I often get asked for the inspiration behind my images. “How do you arrange your shoots,” “how do you set up your lighting,” “how do you choose your subject matter?” Well…
Continue readingThe Story Behind The Image
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Contest Surfing – When the Skills Shine
As summer gives way to fall, the number of surf contests in Southern California start to ramp up. The NSSA, WSA, SSS, West Coast Board Riders and others start their scheduled events before the first winter swells even grace our shores. Read on…
Continue readingBiking The Dalmation Coast
Croatia and Montenegro have opened up in recent years to be top destinations for the adventurer. I was last there in 1987 during the height of the Cold War and was curious to see how things have changed so I booked a trip through Backroads to see for myself. Here is what I found…
Continue readingCapturing the Blue and Red Landscape of Croatia and Montenegro
By now you all know that I am drawn to the color blue, especially where water is involved. Now couple blues with reds for an amazing contrast and you have a sense of my recent visit to Croatia and Montenegro. So here are my thoughts on photographing this amazing landscape…
Continue readingThe Half and Half Story
Shooting in the water is at times super frustrating, but the rewards can be so worth the effort. I get a lot of questions on how this image came about so I invite you to click below to read the story behind this image.
Continue readingThe Beauty of Kona
When it comes to gorgeous colors and beautiful contrasts, the Big Island of Hawaii may take the prize. I went for a quick-strike trip last week and this is what I learned. First, lava …. [click to read more]
Continue readingIs Surf Photography Art?
I’m going to give this one an emphatic YES! While I take a lot of shots of surfer’s doing their thing, I always have my eye open for a potential image that would complement a room. It might be subtle colors, shapes or details that catch my eye, but…
Continue readingSurf Photography With No Blues or Greens
Surf photography has so many options these days. Blue water and clear skies are the typical go-to. Sometimes, however, I like to play around with the finishes to share more of a mood that the day presents. For instance,
Let’s take a look at a session from Ocean Beach last week. The swell was quite good and the before school/work crew was doing there thing in the water. Yet, OB has a certain gritty vibe to it. The parking lot has an interesting crew hanging out and there are always plenty of dudes stuck in the 80’s along the beach. The surfers are a mix of up-and-coming groms and older watermen and waterwomen who claim their spot just north of the pier as if it were their own. So, when shooting OB, I like to tell a story.
Continue readingThe Importance of Backdrop
Surf photography can take many forms. For contest surfers, I like to create close-up images to put the viewer into the action. For in the water shooting, there is nothing better than a deep, hollow barrel. For telling a story, however, I firmly believe that pulling back is the best option. What do I mean?
Continue readingSurf Photography When there is no Sun
iso 200, f/8, 1/125
As surf photographers, we love and pray for the perfect mix of sunshine, swell, and talented surfers. It can be a frustrating wait as the best swells generally come with stormy skies. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with different tones to create mood in an otherwise bland image. Here is what I found…
Continue readingChasing Blue – The Mountains
By now you know my favorite color is blue: blue sky; blue ocean. But what happens when I take my toes out of the sand and venture to higher elevations? More blue than is reasonably imaginable! The clear air at altitude (8,000-10,000′)…
Continue readingPhotographic Art for #worldartday
Photography is an incredible medium for capturing memories, sports and events. Is, however, photography art? Today, on #worldartday, I will emphatically and positively say that well…maybe!
Continue reading“The Way Home” – Story behind the image
Standing still and silent, the Coronado Bridge traverses the bay in a graceful curve, carrying workers and visitors back and forth to downtown. It is relatively new (1969), but an icon that represents San Diego as much as Balboa Park.
Continue readingPatterns in Nature
While many photographers set out looking for the big landscape image, I find myself more drawn to the details. That’s right, I have a passion for patterns and color. Perhaps its because there is no shortage of variation and surprise in what nature shows us. Seeing these patterns requires one to simply slow down and look more critically at our surroundings. We have a natural ability to process thousands of details when we look out the window. But what happens when we break these down into individual elements? Magic!!
Continue readingSunset Pelican: The Story
Don’t point your camera at the sun; Don’t use a long lens on scenic shots; Don’t shoot backlit objects. Well…all good advice. What happens, however, when you don’t follow the rules?
Continue readingThe Story Behind “The Dive”
I posted before about my fascination with our Brown Pelicans and got so many great comments and questions, I thought I would share the story behind this image I call “The Dive.”
Continue readingWhen the Ocean Roars, Start Clicking!
The ocean is relaxing and soothing, right? Not always! Sometimes the ocean roars with anger and power as we recently witnessed this January. When she fully awakens, it is a thing of beauty and its time to shoot! And boy did January deliver with a set of gorgeous images.
Continue readingImagery for Outdoor Areas
Remember when photos were something you got in packs of 12 or 24 from the drive up Kodak Fotomat? Your options consisted of rounded corners or normal corners. If you had a really special image, you could go to the local photography shop for a paper enlargement made in their darkroom. Oh how far we’ve come from those days. Today, the options are incredible…
Continue readingPlaying with Surf Images in Photoshop
With tens of thousands of surfing images stored on my hard drives, I realized that I have an incredible source of material to play around with (notice I didn’t say “work”). Photoshop opens the door to a wealth of approaches to making whimsical, wacky, or cool images from your surf photography. Let me show you some examples…
Continue readingEditing: The Surfing Workflow
I get a lot of questions about workflow when I’m out shooting the surf scene. First, I appreciate the question because there is so much more to capturing a good image than just pointing and shooting and anyone who asks the question has obviously struggled with the editing process. So, here I strive to share the steps I take once the day’s shooting is complete and I’m back at the computer.
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