Light & Composition Magazine » California

Photo of the Day | December 14 | Where Dreamers Escape, by Jen Mitsuko

L&C Team — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:24:23 +0000

I was traveling and camping in the Californian Redwoods trying to capture the beauty and amazement of these giant trees. Each day hiking and traveling I was amazed by there size and beauty. Then the fog rolled in and I was blown away. This piece is from the series called “Abandoning time.”

Technical Info: EOS 5D Mark II | 1/30s at f/2.8 | Focal Length 16mm | ISO 200
Title of the photograph: Where Dreamers Escape
Photo of the Day Award Category: Nature Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Jen Mitsuko ( Portland, OR, USA)
Jen Mitsuko holds a BFA in Photography and a BA in Film from the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). She uses her experience with traditional photography and filmmaking to create her art. She has been working with photography for 6 years, and working on films for 3 years. Her work has been shown in galleries across the nation. Jen’s goal with photography is to challenge the viewer intellectually and philosophically while maintaining artistic and aesthetic values. Jen Mitsuko currently resides in Portland, OR. Jen recently recieved an Honorable mention in The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards,
Official Selection Prix De La Photographi Paris, and won Photographer’s Forum Award of Excellence and was published in Photographer’s Forum “Best of Photography 2010”.

Website: http://www.mitsukophotography.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mitsukophotography
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenmitsuko

Photo of the Day | October 07 | Just off Highway 1, by Anubhav Jain

L&C Team — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:24:49 +0000

Route 1 in California is well-worn, but is still a great example of the beauty of the West Coast. Along the drive, there are many standard places to stop and take pictures, but then there are also less visible paths that you can explore. One such path revealed a great view of the giant crashing waves against a rocky landscape; on the ground were tiny, colorful flowers. To capture both simultaneously, I got on the ground and framed the shot to capture both aspects of this unique place.

Technical Info: Canon SD1000 at f/8, 1/250s at ISO 80
Title of the photograph: Just off Highway 1
Photo of the Day Award Category: Color Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Anubhav Jain (Berkeley, CA)
Anubhav Jain is an amateur photographer. He is currently based in Berkeley, CA, but most of his photographs come from his travels. He usually shoots with consumer point-and-shoot cameras, such as the Canon SD1000 or S90.
Anubhav is interested in many genres of photography, as he believes all types of photos can tell a story. He is working to sharpen his skills so that he can communicate more clearly through his photographs and develop his style. This is his first submission to a contest and he is looking forward to learning from the photography community.
Web: www.anubhavjain.net/photos

Photo of the Day | September 15 | The Captain by Joe Azure

L&C Team — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:29:03 +0000

The iconic El Capitan in Yosemite Vallery National Park. This image was taken after a fresh blanket of snow had covered the valley and the sun was beginning to warm the granite face. Because the sun still had not risen high enough to reach the valley floor, I chose to concentrate the rock face in the light while the darkness still shrouded the areas below the cliff, helping to isolate this iconic rock.

Technical Info: Canon EOS 5D Mark II | ISO 100 | Focal Length 105mm | f/20 at 1/15 sec.
Title of the photograph: The Captain
Photo of the Day Award Category: Black & White Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Joe Azure (San Francisco, California, USA)
Joe Azure is a native Alaskan from the seaside town of Sitka, who currently calls San Francisco, California home. Sitka is a small and thriving seaside town surrounded by the Tongass National Forest. In contrast, San Francisco is a bustling city surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.

Azure finds that he enjoys urban locations and man-made objects in many of his landscape images, which are often shot along the city shoreline where past constructions are slowly being reclaimed by the sea. Though some people call it “Urban Decay” – he calls it fascinating!
Living in such beautiful, diverse and culturally rich places, Joe has developed an appreciation of the natural world that he enjoys sharing through his photography.

Website: http://www.jazurephotography.com
Portfolio: http://500px.com/jazure
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joe-azure/
Facebook: http://www.twitter.com/Tophertimer
Google Plus: http://gplus.to/jazure
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jazurer

Photo of the Day | September 14 | Storm Over Vinyard by Laria Saunders

L&C Team — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:46:27 +0000

This was taken in Santa Ynez, California in 2011. This area is full of vinyards and I went in the off-season to capture the fall like color of the leaves.

Technical Info: Nikon D90 | 100mm | F-stop 4.5 | Shutter 1/200
Title of the photograph: Storm Over Vinyard
Photo of the Day Award Category: Color Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Laria Saunders ( Los Angeles, United States )
Laria is an emerging artist from Boston, New York and Los Angeles. She comes from a family of artists that span four generations on both sides including 3 professional photographers. Her passion for photography goes back 25 years and she received a BA from University California Los Angeles – World Arts & Culture. She has been awarded for her abstract, wildlife, dance and travel photography by Eden Arts, UK, Momentum: Images of Dance, CT., Art Scene Today, Art Slant and Projekt 30. Laria is co-owner of a portrait studio called City of Angels Headshots. Her exhibits include, “Photos with Words,” a group show at PhotoPlace Gallery,Vermont and also a group show at Grooveworx Gallery. She currently resides in the arts district of downtown Los Angeles and although on disability for chronic pain, it is photography that keeps her spirit alive.

Portfolio: http://www.lariasaunders.com
Twitter: http://twiter.com/LariaSaunders
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lariafineartphotography

Photo of the Day | September 10 | Bodie Ghost Town, by Masja Stolk

L&C Team — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:03:17 +0000

Bodie is a ghost town in the Bodie Hills east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California, USA. Bodie began as a mining camp of little note following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors including W.S. Bodey. The town is now an authentic wild west ghost town. This photo was taken in summer of 2009 while i was on a family holiday.

Photographer: Masja Stolk (Gouda, Netherlands)
Masja Stolk is a passionate photographer from central Gouda. After 15 years hard work as a hairstylist she started her real love, photography. She has also complete school of photography. Masja work consists primarily o fadvertising and reportage photography, where she has specialized in portrait photography. Since 2006 she regularly form a creative team of art director Erwin Bik and work for various clients. Its sometimes just a photo shoot, sometimes just a logo, a style sometimes with all the trimmings. But it always comes down to ideas into images. Images that speak, stand, or just feelings reinforce a combination there of. Masja is very fond of traveling and goes two times a year on non-profit basis to other countries to make reports for charities, in addition she also likes to travel with her family.
Last year Masja went for st. Macheo to Kenya and have made pictures of projects in the slums and schools, and there she made a nice report. She is also been to Bangladesh to photography disabled children to draw attention in west Europe to this group of children that really can use some help.

Portfolio: http://www.masjastolk.nl
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9862929@N07/
Tumblr: http://masjastolk.tumblr.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/evenlachen

Photo of the Day | May 17 | The Lone Cypress, by Elizabeth Brown

L&C Team — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:28:18 +0000

The 17-Mile Drive along the Monterey Peninsula winds through Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, California. One of the most recognizable landmarks along this drive, and quite possibly the most photographed tree in the world is the Lone Cypress. Set atop its perch above the Pacific Ocean, the Lone Cypress is thought to be roughly 250 years old. The tree is special not just because of its location, but because it is a Monterey Cypress which is listed as Threatened by the IUCN. Once found in large forests along the California coast, the Monterey Cypress is now only found on the Monterey Peninsula. Now supported by a stone wall and cables to prevent it from falling into the ocean, the hope is that the tree will remain a local landmark for many years to come.

Technical Info: Canon EOS REBEL T2i | ISO 100 | Exposure 1/80 sec @ f/9 | | Focal Length 18 mm | No flash
Title of the photograph: The Lone Cypress
Photo of the Day Award Category: Landscape Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States

Photographer: Elizabeth Brown (Safety Harbor, FL)
Elizabeth Brown is a fine art photographer who enjoys capturing a variety of subjects. Her interests include natural landscapes, wildlife, birds and all things associated with the coast. She uses only natural light to capture her photos allowing the true beauty of her subjects to shine through. Elizabeth’s interest in photography started at 12 after experimenting with her father’s SLR camera, purchasing her own only a few months later. Today, Elizabeth’s fine art photography is in several private collections, has been featured in several photography exhibitions and has been featured several times online. Her commercial photography can be seen in several multi-family industry publications throughout the US.
Flickr: www.ElizabethBrownPhotography.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ElizabethBrownPhotography
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/EBrownPhotos

Photo of the Day | May 02 | Pigeon Point Light Station, by Elizabeth Brown

L&C Team — Sun, 01 May 2011 14:54:35 +0000

On a trip to explore the coast of California last year, my husband and I took our time driving south along the Pacific Coast Highway taking in the scenery. While I expected Big Sur to be beautiful, I was just as taken with the beautiful rocky shoreline between San Francisco and Monterey. Pescadero especially was beautiful, with Bean Hollow State Beach as a stand out thanks to its “pebble beach”. Another beautiful spot in Pescadero is at the Pigeon Point Light Station. When we turned towards the light station from the highway, the parking area was full, so we drove a little further along the coastal road looking for a place to turn around. While we meandered along the winding road, a huge mass of Ice Plants appeared that seemed to go right up to the Pacific Ocean itself. I decided to get out and snap a few photos, and then turned to see this beautiful view of the light station. As it turns out, this view from our remote stop in the road was much better than anything I could have had from the parking lot at the light station itself.

Technical Info: Canon EOS REBEL T2i | ISO 100 | Exposure 1/125 sec @ f/7.1 | | Focal Length 59 mm | No flash
Title of the photograph: Pigeon Point Light Station
Photo of the Day Award Category: Landscape Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Elizabeth Brown (Safety Harbor, FL)
Elizabeth Brown is a fine art photographer who enjoys capturing a variety of subjects. Her interests include natural landscapes, wildlife, birds and all things associated with the coast. She uses only natural light to capture her photos allowing the true beauty of her subjects to shine through. Elizabeth’s interest in photography started at 12 after experimenting with her father’s SLR camera, purchasing her own only a few months later. Today, Elizabeth’s fine art photography is in several private collections, has been featured in several photography exhibitions and has been featured several times online. Her commercial photography can be seen in several multi-family industry publications throughout the US.

Flickr: www.ElizabethBrownPhotography.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ElizabethBrownPhotography
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/EBrownPhotos

Photo of the Day | April 05 | Ghostly by Don Peterson

L&C Team — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:00:49 +0000

I was camped in California’s Eastern Sierra Mountains near Bodie, a state historic park and reputed ghost town. I arrived in the late afternoon and began shooting as I walked from the top of a hill into the streets of the town. The settling sun offered a wonderful golden light and seemed to bring the abandoned buildings back to life.

Technical Info: NIKON D90 | Focal length 42mm | f/8 @ 1/13 sec.
Title of the photograph: Ghostly
Photo of the Day Award Category: Travel Photography
Photograph Location: California | United States
Photographer: Don Peterson (Currently camped near Windsor, California USA)
Don Peterson has been making photographs since he was a teenager when he was given a Rolieflex 2.8C camera by his grandfather. Then he continued to make photographs during high school and later, when he enlisted in the Air Force and spent some time in Europe, he used a Canon Canonet 35mm shooting mostly Kodachrome slides. When he returned to the “real world” in 1966 he adapted to the status quo, eventually marrying and raising two sons. He was an industrial production line mechanic for most of his working career and the camera seemed to take a back seat for most of those years. He retired in 2002 and decided to pursue his long lost avocation formally.

Peterson attended DuPage County Community College and received an Associate Degree in Photography in 2005. In the fall of that year he transferred to Columbia College Chicago and in 2007, at the age of 63, he graduated with a BA in Photography. Shortly afterwards he sold his house in St. Charles, Illinois and hit the road with his golden retriever Geordy in a pickup truck and 26-foot travel trailer. Now, almost four years and several thousand miles later he own a motor home and continue to travel with a new pup, another golden retriever named Rory MacDuff (aka Duffy) seeking new experiences and interesting places to photograph. He maintain a blog of his travels at http://www.don-peterson.com/roadrunner.

Gallery: http://www.don-peterson.com/Galleries/20100901GhostTownBodieCA/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhotoDon
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonOnTheMove



Photo of the Day | March 31 | Crooked by Don Peterson
L&C Team — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00:55 +0000

While touring the ghost town of Bodie in California’s Eastern Sierra Mountains, I strolled up and down the dusty streets trying to capture the aura of this erstwhile boom town. Bodie is maintained in a state of “arrested decay” in an attempt to preserve its mystique. Some of buildings seem about to collapse and only well-placed supporting timber seems to keep them falling down.
Technical Info: NIKON D90 | Focal length 26mm | f/25 @ 1/15 sec.

Title of the photograph: Crooked

Photo of the Day Award Category:  Travel Photography

Photograph  Location:  California | United States

Photographer: Don Peterson (Currently camped near Windsor, California USA)

Don Peterson has been making photographs since he was a teenager when he was given a Rolieflex 2.8C camera by his grandfather. Then he continued to make photographs during high school and later, when he enlisted in the Air Force and spent some time in Europe, he used a Canon Canonet 35mm shooting mostly Kodachrome slides. When he returned to the “real world” in 1966 he adapted to the status quo, eventually marrying and raising two sons. He was an industrial production line mechanic for most of his working career and the camera seemed to take a back seat for most of those years. He retired in 2002 and decided to pursue his long lost avocation formally. 
Peterson attended DuPage County Community College and received an Associate Degree in Photography in 2005. In the fall of that year he transferred to Columbia College Chicago and in 2007, at the age of 63, he graduated with a BA in Photography. Shortly afterwards he sold his house in St. Charles, Illinois and hit the road with his golden retriever Geordy in a pickup truck and 26-foot travel trailer. Now, almost four years and several thousand miles later he own a motor home and continue to travel with a new pup, another golden retriever named Rory MacDuff (aka Duffy) seeking new experiences and interesting places to photograph. He maintain a blog of his travels at http://www.don-peterson.com/roadrunner.
Gallery: http://www.don-peterson.com/Galleries/20100901GhostTownBodieCA/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhotoDon

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DonOnTheMove



Photo of the Day | February 26 | Riding Into the Sunset, by Jon Rendell
L&C Team — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:00:32 +0000

An aerial view from an apartment high above Fillmore and Eddy Streets in San Francisco at dusk. 

Technical Info: Nikon D80 camera with Nikor 18-200mm, focal length: 170m, 1/180sec at f/5.6, ISO: 100

Title of the photograph: Riding Into the Sunset

Photo of the Day Award Category:  Aerial Photography

Photograph  Location:  California | United States

Photographer: Jon Rendell (San Francisco, USA)

Jon Rendell was born into an auteur/photog family in Melbourne, Australia in 1957; his grandfather owned a Paillard Bolex 16mm movie camera in the 50s and his father always had his Braun 35mm loaded with Kodachrome 25. At age 8 his parents gave him their old Kodak Box Brownie. He paparazzied birthday parties, friends at school, and their vacations. At high school he learned basic darkroom techniques and decided he had to have his own darkroom. His family knew that on certain evenings the kitchen (his makeshift darkroom) was out of bounds. In the 70s he had the sublime pleasure of being tutored by renowned photographer Athol Shmith. he was always captivated by shadows. It was Athol who one day selected one of his negatives as an example of perfect exposure and development. He cringed because his ever-present cigarette was dangling dangerously close to the negative as he held it aloft to the class. That photo depicted a structure with an unusually shaped shadow across its facade. To this day he cannot tell anyone what made that shadow, but from that day forward he found himself hard-wired to focusing upon the transitory, abstract shapes that come and go with the available light.
Portfolio: http://www.jonrendell.com/

Flickr: http://bit.ly/FlickrFolio

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JonRendellPhotography

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/JonRendell