Light painting in the California Desert.

I recently had the opportunity to join several other photographers for an evening of "light painting" in the California Desert. Light painting is a technique where one can create a long exposure of the pitch black night sky, often including the Milky Way, while briefly lighting the foreground for a second or two with a hand held light. It takes a little practice, but the results can be dramatic. It helps if the photographer is working in an official "dark sky" area.

In this case the location was the Galleta Meadows Sculpture Gardens near the town of Borrego Springs in California's Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The park is east of Palm Springs not far from the Salton Sea. Daytime temperatures hit 106F, and the rattlesnakes and scorpions are abundant. (We saw several scorpions, and had to carefully check our camera bags for them when we were finished).

Dennis Avery, heir to the Avery Label fortune, was a resident of Borrego Springs. He purchased the land and commissioned the sculptor, Ricardo Breceda, to create one hundred and thirty metal sculptures, which are placed in the surrounding desert. It's a kick to drive around looking for them in the middle of nowhere. We were honored when Mr. Breceda joined us and hung out for about forty five minutes.

Some of the shots were lit with a small LED RGB light, some were lit with a laser pointer, and some were lit by an overhead drone. All of these exposure were twenty seconds long, and the light painting lasted about two seconds during that long exposure. A few of the softs are soft because due to the difficulty of focusing in pitch black circumstances.

Enjoy!

Juvenile Peregrine Falcons

The peregrine falcons were cooperating today. The fledglings have learned to fly. It was a good day.

Ospreys and herons in Huntington Beach, California

We celebrated my recent birthday by having lunch with an old friend, and then hunting for ospreys. Finding some black crowned night herons was a bonus.

osprey






black crowned night heron


Juvenile black crowned night heron

My birthday photos

We celebrated my recent birthday by having lunch with an old friend, and then hunting for ospreys. Finding some black crowned night herons was a bonus.

osprey






black crowned night heron


Juvenile black crowned night heron

An amazing sunset

Does it get any better than this? Palos Verdes, California.

Avila Beach sea lions

Hi all,

I haven't posted for a while, so it's time to catch up. Here are some sea lions photographed at the Hanford Pier in Avila Beach, California.

More to come.

Ospreys!

Sensorio! (cross posted from the photography group)

If you happen to find yourself driving the California Coast, take some time to stop in Paso Robles to enjoy "Sensorio, Field of LIght," a multi-media art installation by Bruce Munro built into the rolling hills just east of town. You won't be sorry.

Here is a link to the event.

https://sensoriopaso.com/?utm_source=amf&utm_medium=search&utm_source=amf&utm_medium=search&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvqeUBhCBARIsAOdt45Zeub7wQGsFXzPxWPS2BWKrjM_UboQ0Lrd0XLtnfjfYwI8Ay4S_onQaAgD8EALw_wcB

Sensorio, Field of Light

If you happen to find yourself driving the California Coast, take some time to stop in Paso Robles to enjoy "Sensorio, Field of LIght," a multi-media art installation by Bruce Munro built into the rolling hills just east of town. You won't be sorry.

Here is a link to the event.

https://sensoriopaso.com/?utm_source=amf&utm_medium=search&utm_source=amf&utm_medium=search&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvqeUBhCBARIsAOdt45Zeub7wQGsFXzPxWPS2BWKrjM_UboQ0Lrd0XLtnfjfYwI8Ay4S_onQaAgD8EALw_wcB

The blood red moon, handheld, through the trees.

I was too lazy to set up a tripod.