Uploads from RobertCross1, tagged sun

The temple and the bridge

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:36:30 -0800

Walking over the bridge to the Byodo-In Temple, one of the lesser-known jewels on O‘ahu's windward side.

On this day, the sky was being fickle. I had to do a lot of waiting for the light, with only the occasional rays of sun shining through, and the even rarer patches of blue sky opening up. Here, the clouds to the south parted just for a moment -- long enough to bathe the temple and some of the bridge in the warm light of the Hawaiian sun. I was quick to seize the moment, and it really was just a moment before it was gone.

"The Byodo-In (平等院) Temple is a non-denominational Buddhist temple located on the island of O'ahu in Hawai'i at the Valley of the Temples. At 47-200 Kahekili Highway, the Byodo-In Temple is a replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto prefecture of Japan. Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a nine-foot (3 m) Lotus Buddha, a wooden Buddha. It is covered in gold and lacquer. Outside is a three-ton, brass peace bell. Surrounding the temple are large koi ponds that cover a total of two acres (8,000 m²). Around those ponds are lush Japanese gardens set against a backdrop of towering cliffs of the Ko'olau mountains. Sparrows are often seen fluttering about and playing in the garden trees while peacocks strut about displaying their beautiful feathers.

The Byodo-In Temple is visited and used by thousands of worshippers from around the world. It welcomes people of all faiths to participate in its traditions. Apart from worship, the temple grounds are also used for weddings and office meetings. Byodo-In Temple is a half-size-scale replica of the Byodo-in Temple, a United Nations World Heritage Site near the ancient city of Kyoto, originally a monastery founded by Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1052 of the Heian period. It was famous for its Dainichi Nyorai statue. The statue was lost and replaced in 1053 with a large wooden statue of Amitabha (Amida Nyorai), a national treasure of the Empire carved by the Japanese artisan Jocho. Amida Buddha stands in the midst of the Phoenix Hall or Hoodo, an artistic reproduction of Amitabha Tathagata's Western Pure Land. It is called Phoenix Hall in reference to the two phoenixes stretching their wings upon the temple roof. Fifty-two wooden images of Bodhisattvas surround the Amida Buddha, dancing and playing musical instruments on floating clouds.

Since 2001, Byodo-In Temple has undergone restoration that will continue through 2007 in the spirit of preservation of Japan's ancient heritage. Byodo-In Temple was commissioned and built largely by concrete (the original is wooden without the use of nails) in 1968 at its present location in the Valley of the Temples to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the arrival of Japanese culture to Hawai'i. It was dedicated by Governor John A. Burns, a favorite of the Japanese community for his long service for the cause of Japanese rights during the state's territorial years. Japanese immigrants entered the Kingdom of Hawai'i and later Territory of Hawai'i to labor in the sugarcane and pineapple plantations. They joined the Chinese, Filipino, Korean, native Hawaiians and Portuguese." (Wikipedia)

Gold Coast sail & sun

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:07:42 -0800

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Watching the sun go down over the Pacific, from the base of Diamond Head. Just enough vog to add some wild color to the sky, without totally obscuring the sun. There are worse places to have to spend an evening, that's for sure.

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Bluebird day at Mt. Baldy

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 16:16:24 -0800

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

A bright, sunny day after the first snowfall of the winter on Mt. Baldy (aka Mt. San Antonio), the highest peak in Los Angeles county. At 10,068 feet (3,069 m), and just a few miles from sea level, this crowning jewel of the San Gabriel Mountains is a remarkable sight. Here, at over 7,000 feet of elevation, the slopes are covered in White Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees -- seemingly a world away from one of the world's great cities, really just minutes below (and barely visible at the bottom right).

Norway waves goodbye to 2012

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 07:29:34 -0800

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

The Oslofjord seen through the trees at sunset from Holmenkollen, high above the city.

So long, 2012! Thanks for everything, everyone. And heartfelt wishes for a Happy New Year to you all in 2013!

Pasadena sunset

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:23:08 -0800

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Sunset over Pasadena, seen from the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, at the top of Hastings Ranch. The sun is setting behind the Verdugo Mountains, and downtown Los Angeles can be seen at the back left.

Sunny blue at Tunnel View

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:16:02 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Everything's relative. Sometimes the best weather for vacation or traveling is not the same as the best weather for photography.

Another one of those spots that gets photographed a great deal. On a day in which there weren't any clouds to add texture or drama to the sky. And early enough that the sun was still high above and all but guaranteed to add flare to any wide angle shots. But I've been to this spot in all kinds of other conditions, and I chose to embrace it. So I give you the cloudless, sun flare version of another spot in Yosemite that, for me, never gets old.

My favorite Hawaiian sunblock

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 11:53:17 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Sunset at the beach just south of Waikiki. Taken with my waterproof pocket camera, then uploaded to my iPhone 4S for processing and texturing with the PhotoForge app.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

Palos Verdes - winter's last sunset [Explored]

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:52:02 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

For sunset Wednesday, this one's from a few months back. The sun going down over the Pacific as seen from the Terranea Resort on Los Angeles county's Palos Verdes peninsula. At the lower right is Point Vicente Light.

Point Vicente Lighthouse was built in 1926 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The light source was dimmed during World War II to avoid aiding the enemy. It was automated in 1971 by the United States Coast Guard. The original third order Fresnel lens still revolves in the lantern room. The Point Vicente Lighthouse is an important landmark and beacon light relied upon by thousands of ships and pleasure craft. It provides a means of fixing their position, and ensuring their safe passage up and down the coast. The Point Vicente Light Station has been guiding sailing vessels to and from the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbors since March 1926. It was first operated and maintained by the United States Lighthouse Service for 13 years prior to the service being merged with the U.S. Coast Guard, which was delegated all aid-to-navigation responsibilities in 1939. The lighthouse was manned until 1971 when it was automated by a remote electronic aids-to-navigation monitoring system. The cylindrical tower is 67 feet (20 m) tall[1], and the masonry structure is built on the edge of a 130-foot (40 m) cliff. This places the center of the lantern 185 feet (56 m) above the ocean, and because of this elevation, the 1.1 million candlepower-beam can be seen twenty miles (32 km) away. The most striking feature in the lighthouse is the classical third-order rotating Fresnel Lens located in the lantern. This particular lens was manufactured around 1910 in Paris, France, by Barbier, Bernard and Turenne, the oldest lens making company in the world. This lens is made up of hand-ground prisms held in place by a cast brass frame. The prisms and frame represent an excellent example of the precision achieved by optical scientists and the lens making art in utilizing the known principles and properties of light. This lighthouse also incorporates a pleasant-sounding foghorn to audibly warn ships during times of low visibility which are common to the area. According to urban legend, the Point Vicente Lighthouse is known to be haunted. (Wikipedia)

Manual exposure with my pocket superzoom, the Sony HX9V. 24mm focal length FF equivalent, ISO 100, 1/60-sec, f/8, hand-held.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

My 24th shot to make Flickr's Explore: #170 on 8 August 2012.

Beach sunset bird & boats [Explored]

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 08:00:31 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Playa del Rey, as the sun goes down. This is in the city of Los Angeles. In November. I love living in southern California. :o)

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

My 20th shot to make Flickr's Explore: #413 on 13 June 2012. Thanks very much for all of your views, invites, comments, and favorites. I appreciate it all!

Stand Up Dog Paddle

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Tue, 29 May 2012 09:26:36 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Real men know the joy that comes from sharing everything with your best friend.

Taken off Kaimana Beach, just south of Waikiki, in Honolulu, Hawai`i, late in the afternoon on New Year's Eve. Shot with a Sony HX9V, then uploaded to my iPhone 4S for color conversion and frame.

"Stand up paddle surfing (SUP), stand up paddle boarding, or in the Hawaiian language Hoe he'e nalu, is an emerging global sport with a Hawaiian heritage. The sport is an ancient form of surfing, and reemerged as a way for surfing instructors to manage their large groups of students, as standing on the board gave them a higher viewpoint. This increased visibility of what was going on around them such as incoming swell." (Wikipedia)

Mahalo for your visits, comments, and favorites, everyone!

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Light from the heavens

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:26:25 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Sunrays bursting through the clouds over the Santa Cruz Mountains in California's Santa Clara Valley.

♬ Going down, going down now... ♬ [Explored]

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:28:12 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Zeppelin in the clouds as the sun goes down over the Rose Bowl.

OK, so it's the Goodyear blimp, but I WAS standing on a levee when I took this.

OK, again, so it was actually a dam above a debris basin, but still... ;o)

And now I've just realized that this past week marks the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster. Wow. Talk about coincidence.

My 12th shot to make it to Explore: #451 on 12 May 2012.

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Sunset stratification over the southland

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:24:31 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Nighttime descends upon the city of Los Angeles, as various strata of clouds and color are illuminated in different ways by the setting sun. Downtown LA is to the left, and Century City and Santa Monica to the right.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

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Makapu`u tidepool – the sun rises on another year

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:38:26 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Yesterday was my birthday, and I couldn't think of any better image to celebrate the beginning of a new year than this final installment in my Makapu`u sunrise series. Hopefully this year will bring plenty of opportunities to go back and visit this spot and to shoot plenty of other great spots like it.

This was the best I could do with one shot (non-HDR), to balance the exposure. I let the area around the sun be blown out in order to capture enough recoverable detail in the foreground and along the cliff face. For the others in the series, which tend toward darker exposures and silhouettes, click on the "Hawaiian Holidays" set to the right.

This one is definitely best seen large on black: click on the photo, or hit the "L" key on your keyboard.

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Three Poppies

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:36:02 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is the official flower of the state of California. These are proudly shining in the sun at the South Coast Botanic Garden, on Los Angeles County's beautiful Palos Verdes peninsula.

From the garden's website: "The South Coast Botanic Garden, "The Jewel of the Peninsula", is located on the beautiful Palos Verdes Peninsula, located 10 miles south of the Los Angeles Airport in California. Conveniently located to many South Bay communities, this 87-acre Botanic Garden has more than 2,500 different species of plants from as far away as Australia, the Mediterranean, and southern Africa. The Garden is situated in Sunset's Zone 23, one of the most favored growing areas in the world. About 100 trees and shrubs are rare mature specimens, infrequently seen elsewhere. The wide variety of plant life provides food and shelter to an abundant wildlife and bird population, and over 200 species of birds are sighted annually."

And yes, that is REAL lens flare. Not the artificial-looking type added in PS. I generally try to avoid it, but I think it actually contributes to the overall feel of this shot.

For the Macro Mondays group's theme for the week of 23 April 2012: "Three". Happy Macro Monday, everyone!

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Sunset through the great tree

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:39:33 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Another magical southern California sunset I was lucky enough to be able to witness. This time, the setting sun can be seen shining through the lower branches of this great tree, while simultaneously setting the clouds on fire with its light. Taken up at the monastery field in Sierra Madre, right at the foot of the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Two-shot HDR taken with my iPhone 4S in the Pro HDR app. Yes, there is a clear halo visible around the tree. But again, this is iPhoneography.

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Sun & Sail - Playa del Rey

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:44:58 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Another day comes to an end in southern California. This is what December looks like in Los Angeles.

One shot, hand held, ISO100, 1/50 sec, f/11.0, 17.5mm. Exposed primarily for sky & sun. A little bit of work in Camera RAW/PSE9 to recover foreground light and detail.

Best seen on black: click on the photo or hit "L" on your keyboard.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

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Ragged silhouette against the wild December sky

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:55:03 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

Fiery sunset over downtown Los Angeles, after a winter storm.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

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A Griffith Park Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Wed, 30 May 2012 08:59:50 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

My two favorite subjects watching the sun go down over Santa Monica, from a picnic table up by Griffith Park Observatory above Hollywood, in Los Angeles, California. And the tiny object off in the distance to the left: that's the Goodyear blimp.

Two-shot HDR taken with my iPhone 4S in the Pro HDR app. Not the best light for the iPhone and its tiny sensor. But I did what I could.

This is iPhoneography.

Feliz Quarta Sunset – Happy Sunset Wednesday, everyone!

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Hawaiian Lighthouse Dawn

nobody@flickr.com (RobertCross1) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 21:03:13 -0700

RobertCross1 posted a photo:

The lighthouse at Makapu`u Point, on the southeast corner of the island of O`ahu. Taken from down below at Makapu`u Beach Park, just before the sun rose from behind the point.

Makapuʻu Point Lighthouse is a 46-foot-tall (14 m), active United States Coast Guard lighthouse established in 1909. Construction for the lighthouse was prompted by the grounding of the steamer Manchuria in the predawn hours on August 20, 1906 on the reefs off Waimānalo. The lighthouse was automated in 1974 and its keepers quarters demolished in 1987, but the remnants are still visible. The lighthouse contains a roughly 12-foot-tall (3.7 m) French Fresnel hyper-radial lens, the largest lens in use in the United States.[1] The lens is able to magnify and intensify the illumination of a single electrical 1,000-watt, 120-volt light bulb. It was damaged by a vandal firing a bullet at it, but the lens is still in service as it is no longer reproducible. A popular day hike along the access road to the lighthouse begins at a parking lot located south of the Makapuʻu lookout on Kalanianaole Highway. A second trail leads from the remnants of the keepers quarters to the lighthouse, but it is off limits to the public. The lighthouse itself is also off limits to the public and is protected by three locked gates.

This is the fourth in the series of shots I took that morning, each with a unique vantage point, aspect of emphasis, or point in the development of the sunrise. The others are below; stay tuned for more!

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