Some times you get lucky

I've been wanting this shot for a long time now and today I got lucky. I was in a bit of a fog this morning when I picked my friend Jim up for a day of shooting. We left San Francisco just a bit past 6AM. Houses were dark as we past, traffic was light and the air was crisp. We drove straight up to Mt Tam to check out a spot for the sunrise. Jim got the sunrise shot while I became completely entranced by all of the moss and lichen on the rocks that look as if they have been randomly dropped in place along the mountain side.

Once we finished on Mt Tam we headed straight down to Moss Landing. We had intended to rent a canoe and head out into the slough. We were a little bit side tracked by a group of ruddy ducks and buffle heads that were feeding right near the beginning of the slough. By the time we actually got to the kayak rental operator it was well past 2 PM. We had our safety training, attached a set of stabilizers to the canoe, loaded up the gear and ventured out into the slough. We made pretty good time and decided we could venture up the channel for a bit. That's where we found three separate mom and pups. The low canoe allowed me to get this eye level shot of one of those mom's with her pup. I can't wait to go back and try for more.

Thanks so much Jim! It was a great day!

Photos from the Boat

I finally had the chance to head out to Gull Island and I can't wait to go back! The wind died down overnight but the rain settled in for a dark overcast sky with light drizzle. I punched my iso up to 800 and then 1000 to try and compensate for the rocking of the boat. It seemed to work pretty well. and I was pleased with many of the shots. Of course, I could have spent much more than 2 hours cruising the bay. We followed an enormous raft of sea otters, my focus shifting from otter to wave and back to otter. For all of the wave shots and fuzzy otters I managed to get several in focus shots too! And! I got a puffin in the wild. Not too bad for my first ever... now I am hooked on these cute little guys, I want to go to Iceland and hang out in a rookery like I did with the penguins in the Falklands. Every new discovery opens the door to 20 more opportunities.

Sea Food Lovers

Took a quick trip down to Moss Landing with my friend Jim this past Wednesday. We rented a boat and went in search of Sea Otters. We didn't have to look for very long at all, barely out of the marina and we were surrounded by adorable fuzzy faces.

I'm looking forward to going back earlier in the morning for better light on these guys. Before I can do that I am in Moab, Utah on a photo shoot. Sea to desert in three days. =)