Miramar Lake

I did not want to get up this morning. A spur of the moment hike last evening to get a sunset shot from a nearby hilltop left me quite tired. And, as Murphy demands, I couldn't sleep. When the alarm went off at 4am, I lay motionless, staring at the ceiling for a good 20 minutes, debating whether or not to head out. If not now, then when? I got up...

I chose Miramar Lake as this morning's subject. I used to bicycle and roller blade around the lake. Ever since 9/11, segments of the lake loop have been fenced off. I can't say I know the reasons behind it. As I approached the lake, the skies did not look promising. A lot of cloud cover. A hint of color, a light magenta to the west, already starting to fade.

With sunrise about 30 minutes away, the clouds started to break on the horizon, that warm orange glow starting to bleed through. A good contrast to the dark streaks of clouds holding to the horizon. Ducks quacking loudly. A few fish splashing about, maybe heading for cover as the fisherman started rolling in.

Miramar Lake, San Diego

Technical notes:
I wanted to get about 6 inches higher with the tripod. I think the composition would be better with more water between the structure on the end of the dock and the treeline. I had my tripod fully extended, but as I write this, I realize I could have folded the legs in a hair - that probably would have gotten me what I wanted without sacrificing too much stability.

La Jolla Cove

My outings the last two weeks have been disappointing. I can't control Mother Nature, but I can control  solid prep work and choosing my location. Today I hedge bets and go to the ocean. Whether the sun breaks or the marine layer holds fast, I'll walk away with something good.

It's about 5am and I'm precariously perched on some very slippery rocks. It took me 10 minutes to cover about 50 feet of ground. I've nearly fallen three times. The low light makes the journey that much more challenging.  Small crabs scurry across the rocks, no doubt laughing their claws off at the gangly human. At least I checked the tide schedule last night - this would be far worse at high tide.

Find a spot, carefully position the tripod amongst the rocks. It's loud. Seagulls cackle, circling the skies. And the sea lions are out in full force this morning. Several swim back and forth across the cove. One is on top of a large rock to camera left, nonchalantly watching me as I realize how inadequate my mediocre tripod is for this situation.

I'm not going to get a bright sunrise today. But that's fine. There's tide pools, sandstone cliffs,  and a gentle rolling surf. La Jolla Cove rarely disappoints. A great start to Father's Day.

La Jolla Cove

San Dieguito

I was not prepared this morning. I got lazy. I didn't scout a location. And I paid for it.

4:40am: I'm out the door, only a vague idea of where I'm heading. Jeez...am I expecting "the force" to kick in and deliver me to an amazing locale?

4:55am: Head west. Drive to a trail head abutting part of the San Dieguito preserve. Hastily scout the site. Might work if the sunrise cooperates.

5:05am. Jump back in the car. The skies are already a deep blue - sunrise is coming on fast and I'm not settled on a location, let alone setup. Bend traffic laws, check another spot on a bridge overpass. Nope...not good.

5:20am: I'm out of time, back to the trailhead. The blues are already fading from the sky, giving way to a washy gray. The shot will have to be a subject - there will be no sweeping landscape today. Several wildflowers are in bloom, frame some up. Shoot. Wow...that looks "blah".... Move to another flower, recompose, bracket a few frames. Better. Crap! There's a gentle breeze, causing motion blur in my foreground flowers. A few minutes pass, the breeze calms, take a few more frames. Grab an extra with different settings hoping to freeze motion in the flowers.

5:40am: Sunrise has come and gone, but I couldn't tell with all the could cover. Pack it up, head home. Hope I can salvage something in post.

Valley in San Dieguito

Ugh...that motion blur is killing me. Maybe I should caption this "Blurry Purple".

Piedras Pintadas

Today was a bust. Well, at least with respect to what I was after. Was it David Noton that said a when a photographer views a scene, he or she must imagine what it could look like in different conditions? On my outing last week, I walked past a gently rolling hill, with an interesting rock formation on a hilltop in the distance. I'd imagined the scene at dawn, the soft morning light pulling the warmer colors from the desert scrub, a few clouds in the sky, and the first rays of dawn striking that rock formation. Yeah...that'd be a good shot.

But Mother Nature had different plans today. San Diego's "June Gloom" was in full effect this morning. An unbreaking blanket of could cover, a near uniform gray, just plain dull. I would not be getting the mind's eye shot today.

The salvageable shot of the day came before the actual sunrise, with the sky still holding its held its cool, blue tones. And I do like how the white blooms fit into the scene.

Piedras Pintadas, San Diego: ~10 Minutes Before Sunrise

We'll see what next Sunday yields.