I had time off between the holidays so I decided to do what I enjoy – take photographs. I wasn’t looking to bag an award winning shot. I didn’t get  up hours before dawn to catch the “good light”. I just went out to  have fun.

When you live a few minutes from Dana Point harbor and Salt Creek Beach it’s pretty easy to capture some “keepers”. Today’s post I’ll run through a few shots with a few thoughts on each.

The first excursion was to Dana Point harbor. Taking a peek at the million $$ yachts is always a fun trip to fantasy land. A few years ago Rebecca and I kayaked around the harbor to get up close & personal. Today I stuck to the boardwalk.

I remember when I took this photo I was “concerned” that the man in the frame (bottom left) would spoil the shot. I waited and took a second shot when he was out of frame. When I got back to review shots I was primed to “toss” this one.

Surprise, surprise, I decided I liked it. I’m not sure why – maybe it just puts the viewer in the frame walking along the boardwalk. I kept this one and tossed the other.

The right hand panel is a study in lines with the  vertical sails and diagonal line of the pier/access running across the frame. Nothing spectacular – just practicing composition skills.

As I said, there are many, many expensive boats and yachts. I didn’t plan to photograph any – I had actually done the “up before dawn” routine to bag a shot of a yacht in San Diego. I did not expect nor try to best that shot, shown below.

I took the shot below as an afterthought. I worked it in post processing to improve my high dynamic range (HDR) processing skills. I left this photo with the HDR look – I didn’t try to tone it down.

This photo of the flags was also HDR-processed. My intention was to keep this as photo-realistic as possible while still showcasing the extended dynamic range. I think it worked – practice makes perfect.

The right hand panel is a snapshot in time that captures the energy at the beach. It embodies everything I love about the beach.

There is energy in the scene – the woman is about to leap into her friends arms. The dog is busy shaking off the water from its last jaunt in the harbor.

Then you have the peaceful scene with the paddle boarder and his dog. And all of this is bathed in beautiful, warm sunlight – what’s not to like.

The three photos below are an interesting study in color and lines. I took the photo because of the dynamic lines. When I got back I decided the color was a distraction so I turned it to black & white.

On the advice of my uber-creative granddaughter (Daisy) I tried a duotone image. Personally I still like the B/W version the best. How about you?

I did catch a “keeper”. Dana Point is the home port of a replica tall ship (American Revolution era). I caught the Spirit of Dana Point in harbor at sunset and came away with this shot.

The next day I set out to Salt Creek Beach. It’s just up the road (PCH) from Dana Point and is an even shorter drive. There aren’t as many scene elements at the beach but I did capture some surf-themed shots.

While I enjoy silhouette shots, especially at sunset with a golden sky and clean reflections, my favorite photo from Salt Creek  is actually the lone surfboard.

The lighting is good and, once again,  I love the reflection from the wet sand but … there are too many distractions (people) on the beach to suit my taste. They detract from the “lone surfboard” theme.

I’ll end this post with a surfer heading out to do what he enjoys. That’s how this post started.

If nothing else I hope that this post inspires the photo enthusiasts in the audience to just go out and photograph anyone/anything/anyplace. You’ll enjoy it and likely end up with a few keepers.

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