Pic of the Week

This week's pick is another shot from Imperial Beach. The beach and pier in IB are among our favorite haunts. This particular picture is of a railing along the pier. We loved the sun kissed glow the setting sun was casting on the worn wood. The texture on the rail is quite interesting, almost wave-like, which is fitting considering that the ocean is what you see peeking through the knot-hole.
John took this photo with our trusty 50mm lens. It is a very practical lens that always rewards us with sharp, beautiful images. It is an extraordinary little gem with a surprisingly small price tag. It is our favorite lens to carry on excursions thanks to its small stature, light weight and is a versatile focal length.

Pic of the Week

In keeping with our monthly theme of Pattern and Texture, a rusty old retaining wall from Imperial Beach is our focus this week. I actually took the photo for a contest last year. The theme was "decay" and though I didn't win I gathered many interesting photos in the pursuit of my entry. I wanted an image to create wonder; not only what is this thing and why is it so decrepit, but to emphasize the texture deterioration of metal and paint creates. Not only are these textures interesting, but they create a story of their own. Rust patterns follow water from rain and runoff as they have moved over metal. Water sloughing off rust particles forms stains on many types of surfaces, often in quite elaborate fashion. Paint peelings leave intricate patterns as the elements feverishly attempt to remove them. But really, I like this photo because it is boring. The rust trails are not all that interesting. The peeling paint is relatively benign in it complexity. The appreciation here of its simple and blatant "ordinaryness" is where the true beauty lies. What are your thoughts?

Temple Square

While spending the holidays in Utah with family, we had the opportunity to go up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah and photograph the gorgeous lights and decorations. It is truly a sight to behold and is the perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit. It is also the perfect way to lose feeling in all your limbs! It was an incredibly chilly night, but it was definitely worth the cold.

Time to Catch Up!

Forgive us, but we are running a bit behind on our blog. The holidays kept us VERY busy. We've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus ever since and now we are left playing catch up. Keep your eyes peeled for lots of new posts highlighting what we have been up to since the holidays and beyond!

Back in December John assisted our good friend and fellow photog Marj Williams on a family shoot in Balboa Park. He captured some great shots of the Williams family (no relation to Marj) and their absolutely gorgeous little girls. Seriously, these kids are breathtaking and their matching dresses are just the icing on the incredibly cute cake!

NEW: Pic of the Week!

We decided to start a new weekly blog post featuring some of our favorite pictures. We thought it might be interesting to let you learn a little bit about the who, what, where and/or why of these shots. I know there are times I look at a picture and wish I could know more about it and that is where this idea stemmed from.

So without further ado here is our first Pic of the Week!



This photo was taken by John late last month in Maricopa County Arizona. We were there just a few days after some very large storms had hit the area. We discovered a large quantity of mud that was drying and cracking into some interesting patterns. Some of the mud was drying in large flat chunks and others seemed to be curling into small flakes that almost looked like scales. We took many shots and this is just one of our favorites. Textures can be incredibly interesting. Rocks, wood and dry mud can be beautiful reminders of some of nature's most simple wonders. After all, flowers and waterfalls shouldn't get all the glory! Beauty can be found in just about anything, even the mud off the side of a dirt road.