Cholame Road

On a recent trip home from Visalia we decided to take a detour home by way of Cholame Road. This story could become long worded if I allowed myself to delve into all the stops we made along the way, but let's just say if you have never driven this path it is a must see. At some point you will need to make a decision, Vineyard Canyon Rd. to the left or Parkfield-Coalinga Rd. to the right. This trip we choose the first choice which would eventually lead into the small town of Sam Miguel just north of Paso Robles. Anne and I enjoy our country road trips and this was no different. This spring the country side was bright green and the wild flowers were quite prolific through most of the valley. Our hope was to bring home images of fields of poppies and lupine blanketing the green hills, well, that didn't happen. The only problem with country roads for me is no turnouts, no place to stop for those photographic opportunities we so hope for. So, we find ourselves shooting from the van and since I do most of the driving that often means turnarounds in the middle of a narrow country road so I am on the right side to hang the camera out the window. This time of year shooting for the car is the best way to go to avoid Ticks, Chiggers and all small creatures that can make life miserable. This shot was one of these times with the added ditch next to the road. By the time we negotiated around to the vantage spot I wanted three of the horses decided to hide behind the water tank and left this guy standing watch. We figured the other three were girls since they left so quickly and left the guy to handle the strangers. A few quick shots and we were on our way. As we left I was sure he told the girls what a stud he was for chasing off the strangers. Like I said earlier, we enjoy driving the country roads always seeing new sights, new sounds and even occasionally new people. And shooting from the van instead of getting out at every stop spending time to find that perfect angle for the money shot in your sights. Beats those crawly things calling those secret parts of your body home.
If you have come here direct you can see this in full resolution on my Flickr site

Sunset at Cuesta By The Sea

Monday evening we took a short trip across the Estuary to Los Osos, Cuesta by the sea. A small cove near the back of Estero Bay with abandoned boats, Kayaks, and sandy pathways. The purple ice plant is in full bloom covering the shallow dunes with color. Most pathways were not manageable for me but the few that were proved rewarding and fulfilling as the sun set. This shot was taken about 35 minutes before sunset and the first set in the series I took as the sun was setting. Interesting that after I took this series of five 1-stop exposures for my hdr the glow of light disappeared from the foreground and the impact was lost. This shot was taken with a Canon 5D Mk II w/TS-E 24mm f/4L with two Singh-Ray Graduated 4 x 6 ND filters on a Cokin Z-Pro holder. I stacked a 3-stop hard-step Reverse ND Grad and a 4-stop soft-step ND Grad to hold back the exposure of the bright sun allowing for a nice bright foreground. Supported on a Really Right Stuff, BH-55 ballhead, and Gitzo GT5531S carbon fiber tripod.
If you have come here direct you can see this in full resolution on my Flickr site