Takes my breath away . . .

A morning spent at a nursery in eastern San Diego County always produces cool results, although most of my photos were primarily of texture and tree bark (don't ask). Old cars and trucks and their attendant rust and peeling paint make me hyperventilate. And a display of wrenches sits gleaming with beautiful patina on an old wooden shelf. Suitcases packed into the trunk of an old car provide a bit of color in an otherwise dark and monochromatic setting. I could live here. Easily. ©Carol Leigh

Santa Fe Train Depot, San Diego

Train depot in San Diego, California. I used an 18-55mm lens and ISO settings ranging from 100 to 500. ©Carol Leigh

Cedros Avenue Design District

CJ took me over to Solana Beach to see the Cedros Avenue Design District. Hoo ha! Although I photographed primarily texture and grunge (great tree bark, torn labels, spray painted things, slate tiles, numbers, etc.), I also took a few overviews. A coastal-blue sign arches across the street. A horde of horned toads crawls down the side of a building. And a funky store lends itself well to an exaggerated Topaz Adjust treatment.

My prize purchase was a set of vintage Japanese paperback books with beautiful calligraphy, torn bits, weathered covers, and more. Can't wait to find time to shoot them and then incorporate them into photomontages. I did create a photomontage of some palm tree bark from this visit, which you can see here: http://carolleigh.blogspot.com/2010/02/palm-tree-bark.html


©Carol Leigh

A clog in the photo tube . . .

I'm in San Diego right now with a slow laptop loaded only with Photoshop Elements 5. Although I'm shooting a lot, I'm not inclined to (a) spend three minutes waiting for my computer to clone out one spot of sensor dust and (b) work with slow and substandard post-processing software, so I shan't be posting many photos until I return February 5. Having fun, however, AND it's sunny! Hoo ha! Off to La Jolla now to see what I can find. -- Carol Leigh

Oregon to California

After a four-hour delay in Portland, my flight finally took off Thursday and landed safely in San Diego. In the rain. Lots of rain. Intermittent showers on Friday, but we were able to get in a quick walk around the cruise ship terminal and then out to Shelter Island to try to photograph the ships (three of them) as they headed out of the harbor. Cold and windy. Felt just like home!

Saturday morning I conducted a photo walk at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The architecture is incredible and the photo possibilities almost too overwhelming. It's tough to process my photos while on the road without a fast computer and having to use a very old Photoshop Elements program, so this is all I'm going to do.

Blue skies and puffy white clouds, clear air and visibility all the way out to Catalina Island -- it was a perfect time to be there. And tomorrow? It's a photo walk in downtown Los Angeles. Looking forward to that one, too! ©Carol Leigh

Two and a half years later . . .

In June of 2007 I photographed, just before sunset, this "urban tree" piece of art in San Diego.

It's now midnight, 2½ years later, and I've been rummaging around in old files. I always liked this shot, especially the copper glow on the woman's face. This time, however, I applied Topaz Adjust to the face and here and there on the seaweed. Why? Because Topaz can bring out hidden details in some images and can even out lighting and make it glow a bit. By applying this filter judiciously, I enhance what I originally loved about the scene.

I include both versions here so you can see the difference. The face stands out more. So do the complementary colors of copper and blue. And now back to bed. Perchance to dream. ©Carol Leigh