Uploads from JaveFoto, tagged natural

Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge - San Jose, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 06 May 2013 08:15:17 -0700

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This is not Death Valley, it's Silicon Valley in San Jose, CA. Although, I walked right by this spot on previous visits, I would have never known it. This location has always been under water. After photographing Alviso for the past 5 years it was nice to see something different. A huge thanks to Willie for scouting and taking me to this spot. Of course after Willie showed me this, I stalked the scene for days until the light came. On this occasion, I was joined by the two ninjas Alan and Willie for a sunset. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Callafornia Dreaming - Big Sur, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 07:58:44 -0700

JaveFoto posted a photo:

A few weeks ago, Willie and I headed to Big Sur in the hopes of capturing the peak bloom of this awesome Calla Lily field. We arrived about 3 hours early and spent a great amount of time navigating through poison oak looking for the perfect composition.

My wife really LOVES this image. Her favorite flower is the Calla Lily. Her bridal bouquet was Calla Lilies. I'M PLANNING ON PRINTING THIS BIG AND WOULD LIKE SOME CRITIQUE HERE!

A big thanks to Willie for showing me this spot and a huge thanks to my homie for the PP tips. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Mars on Earth - Alviso, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:53:22 -0700

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One day I headed out to my local spot to witness some crazy monsoon type conditions. This place is quickly becoming the go to spot in the South Bay. There are lots of places to explore and see. This particular spot is a great find that Willie and I stumbled upon last year. Depending on the water level this place can be EXTREMELY dangerous! Just ask Willie I had to save his from sinking one day.

Chasing this monsoon light was easy, it was blowing up everywhere. Finding a strong composition without sinking your life away was difficult. At some point we had no choice but to stick with what we had. I did go horizontal but loved this vertical the most. The light was so intense that most of the post processioning work encompassed reducing the saturation. This location might appear to be in the middle of Hell or Mars, it's neither! It's right smack in the middle of two of California's largest cities San Jose and San Francisco.

Some of the other lucky folks who witnessed this scene; Willie, Aaron, Wilson and Lukas. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Bora Bora - French Polynesia, Tahiti

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:03:27 -0800

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We just moved in to our new digs and the wife wanted a picture of our honeymoon above our bed. The most AMAZING place I have visited thus far. Intercontinental Resort & Spa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia. The sun setting over Mt. Otemanu (2,379 ft) the highest peak in Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

As my wife and I were getting ready to head out for dinner I looked out the window and yelled, "OMG It's blowing up outside"! I ran outside in my robe and captured a few frames. There were about 5-10 couples enjoying a nice romantic view, until I showed up in my robe:) Jave

Go with the glow - Upper Antelope Canyon - Page, AZ

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 09:22:40 -0700

JaveFoto posted a photo:

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Last year, I got the chance to visit the southwest. Upper antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona was one of our stops. A very cool place but extremely crowded. This particular image here is described by the locals as "Monument valley" because the formations seen here look like the famous East Mitten Butte in Monument Valley.

Here, I looked straight up into the slot and waited for the amazing glow of light as it illuminate the slot and provide these wonderful colors. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Davenport Beach - Davenport, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:45:31 -0700

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Back in May, I was lucky enough to witness some beautiful light for for three days in a row. This was day one at Davenport beach. On this particular day the golden light was just spectacular.

A big congrats to my buddy Jared and his family as he joins the fatherhood club. I'm glad I'm not the only one functioning on 3 hours of sleep a day:) May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Shadow Play - Palouse Hills, WA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 08:07:15 -0700

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I'm finally getting around to processing some images from my trip to the Palouse last year. What an awesome place to visit, I highly recommend this place. Last year David, Alan and I enjoyed chasing light and shadows for a few days. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

Smooth Steel - Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:24:41 -0700

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A few weeks ago, on May 27th, the Golden Gate Bridge turned 75. It was such an awesome day and got to experience the event with lots of great friends. I have scanned through my images and found a few goodies. Life is super busy and currently have my 21 month old son processing the image. Here is an image from one of my favorite shoots of the bridge back in 2011. You can see the color version here. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

The glow - The Subway - Zion National Park, UT

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 06:34:32 -0700

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By far the easiest hike I have ever done, NOT! I believe it was 10 miles round trip:) If your going to do the subway hike, don't do it on the 3rd day after you have already hiked, the Narrows and Kanara Creek. I suggest a good nights sleep and 20 pounds of pancakes the night before, for maximum energy. May the light be with you my friends. Jave

A step back into history - Twin Lakes Beach, Santa Cruz, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:34:27 -0700

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PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ THE HISTORY BEHIND THIS SCENE BELOW:)

The pilings along Twin Lakes Beach in Santa Cruz, CA is a shot that has been on my list for awhile. These pilings are said to have been here for at least 100 years and have great history behind them. In 1906, Aerial Photographer George Lawrence took an aerial image of the Santa Cruz, CA coastline. Click on the image here to view his photograph. You can see the pilings just to the right of the number 46. These pilings are actually trestles that were built for street car access at the time.

These pilings are not always exposed and a number of conditions need to be present in order to capture them. One of the most important conditions needed is a low ocean tide preceded by a heavy rain storm(s). For the last two winters, I've been monitoring the low tide in hopes that the conditions would come together.

A few weeks ago, we had some pretty good rain storms come through the bay area. At that same time, a Santa Cruz Photographer, James, had been posting some awesome images of the pilings. I contacted him and BEGGED to be updated on the current conditions. Sure enough, James contacted me and updated me on some promising conditions. The next morning, Diego and I attempted to shoot the pilings. As we arrived, the sky was not looking promising but I didn't care. The fact that the pilings were visible was enough for me. I could have taken a picture of a seagull taking a poop on the piling and that would have been fine for me. As the sun was rising, the horizon opened up and provided this light show. By now, I was doing the happy dance. The problem was, I was in close to waist deep water so my dancing was limited.

A HUGE thanks to James and the Santa Cruz crew for all the updates. Have a great week and may the light be with you my friends. Jave

The Watchman - Zion National Park, Utah

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 07:34:14 -0700

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This is a capture of one of the most photographed spots in Zion National Park. Numerous photographers were standing shoulder to shoulder on the bridge, as a Park Ranger drives by and say's, "you are not allowed to stand here and photograph". Of course most of the photographers had european accents and did not understand. I looked at them with a straight face and said, "I don't understand English" and shot away:)

This image is from a bootcamp trip to Zion National Park with David, Alan and Albert. Last October we visited three states in five days and ate more Burger King whoopers than one can handle. As another Bootcamp trip approaches, I hope that Drill SGT Breeze does not make us eat any more burgers, PLEASE! I hope you are all having a great week and of course may the light be with you. Jave

The wave- Walton Lighthouse - Santa Cruz, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 07:38:41 -0700

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Wow, I can't believe this was taken almost one year ago; time flies when you're having fun! Walton Lighthouse is a great spot for sunrise and after having been here a few times I wanted to try something different. On this morning, the light didn't develop; but my training kicked in; IMPROVISE, ADAPT and OVERCOME! We ran to the other side of the lighthouse and shot away. Thanks to mother nature who created such a beautiful leading line for me. Hope you're all having a great week. Happy Easter and may the light be with you. Jave

Frozen in time - Lake Tenaya, Yosemite National Park, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:46:02 -0800

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It's very rare that we get to see frozen lakes here in the West Coast. The last time the road to this lake was open in January was 1976. This past January Diego and I spend a couple of days admiring the frozen lakes. This is Tenaya Lake, located in Yosemite National Park, CA. Have a great week everyone and may the light be with you. Jave

May the light be with you - Walton Lighthouse - Santa Cruz, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:12:55 -0800

JaveFoto posted a photo:

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I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving? I was in Lake Tahoe with family and stuffed myself to the point of waddling. Diego reminded me of this spot not long ago so I dove into the folder and found this one. We had some really amazing light on this morning. I hope everyone is well and may the light be with you wherever you are. Jave

Fall - Zion National Park, Utah

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 07:48:11 -0800

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One of the easiest hikes I have ever done, THE SUBWAY! This was one of three spots that we stopped during our 10 mile hike. During our hike we witnessed some wonderful fall color. This hike is not bad just don't do it after you have already hiked the Narrows and Kanara creek falls. It was a great productive boot camp with, David, Alan and Albert. My apologies for being absent LIFE is super busy, hope everyone is well. May the light be with you wherever you are. Jave

Glow & Fog - Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco,CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 08:59:21 -0700

JaveFoto posted a photo:

Good morning, have a great week and may the light be with you wherever you are. Jave

Shadow Play - Capitola Pier, Capitola CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 08:31:23 -0700

JaveFoto posted a photo:

On a cold winter morning this year I headed out to Capitola Pier. The sky did not develop as I would have liked so I waited. I anticipated the sun rising right above the forth light pole on the pier which was plan B. I composed and waited for the sun to produce these awesome lines and shadows. Thanks to the B&W experts; Steve, Joel and Diego for their BW tips.

I hope you are all having a great week. Thanks for your support and visits and may the light be with you. Jave

Ripples - Davenport Beach - Davenport, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:25:21 -0700

JaveFoto posted a photo:

This shot is from a solo mission I did in Davenport back in May. I had to get down and dirty here by taking off my shoes and standing in a rush of freezing water. I was treated to some really nice light and I couldn't believe I was the only one out here.

I also took a long exposure and as I was about to hit my cable release, a large dog brushed up against me and scared the LIVING &^%$ out of me; thus hitting my tripod and screwing up the long exposure. It's all good, I was just happy it wasn't the Loch Ness monster. I hope you are enjoying your week and may the light be with you where ever you are. Jave

Light from Above - Mt. Tamalpais, Marin, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:12:13 -0700

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The amazing fog hovering over the beautiful trees at Mt. Tamalpais. The sun was setting off to the right and provided this wonderful glow of light. This place is awesome and it kind of reminded me of my recent visit of the Palouse only with fog. Hope you have a great week ahead and may the light or fog be with you. Jave

Summer light - Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz, CA

nobody@flickr.com (JaveFoto) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:10:10 -0700

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The other night Diego and I headed out to witness some pretty awesome summer light. The light got better as the night went on but unfortunately I moved from this location and the other comps are CACA. I am anxiously awaiting more of this action soon. Hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend and may the light or for some of us in the Bay Area Fog be with you:) Jave