3-20-09 Corvette + Skyline Blvd

Need I say more?

Okay, I will:
Immediately after landing in Sacramento, my mom picked me up and we drove to Mountain View. She plays in the annual Winterfest concert at the Mountain View SDA Church. The practice sessions were Thursday and Friday evenings, so naturally we spent our Friday in a rented 436 horsepower Corvette (this is why I came!). We drove out to Half Moon Bay, and then proceeded south on the gorgeous Skyline Blvd to Saratoga where we had a late lunch at a small Italian trattoria. Then it was out to Hwy 17 and the very bottom of Skyline for a twisting trip back North to the hotel. It's okay, I kept it out of the triple digits ;)

In the morning, we're hoping for a little Pacific Coast Highway goodness at dawn. There had better be no fog!

Strobist Info: Self Portrait, f/7.1, 1/30, ISO800, bare SB-80 on stand above camera at about 1/64th power, second SB-80 with diffuser in cup holder at about 1/8th power. Some reflections touched up near the Corvette badge. Parking garage provided by the hotel.

Here's one of mom enjoying the sunshine:

Mooning, Moonlighting, and a Moonrising (03.11.09)

Okay, I promise to think of less corny titles in the future.

Tuesday night I noticed the huge full moon, so Wednesday after the weekly photographers meeting I chose to neglect a project and take photos instead. I arrived early with Taco Bell in hand, and proceeded to freeze my hands off doing time exposures while blasting my car stereo out over Bennington Lake. I didn't realize it until I looked at them just now, but an exposure of just 30 seconds way up here in the north produces a nice little trail on the stars. I totally should've busted out the wide angle - the stars were poppin!
About the "mooning": A car pulled up and parked about halfway through my photo-taking, and then proceeded to sit there with the lights off. Apparently I wasn't paying too much attention, because they weren't making out, just out for a walk around the lake. Whew! Eric Ashley and I were not so lucky on a previous occasion where I nonchalantly parked right next to a steamy car. Sorry, no photos ;)

Planes, Weather, and a Sick Photographer (03.05.09)

Well, okay, so I didn't actually get sick, but my stomach wasn't too happy with me. A Mechanical Engineering friend of mine invited me along as he received a refresher course on WWU's Piper. (He will be flying it home to Loma Linda for spring break.) If you refer to my last post, apparently the gods hate Thursdays, because the storms were a brewin'. Needless to say, the flight was rather bumpy, and our heads became familiar with the ceiling on the way back in. Good times. I think I'll stick to driving.