Here’s something a little different. I found this Prickly Pear cactus in the courtyard at San Miguel Mission. I love the simplicity of green cactus, red buds and blue sky.
Day 69 – Window with Benches
I’m just starting the process of sifting through the images from my trip to find and process the keepers. This one is from Soledad Mission, shot on January 26. It was processed in Topaz Black and White Effects using a coffee toned treatment. I think there is going to be a show on Missions but do I do it now or wait and see what I get to see in Texas in a couple of months?
Day 68 – Hometown Mural
I don’t know if this mural is new or I just never noticed it before. It shows the original use of what is now a coffee shop in my hometown. The artist is Simon Whiteowl. He reproduced this from photographs thought to be taken between 1925 and 1935. I had to cut off a little on the edges because of a perspective issue and a slightly different aspect ratio. I also added saturation and a little center lighting. The tree branches in the upper right are not part of the mural.
Day 67 – Mission Window
I have a lot of material to edit and process. Over 1400 images according to Lightroom. Of course some will need to go. I can’t say I am really in the mood for it today. Trying to rest and regroup. I hope next week I will be able to put a little more heart into photography. For now this image from San Juan Batista Mission cried out for a black and white treatment with high contrast to bring out the texture in the stucco walls. I like the center placement of the window as it is set off by the horizontal lines.
Day 66 – Mount Shasta
I was in driving mode again yesterday but did take time to stop and snap a few shots of Mt. Shasta. I used Nik CEP detail extractor to help highlight the terrain. I also used Lightroom to selectively reduce the saturation or orange and yello to try and hide some smoke though if you look closely you can still see some in the lower right. I’m at that point in the project where I’m going damn it just post something but will try to keep a stiff upper lip for the final third of the project.
Day 65 – Mural
So, yesterday I drove like mad and never got the camera out so I had to come up with something from the previous day. This is a mural in the funk zone in Santa Barbara. I just liked all the colors and lines. I don’t think I even recognized it as a figure until after I saw it on the computer. I always hesitate a little when photographing someone else’s art. In this case I have a bush, a light and some shadows that make it mine.
Day 64 – Bicycle
I’m being plagued by a slow wifi connection but trying to get this image posted. It is actually a bicycle and it’s shadow, not two bicycles. Or really no bicycle at all, just an art piece being used as a sign at a bike shop in Santa Barbara.
Day 63 – Church Door
I hit two more missions yesterday and I have to say this is exactly the kind of thing I am looking for when I visit them. This is a close up of the church door at Santa Inez Mission in Solvang, California. Quite a contrast between this and the Scandinavian theme of the town. Just a little detail and saturation in post processing.
Day 62 – Sea Otters
I had a little time to go back to Morro Bay and photograph Sea Otters today. And I am so glad I did! I thought I was doing great at the original Sea Otter sighting spot but two different people stopped to tell me to go down by the Great American Fish Company where they were really close.
Well, I didn’t really know where that was but I spotted it on the way out and decided what the heck. They were so close I could get intimate portraits like this with the 150-600mm zoom lens. So sweet. Post processing as usual. Detail, sharpness, saturation and darkening on the edges.
Day 61 – Chicken
It wasn’t a big day for photo ops but I did get a kick out of the chickens running free in Arroyo Grande. This was had been admiring its reflection in the window when I came upon it.