I was doing an old promo video for Smugmug, which is the website that hosts my portfolio. They are a great company and I’ve been a fan for many years. They did a few “promo” videos staring yours truly and this was one of the locations we visited. They would get footage of me looking “cool” with my tripod. I don’t really think I look that cool. I look quite nerdy. But, comfortable with my nerdiness, I think!
This spot is well known to people that photograph the Big Sur region a lot, but it remained unknown to me for a very long time! Even though I have shot in the Big Sur area many times, this spot always eluded me. So, when I parked and started the short walk, you can imagine how excited I was to find such a beautiful scene right under my nose!
This is not a great artistic video or anything — just a little slice of life from down here in Queenstown. There is this little walkway that goes along the lake, and oftentimes there are various sorts of entertainers around. I thought this scene was kind of nice. I quickly grabbed it with Google Glass. If you see the strange artifacting, that is because I tried some of the YouTube auto-filters.
Top 10 In Pinterest
I was the only Manly Man to make this list, somehow! There are some other good people on the list too that you may want to follow. That #3 Tiffany Beveridge cracks me up too! Worth a look
Daily Photo – Off the Edge at Midnight
I stayed at these falls for way too long. In fact, I stayed way past midnight. That is when the moonlight got really strange and gave everything a bit of a bluish, Star-Trek-set glow that I thought was lovely and mysterious. I swapped around lens after lens to try different things. For this one, I put on a bit of a tighter lens and went for a portrait orientation to show more of the trailing beach…
Sometimes, you can use ND Filters in the middle of the day to get long exposures. This shot below wasn’t exactly the middle of the day, but it was pretty bright outside. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this ND thing, it stands for Neutral Density, and it is basically a dark filter on the front of the lens that limits the amount oaf light that comes into the camera. This means you can have the shutter open longer to get things like streaks in water. Anyway, you can get around that a bit by just setting your fstop as high as it will go, like f/22 or higher, for example. This will let you make your shutter speed longer and get a bit of the streaky effect.
Daily Photo – The Island Cave
This photo was only 0.8 seconds long, even though it looks like a bit longer. When the waves are coming in at a good click, you don’t need a super-long exposure to get this effect. You do need a tripod, though. I think it’s impossible for a human to hold the camera still for 0.8 seconds! This is down on one of the many beaches in Big Sur, California
For more and to see the latest, see the full SmugMug Review here on the site. It’s changed a LOT since this video was made below… when they show my site, they show the OLD version of the site… it’s so much better now.
Daily Photo – The Waves of Big Sur
Here’s one of the final shot I got from the video above.
My friend Alexia Sinclair has released a new app for the Mac that enables you to batch upload to Pinterest… Cool! Go check out her blog to find out more!
Embarrassing moment at the Google party
You know how when you are at a party with people you don’t want to embarrass yourself? I mean, like often, this is the #1 goal of being at a party, especially if you are an introvert like me? Well here is what happened when I tried to pass some appetizers to Ron Conway and he ignored me.
All in all, this is a very strange video. The dance part is cool though! As for the dancers, they are the YouTube stars: Poreotics and Karen X. Cheng (she taught herself to dance in a year!).
Daily Photo – The Trees Behind Big Sur
There is another way to get to Big Sur that I found only because part of Highway 1 was shut down. It goes through a huge military base that is filled some very cool trees. It’s also incredibly lonely because no one ever goes that way. When I would tramp out here to get photos, I was always afraid there might be a few land mines here and there… probably not, but still, that little shadow of doubt was more than enough!
Have you ever found a place that is very close to you, or very close to a place you know well — and you were completely surprised when you found it? I get this feeling a lot… often thinking, “How did I not know this existed!?!?”
Daily Photo – The McWay Bay
This spot is well known to people that photograph the Big Sur region a lot, but it remained unknown to me for a very long time! Even though I have shot in the Big Sur area many times, this spot always eluded me. Not until Stuck On Earth did I actually discover something that was so close to the road, but otherwise impossible to know about except through friends! So, when I parked and started the short walk, you can imagine how excited I was to find such a panacea of photographer right under my nose! 🙂
Why is saffron so expensive? And/or do you know an inexpensive place that sells and ships internationally?
Daily Photo – Hiking to the beach in Big Sur
I wanted to go down to that beach you see in the distance, so I began the long hike. It wasn’t the length as much as the steepness and confusion involved. Whenever I look at a landscape and try to figure out a way to get from point A to point B, it always looks easier than it actually turns out to be. In this case, all that green seems quite easy to traverse, but it is really hip-hike bushes full of thorns! But, I did eventually navigate all of them and make it down for an amazing time on the beach.
This was such a fun show that I wanted to repost it! I also added it to the full SmugMug Review here on the site.
Daily Photo – Aliens over Big Sur
I went out one night to see the meteors go crazy, but it turned out to be a little bit weak on the meteor part. And then the most interesting thing would be when cars would crest over the hill to come towards me.
I was wondering… if someone from a few thousand years ago were to be transported in time to be standing there with me — would they have any concept of the car being driven by a human, or would they just think it is an alien ship? I mean, if they could not see inside (it was dark) — would people have any idea that the car was a human-created and powered-device, or would that notion not even enter their heads?
It’s hard to believe this video is from the same moody beach that is in today’s photo. Of course… it is a different day when I took this photo… about two years later in fact! 🙂 Another version of this video is also in the newly updated SmugMug Review here on the site.
Daily Photo – Walking on the beach
It was a cold and blustery evening here on the beach in Big Sur. Every time I go to this beach, it is a little bit different. There are some trees upon entrance to this beach that are also fascinating. You’ll notice I’ve never posted a photo of them because I simply can’t find how to capture their essence in a photo… but I’ll keep working on that…
