Tag: photography

Lighthouse

Lighthouse-1

I believe this lighthouse, located on the tip of Anacapa Island closest to Arch Rock, was the last one built in California.  When I lived at the beach, I could see it winking across the Santa Barbara Channel, a friendly light on a dark night.

Archipelago

Archipeligo-1

The Channel Islands of California are in my back yard, but miles away and difficult to reach.  They act as a barrier between the coast and the wide open seas of the Pacific Ocean.  As well, it is part of the migration route of many sea mammals, such as whales, as they travel from Alaska to the Sea of Cortez.

There is a rich history here, too, of Native Americans (the Chumash in our area) and the Spanish explorers.  I’ve sailed here, been out on whale watching expeditions, and visited Anacapa.  Now, this area is protected as the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the Channel Islands National Park.  I think I need to visit these islands more frequently!

This is a picture taken from the eastern side of Anacapa, looking northwest.  The first few humps are Anacapa Island, and the rest are Santa Cruz.

Arch Rock at Sundown

Arch Rock at Sundown-1

What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than with those you love?

We went whale watching today, out in the Santa Barbara Channel, looking for whales – grey and humpback appeared – and spotting dolphins, sea birds, and the geological uniqueness of Anacapa Island.

Post in DxO 10.

Evening Walk

Evening Walk

For some reason the photomerge element of LR and CS6 has crashed.  For free, for laughs, for grins, I tried MS Composite Editor.  I am so pleased – it works beautifully.  After the photomerge, returned it to LR and On1 to doctor it up.  Here are the results for your viewing pleasure.

Details of the pano:  75 or so images reduced to 1500 along the long edge.  Final crop in a 16×9 format.  I pushed the structure of the image, partly because I took this as the sun was disappearing behind the mountains and the light was fading, but also because I think the details are so important in a landscape.  The new leaves and flowers, all green, merge, but they all have different textures, and therein (for me) lies the beauty.