Please view larger on black by hitting the "L" key if you have a second. Thanks!

First of all, I need to apologize for not being around for the past week or so. Classes began last Monday, and I've been swamped with work, but I hope to catch up this week and find out what all of you have been up to.

A few weeks ago I mentioned to Gregg Cooper that I was looking for other places to shoot in Orange County besides Disneyland. (I know....shocking!) Gregg mentioned that of one his flickr contacts had some amazing shots up of several beach locations in Southern California, including Laguna. After viewing Neil Armstrong's Photostream, I became a huge fan, and began to take notes on where he was shooting. Some of my favorite shots were from Victoria Beach, which is a little cove a bit South of the main beach area in Laguna.

So Sunday night, after an EPIC sunset and thunderstorm, it occurred to me that this was the perfect opportunity to try out this new location as there would be no fog, and if I was lucky, there would still be some broken clouds around for a decent sunrise. So I set off at 5 AM yesterday morning and was on the beach by 5:45 AM. This was my first time shooting on the beach with my ND filter and a tripod and it was pretty cool to be out there finally trying some long exposure beach shots that I've seen done dozens of times on flicker and other sites. This particular location looked as if it was a wading pool at one point as it naturally fills continuously as the tide comes in. Three shot bracket, tone mapped in Photomatix and tweaked in Nik Color Efex.

Tags:   Laguna Victoria Beach California Coast Sunrise HDR Sigma 10-20 Nikon D7000

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PLEASE VIEW LARGE ON BLACK BY HITTING THE "L" KEY FOR FULL EFFECT. THANKS!

This is the third in a series of shots I took last week as the sun came up over Victoria Beach in Laguna, CA. One of the unique characteristics of this particular beach is the spiral staircase enclosed in the tower pictured above. The tower was built in 1936, but apparently is no longer in service. As I was in the middle of my shoot, a fisherman, God bless his heart, walked right through my shot on his way to one of his favorite spots. As I was shooting 30 second exposures, he didn't really show up in my frame until he got to his spot. At first I was considering cloning him out, but I decided to leave him in as there is such an atmosphere of solitude as he is alone and quite small against the expanse of the ocean and Tower behind. My shoes got pretty soaked during this particular set of shots as the waves kept crashing around me while I was shooting. I've got a different crop of this shot that I'll try to post either later this week or next.

In order to really get a feel for what I was after here, PLEASE view large on black by hitting the L key. 3 shot bracket HDR via Photomatix plus touch ups in Nik Efex Pro.

Thanks so much for looking! :)

(Explored at #5 on 9/14/11. Thanks for the views, comments, and faves! )

Tags:   Victoria Beach Laguna California Tower Staircase Long Exposure HDR Nikon D7000 Sigma 10-20

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(More detail when viewed large on black by hitting the "L" Key.)

As we had another rare stormy November weekend this week, I headed back down to Victoria Beach in Laguna for another attempt at catching some stormy skies and possibly a sunset or a sunrise. As it turned out, I just missed what looked to be an epic golden hour as the sun disappeared behind the clouds just as I came huffing and puffing down the stairs. I was tempted to give up, but there were still some interesting clouds around, and I opted instead to try a few brackets with the fisheye to see if I could come up with some interesting shots.

The shot above is from a small wading pool that was built many years ago by owner of the beach house just behind and to the right of the tower pictured against the right side of the frame. This was taken on Friday evening, and I should probably mention that I came back at 5 AM on Saturday morning to see if I could get the sunrise. The difference in the tide was astounding as this wall had completely disappeared, and I ended up making a mad dash through the minor storm surge and high tide to get to the other side of the tower above. I think I may have a couple of keepers from the two days, and I hope to post a few more of them over the next couple of days.

3 shot handheld HDR bracket taken with the 8mm Pro Optic Fisheye.

Tags:   Victoria Beach Laguna Beach California Coast Sunset Nikon D7000 Pro Optic 8mm Fisheye

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Here's another shot from the series taken down on Victoria Beach which is just South of Laguna. I was muttering under my breath as I took this shot as I had just missed some rare lighting as a storm was clearing as I was setting up. I've been down to this spot several times since then, and it has quickly become one of my favorite local spots to shoot. I earned my stripes two weeks ago as the tide came in and I got nailed by a wave. I managed to keep the camera dry, but it was a long, cold drive back home as I was soaked. :) This spot lends itself particularly well to long exposure shots, and I shot quite a few of these that I hope to post over the next couple of weeks.

3 shot HDR using the Sigma 10-20.

(Explored at #3 on 11/22/11)

Tags:   Laguna Beach Victoria Beach Long Exposure HDR Nikon D7000 Sigma 10-20

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If you have a moment, please View Larger On Black as it is difficult to get what I was after from the medium sized shot above. Thanks for looking! :)


Here's another look at the stormy coastline that I shot on an early morning trip down to Laguna a couple weeks ago. I have to admit that I am thoroughly hooked on these long exposure shots as I love the misty wave effect that can be created. As the surf was much higher on this particular trip, I was able to catch more spray in the early morning light that managed to break through the clouds. However, I was so pleased to make it out to my spot without getting nailed by a wave that I neglected to keep an eye on the tide, and by the time I had turned around to head back to my car, the waves were crashing all the way up to the face of the cliff behind me. Needless to say, it was a very cold and wet trip back home. : (

I haven't done much in the way of mono shots lately, but as soon as I glanced at this shot in black and white using Nik Silver Efex, I knew I had to post the B & W version. If you get a chance, please look at this shot in the large size on black as it will really give you a better idea of what I was after.

3 shot HDR bracket using the Sigma 10-20.

(Explored at #6 on 11/23/11. Thanks for the views, comments, and faves! :) )

Tags:   Victoria Beach Storm Long Exposure Black And White Laguna Nikon D7000 Sigma 10-20

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