Photographing Richard III

I wandered down to see Shakespeare By the Sea’s production of Richard III this weekend at Pt Fermin Park. It’s a fun show with lots of powerful moments. And since I happened to have my 70-200mm with me, I took some pics. Photographing performances is way different from doing landscape art photos. It’s in real time and the moments come and go fast. But…

Seastacks and Smoke: A Photographer’s Journey in a Time of Plague

The idea for this journey began during our lockdown here in the South Bay.  I’m a professional landscape photographer that’s lived in the South Bay since ’99. I photograph everything from the tidal pools along the coast to Iceland and Europe to the National Parks. And during the lockdown, it was frustrating not having access to any of that. So I concocted a photo…

Sam Boardman SP and the Southern Beaches

The very bottom of the state has some of the most impressive moments of any in Oregon. Just above Brookings is a warren of trails and coves surrounded by dense forest. It’s a lot to take in folks can spend a week getting . And north of that are more expansive of the rough cut beaches, Gold and Meyers River, barely inhabited spots trimmed…

Loving Bandon Beach

On the southern side of the Oregon Coast, Bandon Beach is a standout. The beach seems endlessly long but it’s got plenty of areas to explore thanks to the distinctive sea stacks like Wizard’s Hat and Face Rock. I found myself starting by shooting from the long bluff above the beach then heading down to explore the sea stacks more closely while I moved…

Central Oregon Coast

The coastal area from the Newport area down to Yachats has one cool photo location after another. Yaquina and Heceta Head, the lighthouses that guard that rough-edged coast, are worth a photo walkabout. Seal Rock Rec area is worth experiencing at sunrise or sunset. Round it all off with the views from Cape Perpetua and the iconic Thor’s Well. It’s good stuff.

Cape Kiwanda area Images

For anyone driving the Oregon coast who’s interested in photography, Cape Kiwanda is a must see. This state preserve located on the outskirts of Pacific City, is one of the most distinctive geological areas along the coast. The limestone cliffs are like sculptures shaped by thousands of years of wave action. And the Cape’s color palette works beautifully against the deep blue of the…

Images of Cannon Beach, Oregon

Portfolio image #1: Seljalandsfoss

I never did get a portfolio level photograph at the Seljalandsfoss waterfall on my May trip; after two days I was heading east on the Ring Road again. I caught Seljalandsfoss on a May morning, wind cold and blowing hard, I was seeing the place through eyes that’d already seen 20 hours of travel. Some interesting shots came out of it that first day…

Welcome to Iceland

I left passport control at Iceland’s Keflavik International at about 5:20AM dragging my suitcase and camera pack. There was supposed to be a guy at the airport entrance holding sign with my name on it. Nope. So I dumped my stuff next to the Welcome to Iceland desk, got a donut, switched my phone to the local network and left a message … and…

Photo Walkabout at Fjaðrárgljúfur

Fjaðrárgljúfur–very Icelandic name, is a jewel of a river canyon in southeastern section of the island. It’s just 2 miles off the Ring Road, a few miles west of the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur and one of a few classic photo spots between Vik and the Glacier Lagoon/Hofn area. But it’s not a spot many tours get to, mostly just Icelanders and Ring Road travelers. Oh yeah, Justin Bieber used this…

At the Klaustur Roundabout

East of Vik, the Ring Road scenery is fairly average by Iceland standards. Southeast Iceland is mostly farmland, black sand beaches and miles and miles of lava fields covered in thick, green moss. A little weird that moss. When you get to a traffic circle, you’ll see the tiny the town of Kirkjubaejarklaustur (church farm cloister).  Klaustur, the local nickname for the town, is quickly…

Vincent Thomas Nite Shoot #1, Fountain Studies

I joined forces with the Night Hawks group, signing up for a photo adventure the Creative Photo Academy does. It’s the Paul’s Photo guys organizing a night shoot at some LA photo spot (for not much money) and everyone shoots their little hearts out. Mark Crase was on hand from the Academy to keep the cats together and for photo questions. Last Wednesday was…

Akureyri, Iceland’s Northern Metropolis

If you’re driving the northern end of the Ring Road, Akureyri will be the best resource for everything from travel needs to accommodations. Akureyri is like other towns on the north coast. It’s at the end of a long fjord and has a mountainous backdrop. It has a long history in Iceland and as a fishing port. But… … But with a population of almost 20,000, the town…

Lake Myvatn, Jewel of the North

Lake Myvatn (pronounced me – vaht) is the blue gem in the intriguing volcanic area of north-northeast Iceland. Just an hour east of Akureyri, the small 14 sq. mile lake is nutrient, making it an attraction for migrating birds. The lake’s too far for most of the tour buses but it gets plenty of Icelanders and savvy tourists. For photographers, the Myvatn area offers a range of…

Northwest Iceland, a Visit to Dettifoss Waterfall

The section of the Ring Road from Egilsstadir to Lake Myvatn was my least favorite drive. You leave the east coast, head past lush farm lands and drive through fields of black lava for much of the two hours it takes to get to Lake Myvatn.  There is one important photo location along this section of Ring Road, the Dettifoss waterfall.  Dettifoss is about…