This photo taken at Newport Beach tickles my funny bone and makes me smile. It’s even in the place of honor on my iPhone lock screen. If you have an appropriate caption for it, let me know!
Sea Watch
Flying by
Beach memories from our trip to Newport Beach a couple months ago. . .
Mirrored Flight
This was taken during our stay at Between Beaches on the MacDonald Spit on Kachemak Bay in Alaska. We had beaches in front of and behind our cabin- Kachemak Bay in front, Kasitsna Bay behind. Watching the gulls fly low over the dark waters of Kasitsna Bay in the mornings and evenings gave me a perfect opportunity to practice intentional camera movement techniques to create impressionistic images.
I was happy to hear at my camera club’s online meeting last night that this image won second place in this month’s Open Subject competition. It’s always nice to hear when other people like your art.
Into the Light
Spending time photographing gulls swooping over the dark waters of Kasitsna Bay was one of the great pleasures of my Alaska trip.
Gull Island
One of the highlights of our Alaska trip was a two hour boat trip to Gull Island in Kachemak Bay. We enjoyed it so much that we actually returned the next day!
Gull Island is the breeding ground for several types of sea birds who return every year to make (and reuse) their nests and lay their eggs. There seemed to be many more kittiwakes (the white gulls) than the other species, and you can see them flying around and dotting the cliff in their nests. There were also many common murres and some puffins. A few eagles were sitting on the tops of the cliffs. Otters played in the waters below.
Morning Flyover
The morning fog was just beginning to give way to a bit of sunlight as I took this photo of a gull flying overhead at Newport Beach. I love the quiet of mornings at the beach!
Calm
We spent a few days in California this last weekend, and I was able to get out on the beach with my camera for a couple hours. Watching the waves always brings me peace, and this time I decided I would only use slow shutter speeds and a bit of intentional camera movement to convey that feeling in my photos. Although I’ve used these techniques before, this was the first shoot where I ONLY used them. The results were mixed, but here is a quick edit of a gull in flight, which I hope captures the peace and calm I was feeling as I took the photo.
Gull
It’s just a gull- not an unusual sight at the beach (understatement!)- but it was so nice to be able to take a picture of one. So here he is!
On the Roof
Gulls can sometimes be pretty annoying when you are at the beach, but this one caught my eye as he perched on a rooftop surveying the scene in Newport Beach.
Alone in a Crowd
from our Alaskan boat trip
melinda anderson photography 