Old Poway Park

The last few mornings in my area of San Diego have been cool and misty, thick cover in the skies, bordering on rain. Step outside and the moisture condenses on your skin. Expecting some of the same this morning I headed inland to focus on subjects.

Old Poway Park is the historic center of what's now a large suburb of San Diego. The park is home to a few historic buildings, several box cars, and a working steam locomotive. I recall riding it with my son year ago when he was really into trains.

I spent about an hour at the park, taking various shots of the buildings and railroad tracks. The upside of shooting before dawn is you more or less have free run of the place, which includes not fearing bodily injury when walking on the railroad tracks. The downside is the steam engine is holed up in its shed.

Below is Templars Hall. Built in 1886 it served as, among other things, the first high school for Poway.

Templars Hall, Old Poway

Paradise Point

I'm uninspired this morning. Dismissed a lot of scenes without ever taking a frame. If I took 10 exposures this morning, that's being generous. Not necessarily a bad thing I suppose. But I fear my declining to shoot this morning is less driven by an improved artistic eye and more by dispassionate apathy. I did return with one picture worth sharing.

San Diego's Mission Bay Park is home to a resort aptly named Paradise Point. The grounds and landscaping are fantastic. Couple that with San Diego's temperate weather...well...it can live up to it's name. I was there well before sunrise this morning. This scene struck me as very inviting. The chairs, reflecting in the gentle ripples of the pond, diligently waiting to host their next couple to visit....maybe I should sit down, relax, and take a break from the world.

Gazebo & Chairs, Paradise Point, San Diego

Looking back now, this scene would sing during the blue hour.

Processing notes: Two exposures, one about 30 seconds, one with a high ISO to catch more of the greens in the trees. Minor blending in Perfect Layers to avoid blown highlights. Sharpening, definition, white balance in Aperture to finish things up.

San Diego Skyline

San Diego Skyline

Not a bad photo, huh? An accident. A complete, total, happy accident. I had an entirely different shot in mind when I headed out this morning.

My plan was a more urban view of the downtown area of San Diego. I'd scoped out a spot in a hilly in the Balboa Park area with views of downtown and the freeways in the foreground. As I drove in, I noted there was enough traffic for some light trails - something I've been wanting to experiment with.

Then the problems started to stack up.

Problem 1 - Parking. Everywhere I turned parking was restricted before 6am. There weren't other cars parked, which suggested the posted signs were more than just guidelines. And in short order that was confirmed by parking patrols. I finally found a place to stash the car behind a large building in a secluded lot - also clearly marked with don't-park-here signs - but I'd be close enough to rush back if necessary.

Problem 2 - Composition. There was a fair amount of tree cover. I'd done some cyber-scouting on the location, and had overestimated what I'd be able to fit into frame. Crud.

Problem 3 - Safety. As I shuffled around, hoping to salvage a composition, I heard the movement of other people. I wasn't in a particularly bad neighborhood - at least to my knowledge. But I was in a secluded area, and it was dark - at least 90 minutes before sunrise. On the way in, I'd past a few homeless souls. Maybe I read one too many sinister news article this week, but fear set in. And not having a compelling photo to take, I bailed.

I decided to go to Coronado. The Coronado Bridge is always a good subject. As I crossed the bridge, I realized I could photograph downtown San Diego from Coronado - it's probably the most classic shot of the San Diego skyline. And I had plenty of time before sunrise. I walked along the Bayshore Bikeway and setup in boat launch directly facing downtown. Some great clouds hovered over the city, giving some great character to the sky.

I'm very lucky - and happy - that this morning wasn't a bust.

Hernandez' Hideaway

I got to catch up with a good friend a couple of weeks ago. He used to live in San Diego - someday we'll get him back. One of the places he reminisced about was Hernandez' Hideaway. I'd not heard of the place before. From what I understand, the founder lays claim to having invented the Margarita. I'm not a drinker, but from I've since read on Yelp and other review sites that their margarita is good and strong - and the main draw for the place.

This morning I headed toward then northern "tip" of Lake Hogdes - if the lake has a tip...ok, it's got lots of tips. The last few mornings, the sun raged a gorgeous orange as it burned away the morning mist and cloud cover. In my mind's eye, I could see this fiery ball hanging over the lake, veiled in a thinning mist, casting some orange reflections in the water. I'm getting more diligent on scouting locations before heading out, and last night I found a suitable spot on the lake shore, with a small dock that would provide foreground interest in the frame. But today, the morning was different than the last few. Thicker cloud cover, no glowing sun. Such is life.

To Plan B! Which is to say, looking to salvage the outing, I scrounged around for a subject to shoot. Recalling the aforementioned dinner, I drove a short distance down Lake Drive to Hernandez's Hideaway. On one side of the restaurant, there's a painted mural. I liked that more than the front of the place - and with next to no sunlight, the covered walkway in front was really dark. Compose, shoot, process.

Hernandez' Hideaway, Escondido