The View from the Top | Hollywood Sign Hike

One of my favorite hikes in LA is up the Hollyridge Trail to the Hollywood Sign. There's a great view from the top of Mount Lee, and on a clear day, you can see Griffith Observatory, Downtown, Lake Hollywood, Palos Verdes, Catalina Island, and all of the San Fernando Valley.

[Click to view larger.]

The trail we took, framed in the Hollywood "O":
Walt Disney Studios is at the bottom right in this photo:
Griffith Observatory:

Fall in Wine Country | Santa Ynez Valley, California

I stopped off in Los Olivos for a quick detour through wine country on my drive back down to Los Angeles after Thanksgiving. There was some beautiful fall color remaining in the vineyards.

Canon 5D, 70-200L
[Click images to view larger.]

Envisioning the Shot | Griffith Observatory & The Hollywood Sign

One of my favorite cityscape techniques is using a telephoto lens to juxtapose buildings or landmarks in ways that are not usually seen. Several weeks ago, I wondered if there were a vantage point from which I could juxtapose two of Los Angeles's most famous landmarks, the Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign.

This past Saturday was a glorious, clear, warm day in Los Angeles, so I went out in search of the view. I was so happy to find it! In reality, the Sign and the Observatory are more than a mile apart, but from far away and with a long lens, they look like they are right next to each other.

Now that I know where the location is, I plan to go back when the season (spring) and light (likely early morning) are better.

Canon 5D, 70-200L
[Click images to view larger.]

The Dodd Family | Portraits

My colleague's kids... and Thomas the Pug! :)

Canon 5D, 24-70, f/2.8

[Click images to view larger.]

Christmas Portrait + One More

I snapped a couple of quick pictures of my cousin's family at Thanksgiving for their Christmas cards this year. You can tell that my cousin's kids are pros at having their photos taken!

Cypresses and Magic Light | Pebble Beach, California

While visiting family in Pebble Beach over the Thanksgiving Holiday, I escaped for a few minutes before sunset to take a few photos. There was a fine, hazy mist near the water which created these beautiful rays of light through the cypresses. The first shot is almost straight out of the camera -- just a little warming and sharpening. Best viewed large.

[Click images to view larger.]
Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4, f/6.3 at iso50