Photo by Carl Garrard
Carl got the best shot of the day last Sunday in my opinion. I hope he doesn't mind me posting the photo.
- A wonderful bird is the pelican,
- His bill will hold more than his belican,
- He can take in his beak
- Enough food for a week
- But I'm damned if I can see how the helican!
- Dixon Lanier Merritt
Photographer buddy Carl Garrard and I headed out to the Balboa Peninsula Sunday morning to shoot some photos. Our mission was to use a couple of old cameras we picked up on ebay for about $25. In my case, I bought a 4MP Canon S45 which was a state-of-the-art point & shoot from about 10 years ago.
Sine it was early morning, I shot mostly at iso 400, the maximum for that camera.
While Carl stayed true to the mission and used only the two old cameras he brought with him, I cheated and got the shots below with my 5DmkII (below).
I posted a few photos of the Ramakrishna Monestary in an earlier post. Here's a few more photos from a couple of subsequent visits.
To be honest, I didn't know until I visited the Ramakrishna Monastery in Trabuco Canyon. The monastery is open for visitation between 9am to 11am and 3pm to 5pm. You can can drive there, but my visit last week was via O'Neill Regional Park. Heading from Vista Point to Live Oak trail will take you near the entrance to the monastery. In addition to the monastery and bookstore, there is a one mile long nature trail on the grounds. This is definitely a place I'm going to need to come back to again to really understand both philosphically and photographically.
Driving directions and additional info is available on their web site
Organic vegetables, grown in this garden are also sold at the monastery
What is Vendanta? "Vendanta teaches that man's real nature is divine, that the true object of human life is to unfold and manifest this divinity and that truth is universal. Vendanta accepts all the religions of the world and reveres the great prophets, teachers and sons of God, because it recognizes the same divine inspiration in all."
Along the nature trail is a shrine to each of the world's major religions.
Heading back on Vista trail after a great sunset.
Here's a shot of the lunar eclipse from Crystal Cove early yesterday morning. This shot was taken at 6:08am, 36 minutes before sunrise. Normally, taking a photo of the full moon in a single exposure one-half hour before sunrise would be impossible unless you were willing to give up detail in the moon. The difference in brightness between the moon and the landscape is just too great and exceeds the dynamic range of the camera's sensor (the range of light it can capture in one exposure). I was able to get just two shots of the moon before the light from the sunrise overpowered the moon's diminishing moonlight from the full eclipse.
Of course I had to hang around Crystal Cove and get a few shots of the beach and the old cottages before I left.
And one from Laguna Beach on the way back home.
1. Late fall is best
Fall colors don't usually appear before November in our canyons.
2. Come during "bad" weather.
After (or during) a rain is the best time. The moisture saturates the leaves and also the color. Trabuco Creek Road is dirt of course, so you will need high clearance vehicle (and possibly 4x4) if it's raining. A sunny day following a storm can also be a great time.
3. Adjust your expectations.
This is not Vermont. On the other hand, if you come in December, it'll probably be 65 degrees outside and not 22 degrees.
4. The canyons are great,but don't forget about the chaparral.
The buckwheat and deerweed turn a golden bronze in the fall. The temperature is far more comfortable than the summer and the bugs and flies are gone. This is a great time to hike the ridgelines.
5. Don't come too late.
A strong Santa Ana wind or early winter storm can vacuum the fall colors from the canyons. The prime season is typically between early-mid November and the end of December.
6. Get out of the car.
Good locations such as Trabuco Creek trail require a short hike (3 mile out & back).
Roll your own
Here's a few more visual anthropology shots (aka street photography) from Laguna Beach.
Prayer circle at Main Beach
Chess game
Morning joe
Here's a few more photos of Catalina Island and some things that just caught my eye when we were wandering around Avalon.
Trabuco Creek Road between Holy Jim and Trabuco Canyon Trail trailhead.
It looks like fall has finally made it to our canyons. A quick trip to Trabuco Canyon Trail last Sunday turned up what I would describe as an average fall color display for the area. Unless we get strong Santa Ana winds or a very heavy rain, we won't reach peak colors for a few more weeks. Although we don't get the dramatic colors of the Sierra, Rockies or east coast, our fall colors tend to last at least a month or two.
Trabuco Creek Road one mile east of the entrance to the Cleveland National Forest.
Trabuco Canyon Trail .5 miles before West Horsethief Trail.
For more info: TrabucoOutdoors.com
OC Register November 11 article on fall colors
