Birds in Shadow Cliff Regional Park (Pleasanton, CA)

A few month back I visited Shadow Cliff Regional Park in Pleasanton, CA and took a few photos. I am here to show the bird photos I took while in the park. Shadow Cliff Regional Park is a great place for bird watching, fishing, and also picnicking. For photographers, there are usually many birds (especially seagulls and geese) to photograph. During spring, there are also some wildflowers in the park. I find a walk in the park is pretty nice now and then.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To view my best Shadow Cliff Regional Park photos, use this link. To view my best bird photos of 2013, use this link. To view all of my Shadow Cliff Regional Park photos of 2013, use this link.

Say's phoebe (Sayornis saya) 

 Female Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed them. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Squirrels

Today I want to show you some of the best squirrel shots I have shot throughout my photography. I can't get enough of squirrels! They are so cute and hard to resist. Also, I am running low on photos to show you guys which is why I'm posting filler blog posts like this. LOL My road trip photos from the SF Bay Area to Vancouver, BC, Canada are not actually done yet, but I am working hard to finish them. I hope you enjoy viewing these repeat photos!

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see my best squirrel photos, use this link.

Please don't spit your gum on the floor! They are bad for wildlife. This photo is of a squirrel eating gum off the floor in Zion National Park located in Utah, USA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

Ironically I tell you not to spit your gum on the floor, but here is me feeding a squirrel a cracker in Fremont Central Park in Fremont, CA. LOL While you are not supposed to feed the wildlife, everyone does it at Fremont Central Park so... Some of these squirrels are so tame, I actually got to pet one before. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

 A photo of a squirrel taking a nap on a tree on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

Cool, a camera! Another photo of a squirrel on a tree on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA. 

 The blog post where this photo was first posted is here. (Same as the previous one)

A squirrel eating a walnut (lots of walnut trees on the trail) on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.  

It's a boy! One of my best squirrel photos ever also shot on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here. For more "interesting" animal photos, you can view them here. 

A photo of a squirrel at Point Lobos State Reserve in Carmel, CA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here. 

 Same squirrel as the one above, he started begging me for food (literally) so I gave it a small piece of Japanese cracker. So cute!

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here. (Same as the previous one)

Still the same squirrel as the one above. Interestingly, after it finished the Japanese cracker, the squirrel spat out an almond and started eating it. Little critter had food all along. LOL

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here. (Same as the previous one)

A squirrel peeking out from its burrow in Yosemite Village in Yosemite National Park. I saw this squirrel scramble back into its burrow, so I decided to wait with my camera pointed at the entrance. Sure enough, 1 minute later, my work paid off and this little critter decided to take a peek outside. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

A chipmunk is a type of squirrel. This is a photo of a chipmunk eating some flowers near Glacier Point in Yosemite National Park. 

 The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

A photo of 2 squirrels near the Vernal Fall Foot Bridge in Yosemite National Park. 

 The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing these squirrel photos. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Photive RC-6 Wireless Shutter Release Review

Photive RC-6 Wireless Shutter Release

The Photive RC-6 Wireless Shutter Release is a 3rd party alternative to the Canon RC-5 and Canon RC-6. The remote is compatible with many Canon cameras in the EOS line including the Canon EOS 7D and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. This remote is an infrared remote, so the camera has to be set in the infrared remote mode in order for this to work. The remote works approximately 16 feet (depending on lighting conditions) from the front of the camera (because the infrared sensor is on the front of the camera). Obviously, due to the fact that it works via infrared, the remote has to work line-of-sight and will not work through obstacles.

With all that said, here are my opinions about the product. While the product is nice and compact, the uses of it is very limiting compared to a wired remote shutter release. This remote does have a immediate take or a 2 second delay which is nice, but again, the line-of-sight is very limiting. You have to point the remote at the front of your camera due to the fact the camera has no infrared sensor on the back. The remote does not have a "half press" to focus system, but instead pressing it will cause the camera to focus and take the photo. The second thing I don't like about the remote is that I had trouble removing the battery door to get the battery out. There is this little tab you have to press to get it out, but sometimes the door just jams up and you can't get it out. The unit itself is less than 1/2 of what Canon charges you for and at the time that I bought the product, I got it for around $8. At this price, you can pretty much get a new unit once the old one goes dead because button cell batteries cost about that much anyways.

Overall, the product is nice depending on what you want to shoot. If you are constantly taking photos of yourself and you have no other cameraman, this would be a great product for you. For me, since I am usually behind my camera, I've actually only used this remote twice and I've had it for years now. If you are like me, I recommend you just go for a wired shutter release and not bother with this product. That is pretty much it! Please share your opinions with me below. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Here is my video version of this review:

"Interesting" Animal Photos

I'll try to keep things as "clean" as possible for this blog post because I don't want to get in trouble with Blogger/Google. LOL Today, I will be showing you some "interesting" animal photos I've taken so far in the entire time I've been taking photos. You will be finding out what's so "interesting" about these photos in a minute.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see all of my "interesting" animal photos, use this link. To see my best wildlife photos, use this link.

Warning: Please note the content you will see may be objectionable to some viewers, but please also take note that all of these photos were taken in public places where anyone could have seen them, which is why I am showing this here. If you believe you might get offended by content like this, please close the window/tab now.

It's a boy! Either that or it's taking a poop. This photo was shot on Arroyo Del Valle Trail in Pleasanton, CA. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

A photo of 2 poison dart frogs mating. The photo was taken in the Reptile & Amphibian House in the Oakland Zoo in Oakland, CA. There is a lot of noise in this image due to the darkness in the exhibit. Still, better than nothing right?

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

A photo of a sea lion at the Sea Lion Colony at Pier 39 in San Francisco, CA. I saw this sea lion and immediately shot a photo. 

The blog post where this photo was first posted is here.

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed them. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Instagram. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Copyright Warning: These photos are some of my best and most popular works of art. Unauthorized usage and reproductions are strictly prohibited. Please contact me here to purchase prints and negotiate photo licenses. 

Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco - California

I took a trip to both Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito (pretty close together) a few month back. I took many photos at these 2 places and will be splitting the photos into several blog posts. If you want to see my Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito photos from last year, you can do so here.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see my best Muir Woods National Monument photos for 2013, use this link. To see my best Sausalito and Mill Valley photos, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos

Today, I have photos from Sausalito, CA and San Francisco, CA. Some of the photos will be from my drive down to Sausalito from Muir Woods National Monument. The photos will include regular scenery and night photos.

After a long hike in Muir Woods National Monument, I was starving. Once I got to Sausalito, my family and I decided it was best to have dinner there. We decided to eat dinner at Scoma's Sausalito, a seafood restaurant in Sausalito, CA. The food there was very good, so I am here now giving them a quick shout out and review. Please note that I am not being compensated in anyway for this review. I'm putting this out here because I really enjoyed my meal.

While the food was a bit overpriced, it tasted very fresh and delicious. Also, the service was very good, the waiters were very polite and nice, and even offered to put pepper in my clam chowder. They also brought me complimentary sour dough bread, butter, and water. I may eat again if I go to Sausalito again. Very nice restaurant, and was packed when I got there. The waiter offered a 15 minute wait for the "main" part of the restaurant, or we can go directly and eat in the "bar". My family and I just chose the bar because we were all hungry. Had a great experience. I would give this restaurant a 4/5 stars with 1 star off because the food was a bit overpriced. If you visit Sausalito, I would definitely recommend this place.

It was very foggy up on top of the mountain in Mill Valley, CA from my drive from Muir Woods National Monument to Sausalito, CA. I shot several photos of the fog. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 41 N 122 33 38 W  

Just to give you an idea how foggy it was. You see that bridge off in the distance? It isn't actually off in the distance. It was only about 1 minute away from where I took the photo, and the speeds on this mountain road isn't very fast. Photo was shot from the same position as the one above. 

Another photo of the fog. Still shooting in the same position as the above 2 photos. 

The fog on top of the mountain in Mill Valley, CA pretty much engulfed the highway. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 16 N 122 33 17 W   

 A photo of the fog facing the other direction on the highway. 

It felt nice finally leaving the cold foggy mountain top and finally arrive in Sausalito. This is one of the first photos I took in Sausalito. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 15 N 122 28 44 W  

The Trident. This was the first restaurant my family considered to go eat dinner in however the restaurant seemed to be crowded with that many cars so we decided against that. Plus I really wanted fish and chips and I saw it on the menu outside at Scoma's Sausalito. LOL I shot this photo from the outside of Scoma's Sausalito which is built on a small pier right on the ocean while waiting for the chef's to finish cooking our food. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 41 N 122 33 38 W  

 After dinner, I decided to shoot a few more long exposures at night on the Scoma's Sausalito pier. Really nice view from there. Also did I mention all my Sausalito photos from this trip was shot on my Joby Gorillapod Focus? After a whole hike carrying my big bulky tripod, I decided to leave that in the car and lighten the load using only my Joby Gorillapod Focus. It sure lightened the weight, and was very steady for all my shots (including the long exposures at night). 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 15 N 122 28 43 W  

Another photo of Sausalito at night from the Scoma's Sausalito pier. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 14 N 122 28 42 W  

 Another photo of Sausalito at night from the Scoma's Sausalito pier. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 15 N 122 28 43 W  

Now I begin walking back to my car. Saw a group of photowalkers at Yee Tock Chee Park. Decided to join them for a photo of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge from the Sausalito side. I had no clue what was in the image when I framed it up due to the fact it was so dark and distant. After taking the photo, I noticed I got part of the Bay Bridge in my shot. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 18 N 122 28 43 W  

 Since I had such a great meal at Scoma's Sausalito, I decided to take a photo of the restaurant. Walked back a little bit and took a photo. That is the "pier" I took a few of my photos on. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 17 N 122 28 44 W  

A long exposure of a fountain in Vina Del Mar Park. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 51 22 N 122 28 46 W  

My original plan was to get a few Golden Gate and San Francisco shots from the Marin Headlands area, but my dad missed an exit and accidentally drove onto the Golden Gate Bridge. Decided that I might as well get a few shots of the Golden Gate Bridge from the San Francisco side then. Plus I live in the east bay, so we were going to take this route home anyways. One surprising thing I found out when viewing my photos is the fact that the Golden Gate Bridge is actually moving! At 100%, I can actually see a slight motion blur on the bridge which means the bridge is vibrating quite a lot. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 48 28 N 122 28 28 W  

Another photo of the Golden Gate Bridge at night from one of my most favorite spots in San Francisco for the Golden Gate Bridge. This photo was taken at the Fort Point/Torpedo Wharf area. When I got there, there was a park ranger closing the gates to Fort Point for the night which is why you see the red and blue lights on the fence on the left side. Thank you park ranger! Your police lights really added a contrast to the yellow lights lighting up the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 48 32 N 122 28 19 W  

This is all the photos for today and for the Muir Woods and Sausalito trip. I hope you have enjoyed them. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos

Muir Woods National Monument (Part 3)

I took a trip to both Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito (pretty close together) a few month back. I took many photos at these 2 places and will be splitting the photos into several blog posts. If you want to see my Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito photos from last year, you can do so here.

Muir Woods National Monument is a park located in Mill Valley, CA, 12 miles north of San Francisco. It is famous for its Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees. This forest of trees is one of the few forests of this type of tree still standing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see my best Muir Woods National Monument photos for 2013, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos

Today, I have part 3 and the last photos of Muir Woods National Monument. The photos will include regular scenery, 1 panorama, 1 close up, and 2 HDR compositions. Please also note that the GPS coordinates provided may be inaccurate due to the heavy vegetation in the park.

Forest Floor

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 00 N 122 35 07 W  

Photo of the hiking trail. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 59 N 122 35 08 W  

Another photo of the forest floor.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 04 N 122 35 24 W  

Vertical panorama of the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 04 N 122 35 24 W  

Portrait of the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 59 N 122 35 39 W  

A wildlife research camera. I hope the researchers didn't mind me taking a photo of their camera. LOL 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 59 N 122 35 43 W  

HDR composition of the forest floor. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 28 45 N 123 49 35 W  

HDR composition of the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 55 42 N 123 38 45 W 

Forest Floor

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 05 N 122 34 54 W 

Walking trail at the bottom of the mountain (the main part of Muir Woods). 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 52 N 122 34 31 W 

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed them. Next time I have photos from my drive down to Sausalito with a few photos from San Francisco. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos

Muir Woods National Monument (Part 2)

I took a trip to both Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito (pretty close together) a few month back. I took many photos at these 2 places and will be splitting the photos into several blog posts. If you want to see my Muir Woods National Monument and Sausalito photos from last year, you can do so here.

Muir Woods National Monument is a park located in Mill Valley, CA, 12 miles north of San Francisco. It is famous for its Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees. This forest of trees is one of the few forests of this type of tree still standing in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Full Resolution Photos and Prints: If you want to see full resolution photos or buy prints of any of the photos you see, they are up on my portfolio for viewing. To see my best Muir Woods National Monument photos for 2013, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos

Today, I have part 2 of Muir Woods National Monument. All of the photos are from Muir Woods National Monument. The photos will include regular scenery, 1 close up, and 2 HDR compositions. Please also note that the GPS coordinates provided may be inaccurate due to the heavy vegetation in the park.

Shamrocks on the forest floor. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 44 N 122 34 33 W  

A long exposure of the forest floor.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 45 N 122 34 32 W  

Photo of the trail below. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 47 N 122 34 32 W  

Photo of the hiking trail. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 53 N 122 34 35 W  

Portrait of a giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree that fell over. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 56 N 122 34 37 W  

Saw the sun shining through the canopy of the forest. I wanted to do an HDR composition but it came out all weird, so I just processed one of the shots as best as I can. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 59 N 122 34 41 W  

HDR composition of the forest and the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 32 28 N 123 43 37 W  

Portrait of the hiking trail. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 00 N 122 34 52 W  

Photo of the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 03 N 122 34 53 W  

HDR composition of the forest and the giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 58 27 N 124 05 31 W  

Photo of the hiking trail. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 54 01 N 122 35 05 W  

This is all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed them. Next time I have more photos from Muir Woods National Monument. Please don't forget to share the blog post with your friends and family members! Also, if you want to get notifications when I post up more photos, "Like" us on Facebook or follow me on Twitter and Google+. These links can also be found on the top of the right sidebar.

Parts:
Muir Woods National Monument: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | 
Mill Valley, Sausalito, and San Francisco: Photos