Photography

State of Mind: Reflective

~ tomadaonline ~ 4 Comments

A few years ago I thought my surfing days were behind me.  Bad back, torn shoulder.  But the beach was still a place of joy.  A place to walk along the shore, take a few photos, get sand between my toes.

I shot this image into our beach-front Taco Bell on one of those days.  Pedro Point and people chowing on tacos shows through while a solitary surfer reflects back.

I’ve surfed twice the past week.  On a Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) and am so grateful that a board is under my feet again.  Every day I wake to check out the surf.  And from time to time get to ride on it.

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State of Mind

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Pets

~ tomadaonline ~ 16 Comments

My son has a dog named Zeus. He’s my part-time pet, like when our grand daughter was born two weeks ago. Zeus stayed with us.

On our very first SUP outing, noted in my very first post, I stayed on the beach with camera in hand and Zeus went out with Matthew.  It didn’t start out this serene. They were both in the water at the start, but cruised in with style.  This is the Princeton Harbor, next to Mavericks where tomorrow’s big wave surf contest will be held.

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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Pets

Cees Featured Blogger

Time

~ tomadaonline ~ 2 Comments

Once inside the Musée d’Orsay time didn’t seem to matter.  Until I came face to face with Renoir’s Woman with a parasol.

Woman_with_a_Parasol__1886

It took me by surprise.  It stopped me in my tracks.  I was afraid I was going to lose it, and then I cried.  I left the gallery and found a large group of people looking out a round window that turned out to be the face of a giant clock.  After a bit of time looking out toward Sacré-Cœur I returned to Renoir and had the same experience.  I couldn’t handle this painting for more than a short time.

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Time

CEE’S BLACK & WHITE PHOTO CHALLENGE: LINES AND ANGLES

~ tomadaonline ~ 12 Comments

Violet Mae was born on Tuesday.  I am a very proud grandfather.  To support my son and daughter-in-law, I am taking care of their dog Zeus.  Today Zeus and I went to the beach.  The ocean was large, the sand was dark, and we found lines.  We found angles.  We didn’t have to move a thing.  We just watched and shot.  Mother nature was most accommodating.  And our lead off shot, shows the soft lines and natural angles of an angel.


Violet Mae

busted and rusted


stick

 bird tracks
 drift wood

driftwood and Zeus Dog
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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Lines and Angles

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Anything that Starts with the Letter S

~ tomadaonline ~ 4 Comments

SUP Days are better than others, and this afternoon I may just SUP, but in the mean time, here are some coastal black and whites that start with the letter S.

Sand
Skimboarding
Surfing
Seagulls
SUP

Clockwise from upper left, Sandy Steps, Skimboarding, Surfing, Seagulls, & SUP Surfing

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Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Anything that Starts with the Letter S

Brown Pelican

~ tomadaonline ~ 3 Comments

I found the most beautiful Brown Pelican yesterday.  It was posing patiently in front of the Chit Chat Cafe at the base of the Pacifica Pier.  I’d gone there to scope out the storm damage.  Sure enough, a chuck of the sidewalk was missing.  The waves blasted rock through the sea wall and sucked out the material under the sidewalk, which promptly collapsed.  Our public works group was jolly on the spot.

I posted the Pelican on Facebook and got a comment that this bird was famous.  It had it’s own web site.  It’s a rehabilitated bird banded K-15.  I reported it this morning.  Hope to see it again.  Such a stunning sight.

If you see K-15 or any blue-banded bird please report here.

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Soft Top Taco Bell

~ tomadaonline ~ 2 Comments

We have surf right in front of our world famous Taco Bell.  It might be the only Taco Bell on the planet built on the beach. It has stunning views, and at high tide, during a large swell, the surf might flow under the building.  But let’s discuss soft top boards, not soft shell tacos.

I saw this guy heading out to surf with a soft top board, like those pictured above, but his was white with blue stripes.  Soft tops are the board of choice for most surf schools, since they soften the inevitable fall.  I assumed, therefore, that the guy was a beginner.

During the next half hour I put my new camera through its paces.  This is the camera that got drenched during my close encounter with large waves at the pier this past Thursday.  It seems to be functioning quite well.

There were close ups of gulls posing beside the terminus of San Pedro Valley Creek and surf scoters gliding effortlessly over the low tide swell. The guy on the white and blue board, who was hardly a beginner, gave me a handfull of fun waves.