OK, that title might be just a bit of a stretch, but today we did see a rather rare sight. I took the family whale watching on Dana Wharf Sportfishing’s OCean Adventures Catamaran this afternoon. Though we didn’t see any whales, we were treated to quite a sight: one or two dolphins leaping clear out of the water to the tune of 5-6 feet! I spoke to the captain who confirmed that this is not an everyday occurrence. The whole trip was a delightful experience, even more so because this is the first time BabyGirl had been on a boat outside the harbor. During the course of the two-hour cruise we located two pods of Common Dolphins less than a mile offshore. The first was off the coast of San Clemente, around Hermosa. The second was off the coast of Dana Point, just north of the Ritz. Here are some pictures from my SmugMug gallery of the day’s events:
BabyGirl celebrated her birthday at the beach. It was too breezy to light the candles, but we went through with the singing and “blowing out the candles” anyway. Thanks to all the friends and family who made it a fantastic party!
Light Painting is the art of using a moving light source to paint the light onto a long-exposure photograph. This week the Orange County Photo Club experimented with various light painting techniques and I was inspired to try out a few things on my own as well. Techniques included drawing with a laser pointer, painting with LED lights, multiple flash triggers, and illuminating the subject with flashlights. See some of the results below:
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There are a lot of great posts out there that discuss the tips and tricks of shooting fireworks shows, especially around July 4. Most discuss aperture, shutter and ISO settings (I prefer F/11, 4 seconds, ISO 250). These are all great, but one point can be easily overlooked, as I discovered to my dismay this past Independence Day: wind direction.
In an effort to enjoy the day personally (in contrast to obsessing over the perfect shot all day), I chose my shooting location based on convenience: both to its proximity to the party I attended earlier in the evening, and to my desire to not fight traffic and the throngs of people who would be gathered near the launch site itself. I “compensated” for this convenience by making sure that my camera settings were dialed in before arriving, and bringing lenses of various size and focal lengths. There was just one problem…
I’m pretty geeky, but when it comes to some of my friends, my geekiness bows in reverence of theirs. Such is the case with my friend Greg. Our families got together for a BBQ (part of my "Weekend of BBQ," but that’s another story) on July 4. For dessert we had homemade ice cream. But not just any homemade ice cream. Why use an expensive ice cream maker when you have access to…
On Sunday, June 6, 2010, the people of St. Andrew’s by the Sea United Methodist Church celebrated all the “Yea God!” moments of the past year with an old-time Country Fair. There were games for the kids and adults, a baking contest, and food from Bad to the Bone BBQ in San Juan. For more photos of this event, check out David Petty’s gallery at pettyphotography.smugmug.com
John W. Killinger is a certified Tech Support Specialist, Photographer, and owner of JK Digital Services.