Ready for Deployment

My husband has recently deployed with a Port Security Unit to the Middle East. And on Sunday, 30 November 2008, the unit he deployed with had a picnic for the members and their families at the Coast Guard Air Station in San Diego. As he was standing on the stern of a cutter, I was able to get this photo of him.





After my husband moved away from the spot on the stern, I captured this photo of a Coast Guard PSU member and his beautiful daughter posing for a family member. Out of all the "family photos" I took, this one is definetly my favorite. It was the 'Featured Photo' on the Coast Guard homepage today.



I just love the way the flag is blowing in the background on both pictures.

Photo Scavenger Hunt!

I'm doing a photo scavenger hunt! There's a list of 100 items and I'm going to try do to as many as I can! As I take the photos and edit them, I'll be posting them.

Paper Clip



Postage Stamp



2 Dollar Bill



Purple Flower

Sea Oats

I took this this evening when my daughter called me and told grab my camera and come take pictures of the red sky at sunset. By the time I got to where she was, the sun had already dropped behind the marine layer. On the way back to the house, we took the "short cut" and walked past the sea oats. They looked great against the colors in the sky.

Little Cutie

This little cutie is on holiday from the United Kingdom. She's here with her father and grandparents visiting family here in America. We were invited to a BBQ that was being held for them.

When I took these pictures, I was sitting back, out of the way just watching. I was using my 70-300mm lens.


Here "A" was playing on the steps in the pool. I just love the look on her face! Since she was standing on the steps in the pool, the right side on her face and neck have a tourquoise hue.



This one was taken after the sun had diappeared behind the apartment building and she started catching a chill.



Sitting in daddy's lap.

Playing with Post Processing

I was playing around Hue/Sats on this picture this morning. I took this while at the beach yesterday evening. All the sea gulls were in groups. I was able to approach these 3 without too much disturbance.

I used my 70-300mm lens, ISO 200, SS 1/640, F/6.3

PP was playing with Hue/Sats, adjusted levels, unsharp mask and cropped.

Got my camera back!

I picked up my camera from Nikon yesterday afternoon after being in the shop for a week for a MUCH NEEDED cleaning. So what do I do after I get my camera back? I go to the beach! I thought twice about getting my camera out since I had parked myself right at the waters edge and there was alot of sea spray blowing off the water.

While waiting at the showers for my husband and daughter to rinse off, I saw the huge Sea Oats plant and noticed how the sunlight was playing on it. This is one of the shots I got. I did 3 different edits. Black and White, sepia and then color.

Here's the black and white version.

Family Time

I took this picture a few weeks back. We went to the park and had a picnic dinner. The spot we picked was over looking the ocean and it was beginning to get chilly, hence the pullovers. This is one of my favorites from that evening because my daughter didn't have her iPods buds in and she wasn't text messaging her friends (she was told to turn her cellphone off). She was actually relaxed and having a good time.

I have been playing around with the editing of this photo since I took it. And last night I did the editing with Capture NX and this is what I got. The photo may be a bit darker because I used my husbands MacBook laptop. I may have to go back and lighten it.

Festival of Sails

This past Friday I got the opportunity to go out with U.S. Coast Guard Station Los Angeles/Long Beach to photograph the Tall Ships as they were coming into the port for the Festival of Sails at the Port of Los Angeles. One of the main attractions of the parade of ships was the Coast Guard's Sailing Ship the Barque Eagle, a 295-foot three-masted training vessel used as a seagoing classroom for cadets from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

When the Barque Eagle came into the Port of Los Angeles on August 1st, my family and I had the priviledge of getting on board and riding her into port.






The BOUNTY





I want to send out a very special Thank you to PA1 Conroy for thinking of me when she needed a back up photographer and arranging for me to go out with the station. And a HUGE Thank you to Petty Officer Garcia, Trent and the rest of the boat crew. You guys are awesome and I had a BLAST!! I can't wait to do it again!

Shooting in the Evening Sun

I took this photo of my husband, Scott, the evening before as were walking around the park at Trump golf course. The sun was beginning to set and the warmth of light was perfect. Thanks for posing, Hon.