Torrey Pines GliderPort is a Superb Place for Photos
Torrey Pines GliderPort. It is a National Landmark of Soaring and is one of the best hang gliding places in the country. Basically people have to make a leap of faith and jump off the cliff with their wings. It is quite scary but it is another beautiful place in La Jolla.
I went up there today to see how it was and it was beautiful. I would recommend trying this place at sunset or early morning. Here is how you get there. (Google Map It)
There are lots of cones around and they get pretty mad if you cross into the area where they are taking off and landing. You can get photos by walking around and down the cliffs a bit. There are some good shots but the ones I like best were with the rolling hills and the colorful canopies of the hang gliders.
The shots taken from below can be pretty awesome too.
If you hike down the very dangerous cliffs you can get to Blacks Beach. 2 people died last year trying to hike down these cliffs and scores more had to be rescued. It’s good to stay on the beaten path here.
How many orphans in Vietnam? There are 1.5 Million.
I read that there are 1.5 million orphans in Vietnam. That is very sad and what makes it particularly sad is that the Vietnamese Government and the US Government have made it particularly hard for people here to adopt these orphans.
We visited several orphanages in Vietnam. In Vietnam the orphanages are either run by the Church or by the Government. In either case each orphanage we visited relied heavily on donations of food, clothing, toys and other things for the orphans. Some of the orphanages in the cities such as Saigon were frequently visited and the kids seemed happy. But unfortunately most of the orphanages in the more remote locations of Vietnam were hardly visited at all the kids were in desperate need of visits, toys and food.
If you are planning a trip to Vietnam it is a good idea to visit the kids in the more rural parts of Vietnam because it is them that need your help the most. Here is a gallery of some of my pictures of the Orphans of Vietnam – Full Gallery of The Orphans of Vietnam.
Vinh Long Orphanage (Facebook Site)
This orphanage was about 2 hours south of Saigon and the kids and babies were housed in an old prison. They were behind the cages but safe. When we entered the building, they screamed in delight. Imagine the feeling of that? It was wonderful and heartbreaking all at the same time.
The kids and babies were cute but they needed more help. They did not have enough people in the orphanage to take care of all the babies and kids. We were happy to donate food, clothing, toys and even threw the kids a Christmas party which they thoroughly enjoyed. If you can visit the website above. My girlfriend and I run the webpage and actively post new pictures of the orphans and how they are doing.
Lang Tre Orphanage
The second orphanage we visited was very remote. From Vinh Long it took us about 6 hours by car to get there. The orphanage was run by monks but the kids were very poor but happy in this orphanage. What made it sad was that the orphanage was also home to mentally disabled men and woman.
Saigon Orphanage
The third and final orphanage that we visited was the best kept of all of the orphanages. The kids were so well cared for and so cute. They had at least 30 people visiting them when we got to the room. Since I had a camera and write about the orphans in Vietnam they let me come into the special room where all of the babies were kept. There were babies in this orphanage that were just days old. And all of the babies slept on the floor.
If you would like more information about orphanages in Vietnam or how you can help you can send me an email to [email protected] and I will do my best to get you any information that you need.
Scripps Pier La Jolla is great location for Surf Gear Photography
I was down at Scripps Pier again working on a Time Lapse project. There were a crew of professional photographers including Dan Bannister working on advertising photos for a new surf line. Here is his site http://danbannister.com. He is from Canada and was seems to have a pretty good line up.
It was another beautiful night and caught a couple of good sunset shots at the pier again.
Splat Photograph Featured by 500PX
My photo Splat, which featured Parkour and Flour motion, was featured today for a contest held by 500px. The contest was called Rorschach which is the famous ink blots that they would use to understand your personality.
You can check out the entire gallery here: http://500px.com/blog/573/weekly-monday-contest or you can check out my profile at 500px here for all of my images: http://500px.com/frankiefoto.
Spring Cleaning at Moms
Danny, Camille and Geno headed over to Mom’s to help her fix her front yard. Mom said she felt like a crazy lady living in her house with an overgrown front yard.
It had been about 1 year since she had done a major cleaning of the front yard so it was time for another.
After about 5 hours of ripping out old plants and replacing them with new roses, the yard started to look like the type of place that mom could be proud of.
Check out the time lapse video below that captures all 5 hours in about 45 seconds. We wish it was that fast and easy!
The finished product was something to be proud of.
The Best San Diego Train Ride
When you come to San Diego you have the chance to take probably one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. In my opinion one of the greatest train rides in the US is the Amtrak Coaster line that goes from DownTown San Diego all the way up to Santa Barbara.
What makes the train ride so unique and so special is the fact that for much of the trip you hug the edge of the coastline with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean. You wind and zig and zag pass miles and miles of pristine sandy beaches all from the comfort of your train seat.
The train has beverages and food service and you can go to the dining car, have a coffee and watch the sea roll past your window as you read the paper. What a joy it is to relax on this train and see some of the best coastline in the entire world.
The train ride takes about 5 hours but you end up in beautiful San Diego or Santa Barbara when you depart from the train.
Tonight I took pictures of the train as it rolled by Del Mar just before the sun was setting. I am sure people were enjoying their wonderful views from inside the box cars. Another beautiful San Diego sunset.
10 Most Beautiful Places to Photograph in California
California is one of the most amazing geographic locations in the world. Almost every climate, every lifestyle and every land topography can be found in the state which is the reason that it is one of the first places that people come to visit when they come to the United States. Many famous places can be found in California but more importantly for photography – some of the most beautiful places in the world. I put this blog together of photographs that I have taken all over the state so you can see what the locations look like and even where to take the best pictures.
Photography Tour California in 7 to 10 days or a month
I think to really capture the beauty of California you need at least 1 week in the state but quite honestly I feel that you would need 2 weeks to adequately capture most of the best places in a comfortable manner. My recommendation for touring the state if you are coming from out of the state or the country would be to fly to Los Angeles, rent a car and then hit up all of the locations that I outline in this blog and then fly out of San Francisco to minimize your cost. Actually flying in or out of San Diego is an option too but it it is harder to find direct flights internationally.
My recommended itinerary is about 1,700 miles of driving to some of the most beautiful places in the world. I have driven all of those roads and I have to tell you I have seen some amazing things in the process. You can eliminate 10 hours of the driving time of this itiniarary by not going to Redwood National Park but if you are headed up to Oregon anyway it will be well worth the trip.
Tour from Southern California to Northern California
For purposes of this, I will show the most interesting places to go and photograph in California from Southern California to Northern California. There is no reason however that you could not develop your own itinerary to make it work for your schedule.
Spot #1 – San Diego California (google map it)
If you want to find the most beautiful locations to photograph in San Diego. Check out my blog post Top 15 Locations to Photograph in San Diego. From San Diego you can actually head into another country – Mexico! You can cross the border and see two countries in the same day. Tijuana is a bit dangerous so be careful.
Spot #2 – Salton Sea (Google Map It)
After visiting the beauty of San Diego, hop in your rental car and head out to one of the most unusual places in the world. It takes about 2.5 hours to get to the Salton Sea from San Diego but you will get a very beautiful desert drive along some lonely roads and some great photography opportunities.
The Salton Sea is one of the oddest and off the beaten path day trips you can make from San Diego. If you like photographing quirky places, abandoned houses and desert life you have to check out this place. I wrote a blog on it since I like it so much. You can check out more photographs of it if you link to this site. The Weird Salton Sea. There is a road that can take you pretty much all the way around the sea but it is very large and takes a long time. My recommendation would be to check out the city of Bombay Beach, Niland and Salton City. Make sure you are here for sunset as it is extraordinary.
Spot #3 – Joshua Tree (Google Map it)
The drive from the Salton Sea to Joshua Tree California is about 1.5 hours so you can do it in the morning or evening. Joshua Tree National Park is an amazing and beautiful place. You could spend a whole day here photographing some of the beautiful Cholla Cactus that are here and the beautiful rock and sand formations. I would recommend planning your day so you have at least 6 hours at the location and you should be there at sunset since that is the best time of day to shoot. This place is gorgeous and it’s like your traveling to another world when you enter the park gates. Don’t get lost on the trails – it’s easy to. This location is famous as a location for photography shoots as well as movie shoots too.
Spot #4 – Los Angeles (Google Map It)
Los Angeles California is a 2 hour drive from Joshua Tree National Park and it is one of the biggest cities in the United States. There are so many locations for you to visit in Los Angeles that you will probably need at the very least 2 full days to see them all. I recommend visiting Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Hollywood and possibly even DisneyLand which is about 1 hour away. Los Angeles is amazing and so full of life.
Spot #5 – Catalina Island (Google Map It)
Catalina Island is 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles and a stunning place to visit and photograph. To get to Catalina you need to go to Long Beach Ferry and take a boat. The boats leave and return many times in a day and you can get there and back in a single day trip if you leave early. Here is a website for the company that runs the ferry service Catalina Island Express . Its called Catalina Express if the link changes. Get to the Ferry a couple of hours early if you want to tour the Queen Mary which is a beautiful ship and other photographic opportunities.
If you go in the winter, you will probably spot whales and dolphins during the boat ride over. In the summer you will probably see flying fish as they flee the fast moving boat. The island is quite small but you can rent a golf cart and then take fantastic photos all over the island.
Spot #6 – Sequoia National Park (Google Map It)
From Los Angeles there are various routes you can take to San Francisco. The route I recommend with this itinerary is the route that requires the fewest driving miles for the whole trip. If you have more time in California, I would recommend taking the coastal route which will allow you to see all of the amazing cities and beach towns along the California Coast. This would mean more driving but if you have more time than head up the coast to San Francisco before heading out the National Parks I outline here. Here is the alternative scenic route and the places I would recommend going along the coast. It includes Los Angles to Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara to Avila Beach, Avila Beach to San Simeon, San Simeon to Big Sur, Big Sur to Carmel, Carmel to Monterey, Monterey to Half Moon Bay, Half Moon Bay to San Francisco, San Francisco to RedWood National Park, Redwood National Park to Yosemite and Yosemite to Sequoia National Park, Alternative Long Route along Coast. My recommendation if you take the long route is to skip Redwood National Park because it adds too many miles to the drive. But the drive I must tell you is absolutely gorgeous in many places.
Assuming you take the route I mentioned you can be in Sequoia National Park the next afternoon if leave Los Angeles early in the morning. Sequoia National Park contains 5 of the 10 largest trees in the world and it is astounding and beautiful. If you want to check out the pictures I took at this place you can go here to this blog – Sequoia National Park.
Spot # 7 – Yosemite National Park (Google Map It)
Yosemite National Park is one of the most awe inspiring places in the world. It is truly one of the wonders of the world and probably one of the best places in the world to capture iconic and well known images. Even if you don’t take pictures it is one of the most beautiful places you will ever visit and that is a guarantee. This place must not be missed if you are traveling within California. While you are traveling to Yosemite, you might pass through this small ghost town called Chinese Camp. I highly recommend you stop at this place too. Chinese Camp California The Most Haunted Town in America.
Spot #8 – San Francisco (Google Map It)
San Francisco is the best city in the United States. It has everything that New York has and more. You can’t miss coming to San Francisco when you are in California because this may be the place that you end up leaving your heart. You need at least 2 days to thoroughly enjoy San Francisco and you have to get to Fisherman’s Wharf to get the crab!
Spot # 9 – RedWood National Park – (Google Map It)
If your planning on heading up to Oregon from California than a trip to Redwood National Park is on the way and definitely worth your time. These trees are giants – so tall that you cannot even see the top and so large that you can drive your car through some of them. Going to Redwood National Park is an experience that you will never forget. If you are not headed to Oregon the 10 hour roundtrip from San Francisco to Redwood and back again might be a little tiresome but there are some interesting things you can see along the way.
Spot #10 – Bixby Bridge and Big Sur (Google Map It)
Assuming you have not taken the coastal route up through California and want to see some of the most awe-inspiring coastline in the world than you need to head down to Big Sur and check out one of the most famous bridges – The Bixby Bridge along the way. Big Sur is over 40 miles of untouched coastline with some of the most amazing cliff views you will ever see. Big Sur is one of the most beautiful places in the world and the coastline is so rugged and dangerous that you will never experience a drive like this.
Spot #11 – Carmel by the Sea (Google Map It)
Ok, I know I said 10 spots but I had to add this last spot to the list because it is absolutely gorgeous. Carmel by the Sea is only about 30 minutes from Big Sur and it is an absolutely amazing place to stay if you have a night. This place will blow your mind. I recently wrote another blog about it which you can read about here – Carmel by the Sea.
Get in the car and go!
To truly experience California the way you want to. I recommend doing it all by car. Rent a jeep and get adventurous. There are so many hidden and tucked away beaches along the coastal route that you will want to stop off at. California is a world paradise and you want to experience every inch of it you can. You will come back with incredible pictures and a lifetime of memories.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]. Happy Photograph Hunting and enjoy your California Adventure!
I wanna be like my creepy Uncle Frank
La La La La La….
First I am going to learn to play guitar and sit on my sofa all hours of the day singing songs I write. Just ho hum diddling the day away writing songs.
Then I’m going to take some pictures because I am so obsessed with cameras and photography.
And then I’m going to drink some Don Jose’s Coffee with Hazelnut syrup cause my creepy Uncle Frank just loves that.
