Sandstone

Sandstone
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

I realized, as I was framing up this shot, that I was standing under an unstable sandstone bluff.  OK, collapses are very rare.  And there are no signs warning beach-goers about the danger in this area.  But still.  A little scary in the moment.

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Sand Shadows #2

Sand Shadows #2
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

Another colorful "meteor strike."  The micro currents behind (to the right) of the rock must be fascinating, to create such an interesting spray pattern.  I can imagine the churn seaward of the rock creating those ripples, but the dark fan behind it intrigues me.

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Sand Shadows #3

Sand Shadows #3
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

This beautiful rock looks almost like a tiny colorful meteor struck the sand, digging a trough behind and sending a spray of dark matter out before it.

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Sand Shadows #4

Sand Shadows #4
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

More drifting objects carried up onto shore by the waves, and left to paint pretty pictures in the sand.

These pieces almost look like someone put them there, they're so beautifully arranged.  Maybe someone did, but it wasn't me :-)

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Sand Shadows #5

Sand Shadows #5
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

Any objects on the surface of the sand leave behind fascinating ripples of black and white as the ocean repeatedly washes over them.

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Sand #3

Sand #3
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

A broader, straighter stretch of the beach creates a more uniform, patterned flow of sand and images.

Again, contrast was the only thing adjusted in this image, to bring out the patterns in the sand.

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Sand #1

Sand #1
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

The black and white sands at nearby Solana Beach are amazing.  The grains are very fine, and apparently of different densities.  The action of the waves paints the beach in intricate patterns.

All I did to this photograph was to add an overlay layer, then reduce the transparency of the top layer until the contrast looked good.  No conversion to monochrome was done.  These are the natural colors of the sands at this beach.

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Sand #2

Sand #2
Solana Beach, CA
February, 2011

It's been some time since I posted to the blog.  My schedule at work necessitated a focus there, and my photographic time dwindled to nearly none.  That changed during a much needed vacation, and I'm quite happy with some of the resulting pictures.

I noticed that it took some time to get my photographer's eye back.  Even now it's not as strong as it was before I had to step away for a bit.  A lesson there: try to shoot every day.  Keep those muscles toned up and working to improve.

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