We just arrived back from a nites stay at our favorite hotel near Palm Springs….the La Quinta Resort & Spa. A sprawling hotel with tons of pools all over! 40+? It is located 10 minutes from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. I woke up early to grab shame shots there and it was closed. I drove back and walked around the hotel and while cruising back to our room for breakfast..I saw this beautiful view! The reflections in the pool are 2 cool! It was a nice cool 112 degrees there yesterday. We are back home cooling off! Enjoy!
Tag Archives: california
Santa Monica, CA – Sunset at the Pier
My good friend Jim Nix from Austin, TX was in LA last nite and we took the drive up to meet him for a sunset photo walk in Santa Monica. Check out Jim’s fantastic blog at Nomadic Pursuits. Jim is a great photographer!
I had never shot in Santa Monica and it was on my bucket list. Easy to get to and one packed place during a late summer afternoon. The pier is large and has lots of entertainment. A roller coaster, ferris wheel, bumper cards, shops, restaurants and pier performers. Def will keep you busy for an evening. Being honest, there is not much to shoot in HDR other than a few on the pier shots, under the pier shots and this photo above….the iconic Santa Monica photo. Great reflections on the beach add a nice effect! Great to see and chat with ya Jim! Hope to see you in Austin soon!
Welcome to Orange County (HDR)
I have seen this sign on TV many times…always wanted to photograph it. I had no idea where it was located. I did a search….off the 5 Highway and Artesia Blvd in Buena Park. You can take the ramp off Artesia and park close and walk up to the sign. Looks like it needs some fresh paint on the Orange County part…but still very cool! Imagine all the people that drive by it everyday! OC rocks! Orange County is one of the best places to live in the US!
San Francisco, CA – Chinatown Art (HDR)
Chinatown in SF if a wonderful place to walk around and check out the sites and architecture. Here is a cool dragon mural I found this day walking the streets.
San Francisco, CA – City Hall (HDR)
While in SF I wanted to grab a photo exterior photos of the City Hall. While waiting for the sun to set I took a stroll inside to check out its interior. Wow! Very nice for HDR’ing! They were prepping for a big party and had it all lit up and set for a wonderful evening for a lucky group of people!
Riverside, CA – Mission Inn (HDR)
The stunning Mission Inn in Riverside is one great location for getting married! Such a beautiful hotel! Enjoy the view from above the rotunda! =)
Santa Barbara, CA – Coastline (Infrared)
We took a quick trip up to Santa Barbara to enjoy time off during the holidays. It was my first visit. We arrived and wanted to see the Mission. The outside was under construction and lots o people were there. As I asked for ticket prices…they told me no tripods allowed. Blah! So next time…gorilla pod! We stayed at a hotel right next to the beach. About 1/2 mile from the wharf. Nice! The weather was wonderful and we awoke this morning to catch some early AM HDR’s. As the sun rose…HDR time was complete. Now it was time to shoot in Infrared! The beach is lined with stoic palm trees. Just an amazing sight! I snapped bunches of pics while walking back…this one is a small snippet of the palm trees. Enjoy the view!
PeterTalke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D70S (Converted to Infrared)
Infrared Conversion: D70S modified by LifePixel
Lens: Nikon 18-200 f/3.6-5.6
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 22.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/180 second
Aperture: f/9.5
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, onOne Software Photo Tools 2.6, Nik Silver Efex pro
Yorba Linda, CA – Black Gold Golf Club (HDR)
We had an amazing week of sunsets here in SoCal this past week. We don’t get a ton each year…but when we do, they are spectacular! Days like this I wish I lived at the beach…but we live 30 minutes inland. A storm was due in the next day and I knew we had one more sweet sunset coming our way! I took the few minute drive over the the golf course and set up and waited. I don’t play a lot of golf, but enjoy the beauty of courses. The building in the back is the clubhouse. The sun was setting and created a sweet orange glow! Enjoy the view!
Yorba Linda, CA – Nixon Library Fountain (HDR)
From my hometown of Yorba Linda, CA…this is the fountain located at the Nixon Library. This past week we have been having some amazing sunsets in SoCal. I have been busy and missed many, but earlier in the day I could tell we were going to have another good one and took the quick drive to the fountain to grab a few shots! Enjoy!
Peter Talke Photography Settings:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 12-14 f/4.0
Setting: Aperture Mode
Focal Length: 14.0 mm
ISO: 200
Exposure: HDR 7 Exposures (+3 to -3)
Aperture: f/22
Gear: Tripod
Post Process: Adobe CS6, HDR Efex Pro, OnOne Software Photo Tools 2.6
Palm Desert, CA – Infrared Real Estate
I recently had a Real Estate session in Palm Desert and brought along my Infrared camera! I shot about 13 IR photos and was hoping one IR shot would prove to be cool! I thought this one was it. The house is on the right. A few houses share the centrally located pool. I do not think I have ever seen an Infrared Real Estate photo? The agent may use it for the MLS? Does it work? Hopefully!!! Will let ya know how it goes!
Places 2 Explore 