The Mendocino Coast

[Burnham]

Excellent again, Jerry.

We seem to be having dueling picture threads at the moment. It's fun! I must say you achieve a clarity and sharpness of image that my poor skills seldom approach.

Keep it up!

 

[gf beranek]

Burnam, most of these images are fairly recent. Since 2012 anyway. A time when the semi-pro digital cameras and lenses first started coming on the scene. Figure, a Sony, 24 megapixel, mirrorless with a wide angle zoom lens. A small compact kit costing about $1500 bugs. Modest really. That camera, and the tech behind it, made all the difference.

I get about 2-3 years out of a camera before it's wore out. Usually rolling over 100,000 pics for each one. Never would have happened when I was shooting film. So now I'm like a blind dog in a meat house.

My latest endeavor is capturing native plants. Lots and lots of macro work. I even made some jigs to help with that in the field, as the slightest movement, and narrow depth of field, will screw up a shot. So I take lots and lots.

Never a dull moment. Always another adventure. Keep'em coming.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I never knew a camera could be worn out!

 

[gf beranek]

No No Park

Immediately north of the Navarro River the Nature Conservancy opened a stretch of coastline to the public, and they call it Navarro Point. Terri and I call it No No Park, because of all the signs there telling you "what you can not do." They really went over-board with the signs, is the general consensus of most.

Anyway, Navarro Point is high coastal bluffs, and spring wildflowers abound there. So much so you might think I photo-shopped them into the images, but rest assured, it's all natural.

The last pic of Terri pretty much sets the scale of the bluffs.

 

[gf beranek]

I never knew a camera could be worn out!

I've worn out half a dozen in my time, Butch. Quite literally, like a worn out shock absorber. Usually the zoom lenses go before the bodies, as the barrels get sloppy: the zoom, focus and aperture start locking up. The bodies seem to hold up alright, but dust gets embedded and then the electronics, like computers, start giving error codes and some feature just stop. I think some of that is engineered into the products.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The bastids!!!

 

[gf beranek]

Damn straight.

 

[pantheraba]

Roll on!

 

[Burnham]

Burnam, most of these images are fairly recent. Since 2012 anyway. A time when the semi-pro digital cameras and lenses first started coming on the scene. Figure, a Sony, 24 megapixel, mirrorless with a wide angle zoom lens. A small compact kit costing about $1500 bugs. Modest really. That camera, and the tech behind it, made all the difference.

I get about 2-3 years out of a camera before it's wore out. Usually rolling over 100,000 pics for each one. Never would have happened when I was shooting film. So now I'm like a blind dog in a meat house.

My latest endeavor is capturing native plants. Lots and lots of macro work. I even made some jigs to help with that in the field, as the slightest movement, and narrow depth of field, will screw up a shot. So I take lots and lots.

Never a dull moment. Always another adventure. Keep'em coming.

And here I am putting up shots taken with my little Cannon Powershot 340. 16 megapixels, a 12 power optical zoom. Cost not much more than a tenth of your Sony. I can't complain about it. I take a fair number of pictures, when we are traveling mostly, but not a shade of the number you do. I might get 1 in 20 that's worth looking at, at best. I just keep pushing the button a lot and hope. Digital is wonderful for that.

 

[gf beranek]

Digital revolutionized photography. It's amazing.

 

[stig]

I'm amazed at the depth of field you get in those shots where all the abundant wildflowers in the foreground are in focus, but so is the back ground.

Those pictures BTW are really something.

Ever thought of making post cards.

 

[gf beranek]

Wide angle lens and small apertures make for great landscape shots.

Postcards never struck me as profitable endeavor, Stig. I just like taking pictures. thanks

 

[stig]

Margot bought some post cards in Mendocino last time I was there.
When I look at your pictures, they just strike me as being ever so much better, both view vise and artistic, than what they sell to tourists.
Hence my question.

 

[gf beranek]

Appreciated, thank you.

 

[Bermy]

Bee-yoot-iful!!!

We can get that change of weather here in Tasmania, same place different time of day or year...so I can almost feel the temperature and hear the waves in your photos

 

[Oxman]

The lengths a photographer will go to, to get the shot. The resolution is still pretty good, even though it's been compressed on this website. It would be nice to hear what camera and mode you are shooting in.

 

[gf beranek]

All the way from Seattle, and the year 2003, it's Mike Oxman! A few people in that old pic sure look familiar. Looks like the morning it started raining on our little project.

I was shooting digital video back then. A Sony VX100. It was a few years later, 06, I bought my first digital still camera. A Sony 8 megapixel. Then, about 3 years later I bought the Fugi 11 megapixel. Then in '012' the Sony AR-7, 24 mega, pixel and on and on. The cameras just keep getting better and better.

So here it is today. Time don't hold still, and I'm still hanging on. Yeow!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Same here!!!

 

[mdvaden]

In your opening post, the wave photo sure jumps out. Looks like maybe a cloud darkly shaded the background with a break of light on the wave. Looks good in color. Might make a nifty black & white also.

 

[mdvaden]

I've worn out half a dozen in my time, Butch. Quite literally, like a worn out shock absorber. Usually the zoom lenses go before the bodies, as the barrels get sloppy: the zoom, focus and aperture start locking up. The bodies seem to hold up alright, but dust gets embedded and then the electronics, like computers, start giving error codes and some feature just stop. I think some of that is engineered into the products.

Have you ever sent a lens in for refurbish?

I bought a used Canon 24-105mm from Pro Photo in Portland maybe 6 years ago. After 6 months, it started "walking" and seemed sluggish. I sent it to Canon, and for under $300, it came back in perfect working order, and I got several years use until I upgraded to a 24-70mm plus 70-200mm combination.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Well, there you go!!!

 

[gf beranek]

Every few years I get a new body or lens, or maybe two. As it is I have more cameras and lenses right now than Carter's got little liver pills.

 

[Buddy]

Amazing!!! If you were my neighbor I’d be knocking on your door all the time with photography questions.

 

[gf beranek]

Thanks, Buddy!. Reminds me, I'm behind on posting. Better get cracking

 

[gf beranek]

Pt. Arena Light

By highway, the Pt. Arena Light lies 41 miles south of Ft. Bragg, along the Mendocino coast, and it is 15 miles north of the Sonoma county line.

The geology at the Light is ancient marine sediment tilted-sandstone. As well much of the rest of the coast on south through Sonoma County. It makes from some real interesting rock formations, especially at Salt Point State Park. Which I'll show later.

The aerial shot I took in 1977.




Immediately north of the Point Areana Light is Manchester State Beach. The longest stretch of contiguous beach along the Mendocino Coast. About 5 miles long. Here is where the phone cables from Hawaii come to meet the mainland.