October 25, 2009
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PhotoPost: Moon, Clouds, LAX, Dockweiler Beach
A Mix of photos from the last few Photo Expeditions plus a self portrait
9/20/09: A self portrait in suit and fedora from my last Xanga Profile Photo shoot before becoming a vampire. Of the half dozen or so shots I didn't use, I liked this one the most. I used a photo shot in front of curtains, but this was taken in my bedroom in front of my dresser/bookcase.
10/2/09: I haven't gone driving to the beach during the sporadic times when there have been some cloudcover in the Southland. (I really should have this past Friday evening when we had a "pink sunset", but oh well.) But I have shot a few cloudscapes from within the Mobile Home park in the evenings. Here is a shot taken on 10/2 and uploaded to my "Photoblog" but not shown in a PhotoPost as yet. The full moon is rising above the clouds at about 6pm or so as I was ready to begin my power walk.
10/2/09: Another "moon shot". Our park is built on an oilfield, and there are some areas where they still tap for oil with portable rigs. Across from where I live is one of these small fields, and the barbed wire is on the top of the fence, so I shot the moon through the barbed wire.
10/3/09: Taken early in the morning on the day I drove up to Hollywood for the last Photo Expedition. I've still got lots of Hollywood photos I haven't featured on the blog yet. It was a beautiful hot day and this was taken at around 8 in the morning before I left the park.
10/3/09: On the way back home from Hollywood, I shot the new Ritz Carlton/ Marriot hotel complex, the latest skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, from the freeway. I did "tweak" this photo somewhat. I am shooting out the left hand side of the car, with the top down, and the photo was tilted somewhat, so I straightened it in the photo editing program. The tower is 202 feet in height and 55 stories tall.
10/11/09: Some clouds appeared before our first rainstorm of the season, and I got a few cloudscapes on a bright clear day a couple of weekends ago. This was taken out side my mobile home. The bouganvillea is the next shrub I plan to trim, but it's still in full bloom.
10/11/09: There is a big hibiscus plant on the northeast corner of my property, and I'm shooting up through the blooms into the clouds for this shot. I took about a half dozen shots like this and liked this one the best.
10/17/09: Last Saturday I took a misbegoten trip to Los Angeles International Airport to get some photos of planes arriving and leaving. It was a nice hot day, and I possibly should have hung around our pool instead. The LAX sculpture is across from the entrance to the airport on Century and Sepulveda Blvds, right across the street from the Radisson Hotel. I parked on the street next to the hotel, and walked into the airport. I didn't get many shots, and hardly any of planes. There were a lot of police around (as usual) and although I did clear my photography with the police, there wasn't a lot of activity that day, so I didn't stick around.
10/17/09: This is the iconic International Restaurant (now called the "theme building" in the center of LAX. Earlier in the year, large sections of the roof were falling to the ground, so they are retrofitting the structure. The restaurant is open while construction is going on, but I neglected to realize there would be scaffolding around the structure when I went in the airport to take photos. The control tower is to the right.
10/17/09: Here is a closeup of the control tower at LAX. The airport is the 7th busiest in the world, and also has been ranked as the third worst in the world by frequent fliers. It always seems to be undergoing construction. The latest news is that they are going to expand some of the terminals to be able to accommodate the Dreamliner and A380 Airbus super planes. Last time I took photos at LAX was in 2005, and I could get closer to the runways than I can now, so I didn't get many shots of planes arriving or leaving.
10/17/09: This is a "doctored" shot of a plane coming in for a landing over Sepulveda Blvd. from over the windshield of my car with the top down. The actual plane looked about half the size I show it here, and I inserted some clouds which didn't exist on the day I shot the photo. This is a Jetblue 727, which isn't a very large plane. A few times (when I didn't have a camera at hand, natch) I did drive under 747s coming in for a landing, and they were quite close to the ground when going over Sepulveda. For some reason, I didn't see dozens of planes coming in for a landing on the day I chose to take photos. There isn't a lot of foot traffic in this area either. And as I stated earlier, lots of police are scattered around all the areas leading to the airport for security reasons.
10/17/09: This is Dockweiler State Beach. It's the middle of October, but in So Cal it is still nice out, so there were some beachgoers. I wanted to see if I could get shots of planes flying over the beach, but didn't get any real great shots. I took this photo before walking down to the beach itself.
10/17/09: I timed this shot pretty good, getting the bicyclist before he disappeared behind the palm tree. Today I'm home, although it's a nice day. I got tired out yesterday working in the yard, trimming some overgrown plants (including the hibiscus shown in one of the above photos, which always seems to be in bloom) and mowing the lawn. This morning I woke up in terrible pain. Not from complications of working in the yard, however. I have a pinched nerve in my back, which my neurologist tells me can flare up or subside at any time. In 2006 it kept me flat on my back for three days. It's flaring up today, and I'm in quite a bit of pain, and trying not to move too much. So no photo expedition today. At least I still have lots of Hollywood photos which I still haven't posted. But hopefully I'll be taking some more expeditions soon!
Comments (39)
I loved the pictures. Thanks for sharing. I'm saddened that I didn't have time to read, but I'll stop back by in the morning!
Excellent photos and commentary, Mike! Thanks for taking me along on these expeditions! I hope I was well behaved enough that you'll take me along again.
Just teasin' you!
I love traveling vicariously through other people's amazing photos!
BTW: you look mighty dapper and handsome in that photo! I might have to start calling you "Dapper Mike"!!
You look better every year. And I loved the doctored plane photo. Do you doctor your own photos?
Dear Mike,
I love clouds and the sky and the ocean so great photos! I know nothing of photo manipulation & don't have a program for it. It seems most everyone does. Good work with the plane shot.
Have a great day.
peace,
Jane
Mike,
I like the way you adjusted the photo with the plane descending over the road. Even though you changed the photo it looks more authentic and interesting. The photo of the flower is also interesting since it immediately captures one's attention and exudes a feeling of openness.
Dear Mike,
Thank you for posting these pictures. I grew up in So. California and lived there most of my life, and it was nice to see photos of places I remember. I love the photo of the hibiscus against the clouds. Beautiful shot! Again, thank you for sharing these photos.
Dawn
Great photographs, my dear man. You look very handsome in that gray suit. You know what, the 'doctored' image of the plane coming for a landing is what the locals always see in the Tanjung Aru area of Sabah, Malaysia. Yes, the planes fly that close to the highway near the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Interesting photos.
The beach scenes remind me of Ft. Lauderdale Beach in South FL - except lauderdale has cocoanut palms
Here on the upper Gulf Coast, beaches tend to be wider, natural, and either crowded with condos (Pensacola and Panama City, et al) or wide expanses of hard sand and seashells with very few people - The barrier islands like St. George Island - where there is a twenty-mile long state park with only a single-laned paved or packed sand road often covered by sand blown off the protective dunes. Many of those beaches are just accessible by boat.
I've been to So. CA a couple of times and like it - but I do prefer the unspoiled natural beauty of the "Forgotten Coast" Beaches - rated as some of the best in the world.
I envy your photographic skills and proximity to the ocean, sir. If I ever came to California, I'd never leave the Pacific Ocean. :spinning:
great pics!
you always look so dapper in the hats :]
I'm always amazed at your talent with a lens. Your eye for angle, distance, and aesthetic is incomparable. How've you been lately?
my fave was your self portrait in the fedora but all of these are great! :fun:
Great shots, as always -- the moon and the clouds have really been nice recently!!! Where is that new Ritz Carlton? Interesting shape near the top! I flew last weekend (24th and 25th) -- there were signs all over saying that the security risk was HIGH! I've never before seen security RED signs! Wonder if there's something they haven't told us... Love the Dockweiler shots -- but my fave spot to watch the planes has been closed
@slmret - Dear Janet, The Ritz Carlton rises above the north end of the Convention Center, on the other side of the Staples Center/L.A. Live complex. It's got an interesting shape, and when driving into downtown from the south on the 110, changes the skyline considerably. There are a couple of newer skyscrapers on the other side of the freeway, so now the skyline doesn't look so "clumped" as it has since the 80s, but spreads out from City Hall on the east to this new skyscraper on the west. MFN/ppf
@baldmike2004 - I guess I need to make a trip to downtown one of these days -- haven't seen LA Live or the new skyscrapers, or even the new PD Center! It's 5 years since I retired, and probably 4 since I was in that area!!!
Great pictures. I've only been to LA once. Actually that was my only time in CA too. Hopefully we're coming summer 2010 to visit the Nappa Valley.
Oh and that's me above. Thats my Xanga Halloween Costume. I like yours immensely too!
You could pass as Terry Prachett for Halloween, with that hat on.
Well, I don't really think it will work.
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