this way, the surf picked up and the waves were predicted to be larger then normal. With that being said, I was out there this morning before the sun was even over the horizon, trying to stay warm until there was enough natural light to snap some photographs at a decent ISO. The waves were definitely larger then normal but I really had been hoping for larger ones. I'm sure some beaches did have some really big sets but I only had a short time before I needed to be at work so I took what I could get until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.

Coastal fog creeping through Torrey Pines




Seagull enjoying the morning sun






















Early morning waves breaking at Torrey Pines State Beach