Category Archives: park

How to photograph Filoli

2010/09/01 – 05:24

The owner of California’s richest Gold Mine and water trader William Bowers built a lavish estate south of San Francisco, naming it Filoli. It is one of the few remaining estates of that period and the only one open to the public in the San Francisco Bay Area. Even Hollywood recognized the potential of this location. They famously featured the mansion in the 1980ies hit TV show “Dynasty” and several feature films, making it one of the best-known secrets in the Bay Area.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation manages the estate with an iron fist. Volunteer enforcers stand by with a head full of facts and policies. They enjoy surrendering countless details and chastising you for accidentally stepping on the lawn or for other small offenses. Manage to avoid the drill sergeants and a Georgian mansion set in a huge 16-acre garden on a 654-acre property is all yours to explore. At least the parts you can see from the official walkways.
Filoli - Carrington Mansion

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, flowers, landmark, Museum, Northern California, San Francisco | Tagged , , , | Comments (7)

How to photograph Carmel by the Sea

2010/08/11 – 06:08

The attractive community of Carmel by the Sea retained its small town charm in spite of a booming real estate bubble. It encompasses two of the finest beaches in Northern California and the most expensive housing market outside Malibu, turning Carmel into a playground for the rich and very rich.

Upscale Carmel also attracts affluent tourists, who pamper themselves in the expensive cottages and spend their days shopping in boutique stores.
Carmel River State Beach

By myphotoscout | Also posted in beach, Central Coast, Coast, flowers, hike, Montery Peninsula, Northern California, state park | Tagged , | Comments (1)

How to photograph Mt. Diablo State Park

2010/05/07 – 03:52

Mount Diablo is the highest mountain of the San Francisco Bay Area, a sacred Indian shrine and a Mecca for outdoor lovers. The mountain towers high above the flat surrounding landscape, resulting in a geographic oddity. From the summit, you can see more of the earth’s surface than from any other location in the world, despite its relatively low elevation of “just” 3849ft. Only Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa offers even more viewable land from its summit.

The park also provides a fantastic diversity of picnic areas, secluded or with a view, and no less than three separate campgrounds. The park is a favorite weekend destination for Bay Area Residents. A few easy trails and many strenuous trails reach the farthest corners of the park, offering a fantastic diversity of sights to hard working photographers.
Mt Diablo

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, flowers, hike, landmark, Northern California, San Francisco, scenic drive, state park | Tagged , | Comments (4)

California Poppy Reserve – Antelope Valley

2010/04/13 – 04:58

California Poppies are the official state flower of California. Early explorers who saw fields of poppies mistook them for gold. California became the golden state, foreboding the Gold Rush that followed later. The Gold Rush days are long gone, but poppies still color the hills and attract people from all over.

The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve has the highest concentration of poppies. Meadows and rolling hills burst with color when the orange poppies and a wide variety of yellow flowers mix to create dazzling splashes of color. The sight attracts many landscape photographers. It is one of California’s most impressive natural miracles, lasting only a few weeks.

Come visit this natural wonder and see how California got its name.
California Poppies

By myphotoscout | Also posted in central valley, flowers, scenic drive, Seasonal, Southern California, spring, state park, wildflowers | Tagged , | Comments (11)

How to photograph Torrey Pines State Reserve

2010/03/31 – 20:32

Nature’s last stand, amidst the Southern California urban jungle, is Torrey Pines, a park that protects a rare pine tree and migrating birds. Sheltered from covetous developers encroaching on the beaches of this beautiful land, the park still suffers from overcrowding.

With its plentiful natural beauty, the park attracts large crowds of city dwellers seeking a temporary relief from their urban lifestyles. The constant “xcuse-me” of the nation’s densest gathering of joggers, paired with noisy city dwellers, make finding solitude impossible and concentrating on photography difficult. Hold on to your equipment when you float down the trails in a sea of people and do not try to swim upstream!
Yucca - Torrey Pines, CA

By myphotoscout | Also posted in beach, Coast, flowers, hike, San Diego, Southern California, state park | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park

2010/03/25 – 18:44

Keeping with the high art of form of Japanese Gardens, the Hagiwara Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco delivers an astounding array of sights, sounds and smells in a small, easy to explore garden. The manufactured miniature landscape skillfully creates the illusion of natural scenes. Japanese Gardens have their roots in Buddhism and Daoism and thus, invite visitors to quiet contemplation, offering a retreat from the hectic day-to-day life. Besides creating a peaceful sanctuary, the Japanese Tea Garden also exhibits elements of Japanese culture and design that appeal to our western civilization. No wonder the Garden is one of the biggest attractions in the Golden Gate Park.
Makoto Hagiwara originally developed and expanded the garden from its small beginnings at a Midwinter Fair Japanese Village attraction. Unfortunately, authorities threw him into a camp during WWII and the park fell into disarray. Today, the restored and enhanced park shines again.
Bridge, Pagoda and Cherry Tree

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Bay Area, flowers, lake, landmark, Northern California, San Francisco, spring | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

San Diego’s Best Night Photography Spots

2010/03/23 – 20:27

The old proverb, all colors will agree in the dark, is obsolete since the advent of color photography. In her infinite wisdom, Mother Nature gave us good eyesight at night. The reduced color vision is a small price to pay to see in the dark and not be eaten.

Then men invented color photography.

Now we can increase exposure time but retain color sensitivity in the dark. Suddenly, night is vibrantly colorful. The different color temperatures of the varied artificial light sources produce a wide color spectrum only visible to the camera. It is easy to dazzle viewers with night photography. Reason enough to explore the energetic city of San Diego at night.

Night photography is easy. A sturdy tripod, a cable release and patience will get you very good reproducible results. The additional effort keeps the competition away and the streets empty for your work.

San Diego is an appealing city to photograph at night. The San Diego Bay provides a splendid reflecting pool, the old gas lamps arrange for color and the varied subjects ensure diversity. Consider a night out on your next photo tour and take advantage of the changeling city.
USS Midway at Night from the Pier

By myphotoscout | Also posted in Coast, hike, landmark, San Diego, Skyline, Southern California, Street Photography, Transportation | Tagged , | Comments (4)

How to photograph Calico Ghost Town

2010/02/09 – 16:59

History turned amusement park at Calico, where a circus of actors reenact gunfights for the amusement of tourists and where shopping, gold panning and train riding have displaced the ghosts who probably desperately try to cross over to escape the charade.

I am sure most visitors to Calico will leave with a happy smile on their faces, having had a wonderful time filled with activity. I have no doubt about that, but the Calico Regional Park is clearly mislabeled as ghost town. It is a Wild West Show on the grounds of a former mining town. You need a vivid imagination to see anything authentic behind the glitter, the decorations and the air-conditions on the roofs of the buildings.
Calico Bottle House

By myphotoscout | Also posted in desert, Ghost Town, mine, Southern California, state park | Tagged , , , , | Comments (4)

How to photograph the Huntington Library and Gardens

2010/01/19 – 05:02

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens (short: The Huntington) is the former estate of railroad tycoon Henry E. Huntington (1850-1927), who left this magnificent 150 acre pleasure garden as his legacy.

With an astounding amount of themed gardens, fantastic collections and the Mediterranean / Californian architecture of the library buildings, you will find many compelling motifs and room for unique compositions, despite the crowds exceeding one half million visitors each year.
Tree at the Huntington

By myphotoscout | Also posted in desert, flowers, lake, landmark, Los Angeles, Southern California | Tagged , , , | Comments (7)
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