Laguna Beach, CA – Lifeguard Tower (HDR)

I took a cruise to Laguna on Thursday nite to grab a few HDR’s and walked around downtown and headed back to my car after sunset. At Main Beach you can find a basketball court, volleyball courts, a cute little wood (boardwalk style) pathway, beautiful beach, restaurants, shops, hotels….you name it is there! Blue hour was happening during my walk back and I took this shot. Laguna rocks!

Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 12.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/8
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6

Laguna Beach, CA (HDR)

I posted a similar photo in infrared a few weeks back. I liked the location so much I decided to shoot it in HDR as well. Now all HDR artists know well…HDR + mid afternoon = blah. How did I help out the blahs? I shot this HDR with ND Filter. In day light with a hint of clouds I anted to maximize my exposure times. The ND filter helped out this mid day HDR tremendously. They say not to HDR in mid-day…I say why not!

Peter Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Manual Mode
Filter: B&W ND #106 1.8-64X
Focal Length: 18.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/8
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, NIK Color Efex Pro 3, NIK HDR Efex

Laguna Beach, CA – Victoria Beach (HDR)

Laguna Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in SoCal. One place I had never been until recently was Victoria Beach. Park on PCH, walk through a few streets, down some steps and walk over some tricky rocks and you have arrived! It is a private public beach. The main attraction is the tower that was built in 1926. It was designed to provide spiraling stairs down from the cliffs above. The design is a Victorian Lighthouse. A very cool spot, but be careful walking up with your gear. Waves were crashing up on the rocks….luckily not too large this day.

As for the photo…not something I do very often…shoot an HDR in extreme sunlight. For this reason I used a B&W Filter – Neutral Density #106 1.8-64X. It helps with longer exposures.

Peter Talke Photography Settings:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-24 f/4.0
Setting: Manual Mode
Filter: B&W ND #106 1.8-64X
Focal Length: 20.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 5 Exposures (+2 to -2)
Aperture: f/20
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS5, Color Efex Pro, HDR Efex Pro

Laguna Beach, CA – Infrared

What is a photog to do in SoCal when it is sunny most of the time? Shoot in Infrared. This shot is from Laguna Beach. A short walk from the Montage Spa & Hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean. You can see a small part of it in the pic. This is my favorite spot in all of SoCal. You can find some seats that overlook the sea along the walking path and if you are here at sunset…stunning views! On this day about 1 mile out from the coast I could see a whale pop out of the ocean! How cool is that! If you are even in SoCal…Laguna has lots to offer!

Laguna Beach, CA – Infrared

From on my favorite locations in the US…Laguna Beach, CA. Picturesque coastline, great restaurants and wonderful art galleries! At Main Beach you can find a spots to enjoy the sun on the beach or play a game of volleyball or basketball on the beach as well. This shot was taken while walking down the beach from the Montage Spa & Resort…the best spot in Laguna with amazing views out the back of the hotel! I processed the glow effect with the new onOne’s Photo Suite 6…Perfect Effects 3!

Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
Infrared Conversion: D70S modified by LifePixel
Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 48.0mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/60 sec
Aperture: f/16
Gear: Hand Held
Post Process: Adobe CS5, onOne Software Perfect Effects 3, Silver Efex Pro 2

Laguna Beach, CA – Hiesler Park (Infrared)

While in Orange County recently, we took a drive down to my favorite coastal spot…Laguna Beach!  I had always loved visiting the Montage Spa and Resort for photos…now my new fav place is Hiesler Park.  It is just about 2 minutes drive from Main Beach up the PCH.  Great views and a small beach with lots o rocks!!  Parking is tough to find, but a wonderful spot!  Located here is one of the most photographed places in Laguna..the Laguna Beach Gazebo!   It overlooks the cliffs and has some great views!!  If you are in the OC…stop by and you will not be disappointed!  And if you stop by near dinner time or Sunday brunch…Las Brisas Restaurant is right next to the Gazebo!!    They have wonderful food!   Laguna rocks!

Talke Photography Settings:

• Camera:  Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
• Infrared Conversion:  D70S modified by LifePixel
• Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
• Setting: Aperture  Mode
• Focal Length: 22.0mm
• ISO: 200
• Exposure:  1/125 sec
• Aperture:  f/22
• Gear:  Tripod
• Post Process: Adobe CS4, Viveza, Silver Erex Pro

Laguna Beach, CA (Infrared)

Laguna Beach is a favorite of mine. If you want to experience Southern California this is the place!  Coastal living at its best.  Not sure if I could afford to live there…but visiting is no problem!   Beach side hotels, great restaurants, Montage Spa & Resort, Main Beach, Art Galleries, Pacific Coast Highway and amazing views!   Some of my favorite IR shots are from California.   Ocean and Palm Trees = perfect IR.   This is the coast of Laguna from last week….Pacific Ocean in the background.  If you are in Orange County….head down to Laguna…you will enjoy!!!

Talke Photography Settings:

• Camera:  Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
• Infrared Conversion:  D70S modified by LifePixel
• Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.5-5.6
• Setting: Aperture  Mode
• Focal Length: 22.0mm
• ISO: 200
• Exposure:  1/25 sec
• Aperture:  f/20
• Gear:  Tripod
• Post Process: Adobe CS4, Viveza

Laguna Beach, CA (HDR)

NIKON D300, Nikon 18-200 VR, HDR in Photomatix

California Dreaming!  Whenever I post a photo from Southern California – it makes me want to move back!  Hopefully one day!  Here is a photo from the beach by the Montage Spa & Resort.  If you check back on my older posts from Laguna…you can read all about this wonderful SoCal location!     If you are here and want to go for a swim…its chilly year round!    If you are in Orange County…you must stop here for some amazing views of the California Coast!   Life is a beach!

Laguna Beach, CA

NIKON D300, Nikon 18-200 VR

Here is a little California Dreamin’ for you!  Tough to beat Southern California for one of the best spots in the US to visit!  Although the water is a tad chilly…the beaches are stunning!  Not sure how to rank the top beaches in CA…but Laguna is surely in the top 10!  Laguna is an artsy town with cute little shops and wonderful restaurants!   If you are in Orange County on the PCH…Laguna is near! 

There are a few hotels in Laguna and they are beach style…expect to pay some extra $$$ for a normal stay in the summer.  Peak season in the summer is costly everywhere!  Main Beach is a wonderful place to walk and people watch.  If you like basketball…a court is located right next to the beach!  Competition is tough!   Laguna is always a favorite stop when we visit SoCal!  Its a small town, but worth a visit!

Laguna Beach, CA – Montage Spa & Resort – HDR

NIKON D300, Nikon 18-200 VR, HDR in Photomatix

As I was processing my HDR’s from Laguna the other nite, I came across this shot.  I talk about this place often as it is one of my favorite spots in SoCal!  The Montage Spa & Resort in Laguna Beach, CA.  It is located right on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) in Laguna and offers some great ocean views!!   I have never stayed overnight  at the hotel – a little expensive for me.  It can range from $400 to $2000+/nite.   But I have visited the spa.  My wife loves this place!   I am a guy so spa treatments are not that big of a deal – but it was fantastic when I did go.   I had a 90 minute message – enough said!   The facilities are beautiful.  You can check the site for what is available.  There is a side pool by the spa that once you finished a treatment, you can go sit outside – overlook the ocean and have a nice drink!

After you are done at the spa or even just visiting (only $5 for valet!) you can walk the grounds and head to the beach below.  My last HDR from Laguna is also from these grounds.  They have a ramp or staircase to walk to the beach below the cliffs.  During our visits we always seem to see some hollywood stars.  Once we walked past the basketball star Kobe Bryant and his wife (and 3 bodyguards).  They were walking around just like us!   I have heard many more famous people spend a day at this spa…Eleen DeGeneres, Heather Locklear, etc…  Not sure if you have heard of this guy…but my wife bumped into Mark MaGrath (singer from Sugar Ray) one day outside the normal bathroom.  He was very nice and said hello to her!

This picture is from the main balcony after you walk into the hotel.  It overlooks the main pool.  I leaned up against the railing  – hand held and took 5 exposures and post processed with Photomatix.  Life is a beach…hope yours is near Laguna!