Nighttime Photography with Friends

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I had an awesome adventure last night with my good photography friends Randy and Dave. Here’s the story:

Our adventure started with an article that I saw on twitter about the Orionid Meteor Shower, retweeted it out, and got some responses back of who wanted to go on the adventure. With some friends on board I began the research of where and how to photograph the meteor shower.
As tradition would have it, everytime there is an awesome astronomical event in San Diego, the local weather doesn’t cooperate. Today’s weather misfortune was low clouds and rain in the city. So I had to search for place were the clouds would not obstruct the view. Using the tools available and from past excursions I found that Borrego Springs would be a perfect place to do some star gazing. But just like I mentioned before weather doesn’t always cooperate, gusty winds where a factor at this location. But onward we went.
The three amigo adventure started at 10:30pm with gear and coffee in hand, headed off into the night. Driving to the spot we drove through familiar places however because it was late at night it made it look foreign and a bit a scary at times. With my buddy Dave telling us about American Horror story and add some fog and rain into the mix, it made it for a bit eerie drive. However that definitely made the driving much more enjoyable and made it go quickly.
As the three of us drove towards Borrego Springs, we all kept looking out the window to see if there was any clear skies, it was not until about a few miles away from the spot that the clouds cleared out.
When we got to the spot, we were welcomed with gusty cool winds that were coming from the easterly storm passing through San Diego. Gust were storm enough at times to allow you to lean back without a problem. So with the winds blowing we decided to put on our windbreakers & sweaters and hunker down behind my car.
Since the wind was blowing and gusting, we had to adjust our tripods to be low to the ground to ensure that they didn’t topple down. And to make sure they didn’t do that we straggled the tripods down with our legs.
After taking a few test shots, the three of us exchange friendly banter here and there and also traded camera settings, and tips on how to photograph. Meanwhile trying to let our eyes adjust to the nighttime and watch out for meteors. And in the span of 2 hours we managed to capture a few, see a few, and just enjoy the beauty of the night sky.
After the two hours of being out there we packed up our gear and headed home.
This adventure shows that when you pay attention to different sources you can get some awesome insight on what to photograph. And with some research, careful planning, and a sense of adventure in your photography blood, you can take adventures were you not only have a great time but learn and grow as a photographer.

To see and purchase a print of the pictures and to see more of the San Diego Sky, check out my gallery:
http://ohhphotos.smugmug.com/Travel/San-Diego/The-Sky/

Slow Down

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There are times in your creative endeavors that you have slow down and take time for yourself. It’s easy these days to distract yourself with the “work” and the creative pursues that you could burn yourself out. And the best way that I have found is to take a break and do a self reflection.
When you take time to do such things, it will give you the opportunity clear your mind and see new opportunities that are blinded by the “distractions.” One way that I take time to clear my mind is to leave my normal surroundings and reconnect with another environment. The photo that you see, was captured on a trip I took with my good buddy Mikey.
On this trip, Mikey and I went to one of my favorite places, Yosemite National Park. It was a nice relaxing getaway. These are the kind of trips have taught me over the years to slow down and take my time. I didn’t go trigger happy like I use to do rather I took time to think about the shots carefully and consider the composition, quality of light, the framing, and the story I was going to tell with the image.
The photo that you see is a result of slowing down, literally. This is a 20 second exposure taken during the day. I used my 3 stop Cokin Filter to cut out the light so that the shot would not be over exposed and I would get the nice blur in the water. And I politely ask Mikey to sit as still as possible so he could be in the shot.
In the time that it took to make this shot, I just cleared my mind, took the sound of the stream, took in some deep breathes, and felt the cool breeze blew through the trees. It felt as if I was the only on there, I wasn’t of course. Right behind me is the main path to Bridalveil Falls with people walking to and from the viewing point. In the creation of this shot I got to relax.
So take a trip and relax. Make it about the trip itself and about the people you are with. When you do this, you will be more recharged and ready take on the world once again.

The City

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Some of the best ways to learn about photography is to visit the same place again and again. Every time you visit a place, everything is completely different. It is your responsibility to consistently and intently go out and seek and revisit those places. Opportunities sometimes reside where your path as taken you before.
For this picture, it has been approximately 5 years since that last time that I was here. The last time that I was here I was photographing this scene in the day. On that first shoot, I managed to get the classic San Diego Freeway shot with a airplane coming across the frame. For this trip, my buddy Ellis and I visited this place in the evening. Originally planning to do some time lapses photography here, I ended up taking a couple of the shots. This shot is a result of one them.
The thing that I notice most about this shot is that for me, there shows some growth as a photographer. From the planning and execution of the shot. I patiently waited for the scene to come. The challenging part was waiting for the right amount of traffic to come so that all of the lanes would be filled with lights. Also I notice that I carefully observed the scene and pictured how I wanted the finish picture to look like. And this picture that you are seeing is the result of that.

Grand Tetons National Park

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Some of the best photography opportunities come when you least expect them. It is when these opportunities present themselves, that your practice and skill become important. It is only with consistent and intentional practice that you as a photographer will be prepared for any situation. Photography is a craft that you sharpen your skills over time and learn from your mistakes.
The following photograph was captured during a mad dash back to the Snake River Overlook ( the famous spot where Ansel Adams took he’s Grand Tetons photo ). My friends and I were lucky enough be far enough as the sun broke through the afternoon clouds as they head east over the Grand Tetons.

Overtime and determination… Oliver the Engineer

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Man oh man! The last two days have been a whirl wind of how are you doing, drawing lines, staining at the computer screen, watching the clock, and levels 36 and 37. It’s just some crazy stuff.
Hopefully it will soon be over or at least the pressure will subside from the high levels that it is at right now.
The thing that I have been working on for the last two days have been drainage profiles that I have know for the last couple of months. These things have been a thorn in my ass for months and it’s almost finally get pulled out. But not before some headaches and frustration.
This has come with a large learning curve that unfortunately has lead me down a road that I don’t want to go. It has lead me to cut corners, compromise my quality of work, and in the nearly 9 years of working for Caltrans to seriously start to hate work. Ouch! That’s bad. This feeling has only happen once before and that was because of a coworker. This time around it is that plus time, inexperience, and some pressure.
Doubt has entered my mine if I can actually do the work. Sometimes I sit there going what the hell are you doing?! Dude theres some consequences from what you are about to do. This alone is scary to think.
I’ve been lucky though that i have a support system of friends to call on to help me cope with these issues. And the good thing about it is that they totally understand where I am coming from.
But as I sit here. I’m have managed to finish a large portion of the work and I can relax for a few. Man, at this rare I’m going to need a vacation.
So I guess tomorrow will be another day. And so we will see.

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