Donner Lake in Truckee, CA (Part 2) - Truckee/Tahoe February 2016

Back in February 2016, I took at trip to Truckee, CA and Lake Tahoe (both California and Nevada side). Most of the photos are of snowy winter scenery. I visited places such as Donner Lake, Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Abandoned Historical Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) Tunnels, and more. I took many photos and are here to share with you. The photos will be split over several blog posts. If you have been following me on here, you'd know there has been a ton of stuff happening in my life such as my old computer breaking down and health issues I've had to deal with. This delayed my photo processing by a very long time which is why I am only posting them now. I also did vlogs on this trip. If you are interested in viewing them, you can do so here.

Full Resolution Photos: If you want to see full resolution photos of any of the photos you see here, use the following links. If you wish to purchase prints of any of the photos, please contact me here. To view my best Lake Tahoe and Truckee photos for 2012 and 2015, use this link. To see my best monochrome and abstract photos for 2016, use this link. To see all of my photos from this trip, use this link.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 

The photos for today are from day 2 of my trip and were taken on 2/20/2016. The photos are of Donner Lake, Donner Creek, and other random parts of Truckee, CA. You will get to see a lot of snowy winter scenery in this blog post.

A photo of Donner Lake shot from a random pier on the side of Donner Pass Road. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 30 N 120 16 11 W 

Black and white process of the photo above. 

Another photo of Donner Lake from the same pier. You can see on the on the right that another pier is covered in snow. The one I was standing on was also covered. It was a pain to walk on. Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, I am really not used to walking in snow! Also on the mountain in the center, there is the Abandoned Historical Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) Tunnels.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 31 N 120 16 11 W

 Black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a bush growing on the shore of Donner Lake. Photo also shot from the same pier.  

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 32 N 120 16 11 W

A photo of Donner Lake shot in a park on the side of Donner Pass Road. I am glad I actually got into the park this year because I remember it snowed so hard one year, the park and parking lot was just a giant pile of snow! On the mountain in the distance is the Abandoned Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) Tunnels. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 29 N 120 16 60 W 

Black and white process of the photo above. 

At this point in my trip, I decided to get a photo of myself at Donner Lake. This is one of my most favorite view points of Donner Lake. Sunny in a winter wonderland. :) I took the photo on a self timer. 

A photo of Donner Creek shot from South Shore Drive. This creek leads into Donner Lake. I had much better luck getting a good photo at this spot back in 2012. You can see that blog post here. There was a lot more snow that year and it looked much prettier. On the mountain in the distance is the Abandoned Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) Tunnels. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 13 N 120 17 25 W 

 Black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of Donner Creek and Donner Lake from the other side of the bridge I was on for the photo above. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 13 N 120 17 25 W 

 Black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of a cabin in the woods shot at Summit Court in Truckee, CA. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 14 N 120 17 28 W 

Black and white process of the photo above. 

I then headed to a park on the side of South Shore Drive. Here is a photo of the snow covered shore of Donner Lake. This was very hard to walk in. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 19 N 120 17 25 W 

 Black and white process of the photo above.

A photo of Donner Lake shot from the park. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 20 N 120 17 21 W 

Black and white process of the photo above. 

A photo of Donner Lake and its shore at the park. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 39 19 21 N 120 17 21 W 

Black and white process of the photo above.

This is all the photos for today! I hope you have enjoyed the photos! In the next blog post I will have photos of Lake Tahoe from Tahoe City, CA. 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.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 

Fisherman's Wharf - Monterey, CA (Part 1)

On 4th of July I decided to take a trip to Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur, CA. I went to places such as fisherman's Wharf, Garrapata State Park, Andrew Molera State Park, etc... I took many photos there are are here to share with you. About half of the photos were shot along or near SR-1. The photos will be split into several parts. I hope you enjoy viewing these 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 view my best photos from Monterey, Big Sur area for 2014-2015, use this link. To see all of my photos from the Monterey, Big Sur area for 2014-2015, use this link.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

Photos for today are from the Fisherman's Wharf area in Monterey, CA. I shot these photos after having a delicious sushi lunch there. I ate lunch at the same restaurant I did a few years back (Sapporo Sushi & Steakhouse). You can view those photos here. Sorry, no food photography this time though. Was too hungry. :D

A photo of boats.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 36 36 08 N 121 53 27 W     

A black and white process of the photo above. 

A photo of boats and the pier. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 36 36 07 N 121 53 26 W  

 A black and white process of the photo above.

Another photo of boats. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 36 36 09 N 121 53 29 W  

A black and white process of the photo above. 

A photo of a boat ramp with lots of boats in the background. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 36 36 08 N 121 53 28 W  

A black and white process of the photo above.

This is all the photos for today! I hope you have enjoyed viewing the photos! Next time I will have photos from Carmel, CA shot along SR-1 and from Garrapata State Park. 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.

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

Muir Woods National Monument (Part 1) - With On The Road Photos

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 my best Mill Valley and Sausalito 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 part 1 of Muir Woods National Monument. I will have a few photos from my drive up to Muir Woods National Monument, and the rest of the photos are mostly of the redwood forest. The photos includes regular scenery, long exposures, and 1 HDR composition.

Photo of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge taken from San Rafael, CA.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 56 38 N 122 28 48 W   

Photo of the pier from the same location. 

Now almost at Muir Woods National Monument, a photo on top of the mountain showing the heavy fog over Mill Valley, CA.
Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 40 N 122 33 30 W

If you have been to Muir Woods National Monument, you would know parking is always a pain there. I had to walk pretty far from where I parked to get to the park. This photo was shot in Mount Tamalpais State Park, a park bordering Muir Woods National Monument. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 16 N 122 34 04 W  

A portrait of a giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 34 N 122 34 22 W  

Please do note the locations given in the blog post maybe inaccurate due to the dense vegetation in the park. 

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

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 38 50 35 N 123 16 04 W

The tall Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) trees.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 37 N 122 34 27 W  

Long exposure of the trail in the park. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 38 N 122 34 31 W  

A portrait of a giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree. 

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 41 N 122 34 31 W

A few photos of a giant Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree.

Approximate GPS location (type into Google) according to the Canon GP-E2 GPS Receiver: 37 53 42 N 122 34 31 W  

The other side of the fallen tree. The tree was actually blocking the trail, therefore, the rangers had to cut out the section that was blocking the trail. 

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

Pier 7 - San Francisco, CA (Part 2)

Last month, a few G+ photographers wanted to have a photo walk at Pier 7 in San Francisco, CA. I went and took some photos, mostly sunset photos. I will be splitting them into 3 parts. I hope you enjoy viewing the photos. Pier 7 is a wonderful place to visit, especially during sunset and at night. It was a very beautiful place. I forgot what time it was, but I think some of the parking meters (near Pier 7) is free after 6 PM. If you do go, make sure you plan accordingly! I got free parking that day (which is hard to find in San Francisco).

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. If you are interested, please select a link from below:

• Sunset and Night Photography (Best Photos)
• San Francisco 2013 Sunset and Night (Best Photos)
• All photos from this trip

Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 

Today I have photos of sunset from Pier 7 and photos of this interesting looking boat. I hope you enjoy viewing the photos.

The interesting looking boat cruising around the bay.  

Sunset over a neighboring pier of Pier 7.  

 Sunset over Oakland, Treasure Island, and the Bay Bridge.

View of the the San Francisco Belle, Bay Bridge, and San Francisco from Pier 7.  

Sunset over Pier 7 and the Transamerica Pyramid.  

 Sunset over the ocean.

Sunset over Pier 7 and the Transamerica Pyramid.  

 Sunset over Oakland, Treasure Island, and the Bay Bridge.  

Sunset over Pier 7 and the Transamerica Pyramid.  

These are all the photos for today. I hope you have enjoyed viewing them. Next time, I have more sunset photos, photos of the interesting looking boat, and a few night time long exposures on and near Pier 7. 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: 1 | 2 | 3 | 

King Tide at Half Moon Bay (Part 2)

Several times a year, Half Moon Bay in California has it's mega low tide day. During the mega low tide, the ocean will retreats for a few miles, and land that is usually 5-10 feet under water becomes exposed. On 11-27-2011, it was one of the days. In following days, I will be showing you photos I've taken. Please come back and look!

Part: Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

Today I got some landscape photos and pictures of the organisms that live in the tide pools. :) I got more coming in the following days. The exposure was adjusted in Photoshop on a few of the photos. Mainly because I got the ISO setting wrong. The day before I tried to take a picture in almost no low light, so ended up over-exposing some of the first few photos I took at Half Moon Bay. You will see that photo I took in the dark on a future post. :) I was driving on a mountain road at night, and saw 2 deers on the side of the road. Stopped to take a picture. It actually turned out well! Make sure you check back! So anyways, let's continue on to the Half Moon Bay 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 photos from this event, use this link. To see all of the photos from this event, use this link.

A landscape shot of the pier at Half Moo Bay. Anyways, this was the photo I was talking about, over exposure. I had several more, but I got too lazy to touch up. Mainly because the JPEG's I took was "locked" unlike RAW.

Photography Tip: Like I said above, when in doubt, take in RAW or auto. On professional DSLRs you will usually have a RAW button that temporarily turns on RAW mode for the next picture. RAW will up the photo size by like 2-4 times, but it records the CMOS's data with minimal processing. RAW is sometimes called the "digital negative", because that is pretty much what it is. When your camera converts the photo you took to JPEG, a lot of things are locked like white balance and exposure. In RAW, you can always go back and use a software like Photoshop to correct some things that you didn't get right at the time the picture was taken. So when in doubt, shoot in RAW or auto! RAW can be converted to JPEG later on a computer. Anyways, the sunset pictures I took (I will be posting them at the end) were took in RAW, adjusted then converted to JPEG. They are really wonderful and beautiful! Make sure you check back.

A boy showing me this eel he caught. Nice!

Anemones like this was everywhere. I'm guessing these are anemones... Anyone wanna confirm? Post a comment for me. Please. ROFL

More anemones. They were everywhere!

Landscape shot. See the kelp? That is usually underwater. 

Lot's of sea snails. I wonder if they are edible.

Sea anemone and sea snails.

Generally anemones on the west coast can be touched because they don't have long enough or strong enough stingers to puncture human skin, but they are poisonous to fish and other small ocean organisms. Some more tropical anemones elsewhere can really hurt you! Don't touch those! 

Another picture of an anemone.

This whole area is usually underwater. What an experience! 

Another sea anemone. There were lot's of them.

This kelp palm tree looking thingy. HAHA They were pretty far from the beach itself. Not normally visible. 

I will be posting up more picture tomorrow! So please check back! There will be more landscape pictures and pictures of the organisms in the tide pools including star fishes, anemones, and mussels. At the end, I will also be posting the beautiful sunset pictures I took. Make sure you check back! Bookmark me and spread the blog post with your friends!

Part: Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |