California Dreamin'

I recently made a quick trip to southern California to escape our cold weather for a couple of days.  The sunshine, beautiful beaches and lush tropical surroundings made for a great break from the snow and cold of central New Mexico.  Here's a snapshot of me photographing at Laguna Beach sans my normal winter attire of down parka and shearling boots.

At Laguna Beach I took lots of photos of the beautiful sand patterns left by the retreating tide.  Here's one that I call Sand Flames.

Sand Flames

Also at Laguna Beach, I photographed crashing waves with a long exposure to soften the surf and spray.

Crashing surf at Laguna Beach

Traveling the Surfin' USA route, I drove south to La Jolla where I snapped this surfer leaving the waves behind.

Surfer at La Jolla

California Sea Lions, along with Brown Pelicans, cormorants and assorted gulls, like to hang out on the cliffs at La Jolla.  Here is an image of a sea lion resting on the rocks with surf boiling behind it.

California Sea Lion

I concluded my trip in at the Embarcadero in San Diego where I photographed some of the tall ships there in the harbor.  This photo shows a portion of the rigging of the Star of India.  I love the lines and angles in this image.

Star of India

Within the next couple of weeks, I'll have many more photos from this trip posted on my website.

Cheers til next time....Gail.
www.gailyovanphotos.com
All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich

Cold and Snowy

Well, the big news from central New Mexico the past couple of weeks has been the snow and record-breaking cold temperatures.

Last Tuesday our morning low here in Edgewood was -10 degrees, and Wednesday morning the low was -20 degrees.  I've never been in temperatures that cold, and keep in mind, I'm a Southern girl, having lived in the warm regions of Texas for most of my adult life.  I'm really suffering!

Add to that the 15 inches of snow we had last Tuesday, and you can imagine how miserable it's been.  So I've been mostly holed up in the studio trying to stay warm.

During the storm last week, I did manage to snap a couple of photos of birds in the snow.  Both images were taken through a closed window since the weather was simply too nasty to venture outdoors with the big lens. The first is a male Ladder-backed Woodpecker perched on a spent native sunflower stalk.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker in Snow

The second photo is a Dark-eyed Junco of the pink-sided race, also on a spent native sunflower stalk.

Dark-eyed Junco in Snow

Ten inches of snow was predicted for last night, but, thankfully, only an inch fell.  If it weren't for the -10 degree temperature just before dawn today, I'd be feeling pretty lucky.  At least the sun is out....

Here is a photo of a Western Scrub Jay that I took this morning through the same closed window.  It's enjoying breakfast at one of my seed blocks.

Western Scrub Jay

All three of these photos were taken with the Canon 500mm f/4 L IS lens on the Canon 7D body.

While hiding from the cold and snow, I spent a good bit of time renovating my website.  Check it out at  www.gailyovanphotos.com.  It is now simplified and easier to navigate, and I hope you enjoy it.

Cheers 'til next time...Gail.

www.gailyovanphotos.com

All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich

Snapshots from the Car Show

On Sunday I attended the Annual National Classic Car Show in Albuquerque.  I do love the classic cars, and classic cars are all about art.  In a departure from my usual subject matter, I'm posting some of my favorite snapshots here in no particular order.  

Renowned custom car designer Chip Fosse built the Ford shown below.  You can't believe what a gorgeous piece this is - clean, sleek lines - truly a work of art inside and out, from top to bottom.

Chip Fosse 1937 Ford custom

I should mention that photography conditions at the show are very difficult.  With harsh overhead lighting, spot lights from the floor on every vehicle, nonstop clutter, and people milling about constantly, it's always a real challenge.

Love this Corvette!

custom motorcycle

While strolling through the show, I'm always looking for interesting subjects, like these rows of model cars at a vendor booth.  So random and colorful.  And then there was the tiger motorcycle....

model cars

tiger motorcycle

This very sharp jet black 1932 (I think) Ford was outfitted for a romantic picnic.

1932 Ford Custom

And don't you just love this Simpson graphic hand painted on the bright yellow background.

Simpson hand painted graphic

Two young men gave a demo of their craft - hand pinstriping.  These talented fellows paint designs on cars and motorcycles, helmets, snowboards and much more with just a tiny brush.

pinstripers demonstrating their craft

And check out the exquisite air brush and pinstripe art on this gleaming bike.

portrait on a motorcycle

The custom pedal cars were delightful, complete with fancy paint jobs, pinstriping and airbrushing.

custom pedal cars

In one hall, a section was devoted to Chevy Belairs, complete with a drive-in setup.  The carhop in the photo is an incredibly life-like manikin.  And this Belair convertible was drop-dead gorgeous.

Belair convertible

And check out the Continental kit....

Belair convertible

Here's an amazing custom (I don't know what kind of car it is) - everything about it was eye popping.

fabulous custom

I thoroughly enjoy this car show every year, and this is just a fraction of the photos I took.  I'll post more later.

The weather here today is abominable - a foot of snow on the ground, it's still snowing, and our BIG snow is supposed to get here tonight!  Need to get outside and start shoveling....

Cheers 'til later....Gail. 

www.gailyovanphotos.com

All images and text ©2014 Gail Diane Yovanovich