One of my first real work-breaks after moving to Monterey Bay was the week between Christmas and New Year's in 2023.

Evelia and I had often been spending our weekends exploring the sights around our new home, but a lot of that had initially been southward along Big Sur. This time we set aside a day and traveled up the northern leg of the Pacific Coast Highway, meandering our way up to Pigeon Point, Año Nuevo, and back down through Santa Cruz.

One of the real surprises for us was Shark Fin Cove:

This largely-unmarked beach rests below a small shoulder-pull-off just south of Davenport, across a set of abandoned Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. It was already late afternoon and we had just finished a meal at the excellent Davenport Roadhouse, so not much time had been put aside for another stop.

But I could not resist taking a few pics. This particular one I didn’t have a lot of hope for as the setting sun was shining almost directly into the lens, and even with a CPL filter I was concerned that the glare and haze would be too much. But, much my surprise, it only required a very light touch of Haze Reduction in Photoshop to really bring it out.

We have returned several times since and almost every time the Cove is a little bit different. As such it is rapidly becoming one of my favorite spots, and it has become a regular stop when we are up that way.

December 30th, 2023 –{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #SilentSunday #MomentOfZen #LandscapePhotography

Back around 2008, I was tasked with kicking-off an IT transformation project in Brisbane that ended up being a multi-month gig. While I have been fortunate to have done some international work, Brisbane for nearly a year became my second home from 2008 to 2010.

My first exposure to this wonderful city was coming in on a late-night flight from San Francisco (which started in Chicago) and based on the recommendation of one of the local staff, I was booked into the Treasury Casino Hotel, on the top floor, with a patio overlooking the Treasury Casino. Even though it was about 3 am and a very long flight, the view of the commons and the Casino just had to be taken in:

At this point I had graduated to my 3rd digital camera, a Canon Powershot A640. I had not had it long yet, but was already enamored with how far the technology had progressed. Even so, getting this shot meant a very long exposure and would have been difficult except for the fact that absolutely everything was still in the pre-dawn air.

It was silent and magical and unforgettable; staying that way for nearly an hour until the morning deliveries began.

With that, this image has been updated just a bit to remove the noise that was common with early digital cameras as well as provide a very mild sharpening, using software (Topaz Photo AI, Radiant Photo 2) that simply did not exist back when this image was taken 17 years ago.

I loved my time in Brisbane and was fortunate enough to have spent nearly 2 years in-and-out (and a full summer).

March 13th, 2008 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #UrbanPhotography #Nightphotography #SilentSunday #MomentOfZen #Australia #Brisbane

Evelia and I have been living in the Monterey California area for a bit more than 3 years now and even after many weekends of casual drives up and down the coast, I still find new perspectives to capture through the lens.

Today's Silent Sunday post is yet another example of that:

Bixby Bridge is (possibly) a world-famous tourist destination, Built in 1932, the open-spandrel arch bridge is indeed a magnificent sight and is increasingly getting hard to photograph without silly numbers of tourists around. Yesterday was no different. However Evelia and I are hosting some guests this weekend and, well, not stopping to look at it is kind of like going to New York and skipping the Brooklyn Bridge. You have to at least check it out.

But honestly, I have a mess of Bixby Bridge pics at this point, and on far more peaceful days. So while Evelia was showing her friends around and helping to take their selfies, I walked a bit farther along the shoreline and eventually happened upon this break in the flora, giving me a glimpse of the coast, the waves below, and the Infinite Pacific, providing a non-bridge "Bixby Bridge" perspective and acting as reminder that sometimes we miss the hidden beauty around the more obvious object of desire.

March 15th, 2025 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #BigSur #LandscapePhotography #SilentSunday #MomentOfZen

Living here in Monterey Bay (and the adjacent Big Sur) means that there is an unbelievable abundance of beautiful spots to hang. Even seemingly unassuming little stretches of beach can carry with them a charm that makes you want to return again and again.

Asilomar Beach on the southern side of Pacific Grove is one such location. When I took on my current CIO role in Monterey, I initially rented a small studio nearby and would bike along the stretch of Ocean View Boulevard and Sunset Drive, often ending up at Asilomar. I was so taken with what was to become Evelia and my new home, that I kept messaging her images of the surf, the tidal pools, the people, and the sunsets. So much so that, as she was wrapping things up in the Midwest ahead of our “move”, it kind of pissed her off (for anyone who is concerned, I have long since been forgiven for that).

Its charm in many ways is that it is just a simple, classic community beach. No stunning cliffs, no dramatic flora or fauna. But… there’s not a day where you won’t find someone walking along the surf’s edge, or see a dog chasing a ball, or a small group sitting on some beach towels being chill.

Today’s Moment of Zen is a terrific small-moment example of that. Taken during the Golden Hour, it was simply a quick snapshot of a mother and her child walking along the water’s edge when something caught the child’s attention and he began digging his toes into the sand:

Nothing Special. Just a Perfect Moment.

October 28th, 2023

#Photography #Images #People #Beach #Sunset #MomentOfZen

One of my recent acquisitions was a tiny little 28mm F4.5 Pancake Lens originally offered as a kickstarter by Viltrox. Given that it was no bigger than a lens cap, yet still has autofocus, and was just $89, I had no great expectations for it, but it tickled my coolness trigger and I pre-ordered one. But that's the neat thing about lenses today... With how incredibly good full-frame digital cameras have gotten, the "personality" of the lens is often influencing the look and feel of the image more than the camera does. And surprisingly, also influencing my mood when taking them. This fading mural at McAbee Beach is a good example of that:

I've taken pics of this mural before, usually with some seriously high-quality lens hardware. And technically, the images look great.

And while this quick shot was taken with a lens that has honestly has some real limitations (Focal length as well as F-stop are both fixed at 28mm and F4.5, respectively, there is some noticeable image darkening and softness around the edges, and at least with my Sony Alpha, the exposures overall are a little on the dark side as well) it definitely imparts a flavor to the image that I find interesting.

I think it is going to be a fun add to my camera bag...

👉 Oh... And about the Mural... 🤔

The Mural is painted on a section of wall remains at McAbee Beach along Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. The inscription reads 👉Based upon archival photo * Chinese fishing village * Monterey CA c1890 * Cannery Row Business Assoc 2010 * Artists: Arthur Simons, Jerry Boyajian, Marie Gilmore 👈

It's definitely a little faded after 14 years, but I think in this case it may have improved with age.

And last, it was taken at dusk over Thanksgiving weekend 2024.

November 30th, 2024 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Murals #MomentOfZen

In a previous post I shared an image of some my favorite local inhabitants, the California Harbor Seal. That pic was over Thanksgiving weekend, and some of the participants in that photo were clearly knocked up. Fast-forward to today and while it is still a bit early in the season, some of them have begun to Pup:

Fortunately for the expectant mothers as well as admirers, a section of Pacific Grove California is dedicated to the Hopkins Marine Station Beach Rookery. Managed by Stanford University, this area is closed to the public and is the local "quiet spot" for the Harbor Seals to give birth. It is a wonderful example of what can be done when we make it a goal to co-exist and is one of the many reasons I love where I live these days.

February is still a bit early, but there were a few pups about this time last year, and, since it was a holiday day-off for me and Evelia, we stopped by the Rookery to see if there was a Kodak moment to be had. So far I was only able to spot the one, although there may have been one or two more in the rather large pile of Seals about 50 feet away that weren’t capturable. Even so, these two were kind enough to give me a direct pose for the camera.

February 17th, 2025 -{Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Wildlife #Seals #MomentOfZen

Last fall Evelia and I were fortunate enough to be one of the 40 "guests" at the Point Sur Lighthouse Halloween Tour. It was a fantastic time, and there may have actually been a ghost or two spotted while we were there. 👻👻👻

While I was able to take lots of images, many of which will almost certainly become a photo album at a future date, this one of the lighthouse keepers cleaning the cupola with night coming on just hit all the right feels for me. The fact that it was accompanied by one of the most spectacular Big Sur sunsets I have yet seen certainly didn’t hurt.

For those that have never been there, taking the time to go as well as considering a donation would be well worth your consideration. All of the incredible restoration work comes from visitors and special events such as the 2024 spook-fest, so not only is it a magnificent part of the Big Sur story, but one that is supported by the love of the staff and generosity of their supporters.

October 26th, 2024 - {Tech in the comments}

#Photography #Images #Lighthouse #MomentOfZen

pointsur.org/

One of the real pleasures in my recent life is the fact that Evelia and I have gotten into the habit of taking a break over the Holiday week, with at least a day or two put aside just for seeing this magical place called California that we have found ourselves inhabiting; and trying to capture the beauty of it in images.

Last year we took a drive up CA 1 north of Santa Cruz on New Year's Eve-Eve (December 30th) to try and catch some of the wave action that is more common during the winter months. This time of year the Central Coast can be very moody, and it is not unusual for winter days to alternate between storms coming in off the Pacific, only to be followed by sunshine and light breezes.

On a whim, we took a side-road off CA 1 that had a small sign declaring it was Davenport Landing Beach. The Coast is dotted with many small spots like this, so many that it would be easy to get inured to the beauty. For me so far that hasn’t happened. I honestly hope it never does.

Even so, for some, Davenport Landing Beach could fall into that category. It’s a very simple spot, with a small set of restrooms, a few benches, and a children’s swing set. While we met a very nice local resident walking her dogs and chatted in the public parking area, the beach itself was unoccupied. It had been lightly raining prior to our arrival and everything was poised in that moment between the breaking of the storm and arrival of blue skies and calm.

It was perfection, and for a small moment in time, Evelia and I had it all to ourselves.

#MomentOfZen #SilentSunday #Photography #Images {Tech In the Comments}