Photo Essays Galleries

Photo Essay: Canada Geese : I was hiking along a cliff trail overlooking the beautiful ocean at Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel, California. It was a cold and windy early morning, and I nearly lost my camouflaged boonie hat. Many previous times I walked this same path looking for subjects to photograph. I had photographed hummingbirds, lizards and certainly the majestic ocean shore and cove. This time I heard "wheep-wheep-wheep" but at first, I could not tell where it was coming from. The wind was dispersing the sound. I was not even sure of the source. After a few moments, I heard "wheee-oow" and then "wheep-wheep-wheep" just as I observed a gander leading his Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) family out from the brush and climbing up a rise toward me. He called out in a low-pitched "ahonk" as he saw me. The adult female goose, slightly smaller than the male, was following the gander in a protective manner protecting her new brood. She called out with a much quicker and higher-pitched "hink". The goslings periodically gave a wheezy soft call or a drawn out whinny. This was a marvelous sight indeed. I nearly forgot to photograph them. I could not believe how incredibly yellow the goslings were. I wonder if you can imagine just how soft they looked.

Photo Essay: Canada Geese

Photo Essay: Family Reunion : P-51D "Mustang," San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, San Luis Obispo, California. I heard that the P-51D WWII fighter was going to land at a nearby airport. When I arrived, I saw it landing a ways down the runway and I took this photograph. The aircraft is as beautiful as I expected it to be. What I found out later was a very interesting story. In the rear seat was Marcia Beckman, age 84. This was the highlight of a large family reunion. Her husband, Ralph Beckman (deceased) was a B-29 bomber pilot. Her brother, Charles Harris, was a B-52 bomber pilot. The pilot was her nephew, Jeff Harris who is a Captain for American Airlines. He supervised the two-year restoration of the P51D that flew for the 15th Air Force in Italy. The owner is Jack Croul who is with Allied Fighters in Chino, California. Jack was a Captain and flew a B-17G bomber for the 96th Bomber Group from the Snetterton Heath Airfield in the UK. Jeff's brother, Dave, is a corporate pilot. Marcia is the last alive of her generation. Marcia said that they flew low over the cliffs at the coast and he even inverted the aircraft. She told me that the ride was a totally awesome and thrilling experience. Great information is available on the P-51D in the links.

Photo Essay: Family Reunion

Photo Essay: Homeless : It is not lost on me that but for the grace of God and one or two different personal decisions, this photo essay (still under construction) could easily show a photograph of me sleeping or hanging out wherever I could. I grew up in East Los Angeles, California and as a White Fence gang member; I observed many activities on the streets that I roamed. As I came to know the ‘street people’ who were my friends, I learned more about those who were or had been homeless. I present the images in this essay as a representation of the people who are homeless. I do not know that the individuals depicted are homeless. Homeless: 'An inadequate experience of connectedness with family and or community.' This fact recognized by Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme suggests that homelessness may not be just about a lack of shelter. I believe that is a sense of not belonging to family or society. Many folks are one or two paychecks away from being homeless. An estimated 100 million people worldwide are homeless. A 2007 study by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year in the United States. This photo essay provides a photographic ‘homeless’ slice of life. To learn more about being homeless click on the links below. http://www.nchv.org/veterans.cfm http://www.nationalhomeless.org/ http://www.homelesscamera.com/index.html http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/lists/homeless.html http://www.redcross.org/more/commserv/hless.html

Photo Essay: Homeless

Photo Essay: Last Road Trip : I was spending the day photographing at Fisherman's Wharf when I watched this wonderful dog being pulled in a red Radio Flyer wagon. Several people stopped to pet the dog and ask about the wagon. Jaime (a California fire fighter) patiently told them, that Taz became very ill and this was his "Last Road Trip" before he was set free of his situation. This was his special wagon trip to Fisherman's Wharf, Monterey, California and other areas that he enjoyed running around in when he was feeling better. Jaime’s friend Tamara and her dog Cowboy (Taz’s friend) joined in the special day. I asked Jaime, if I could take photographs of her and Taz. She graciously agreed to share some time with me. This gallery includes some of these photographs. All of the photos in this gallery are available for purchase.

Photo Essay: Last Road Trip

Photo Essay: Lynx : I was walking along the U.S. Coast Guard Wharf at the Breakwater Cove Marina, Monterey, California looking for Sea Otters to photograph near the large granite blocks of the breakwater. The wind was blow the light fog away from the Wharf. I had already walked up and down the long pier several times without seeing anything moving but the gulls and a few people strolling on the pier. Then, I saw an unfamiliar sight. Just over the horizon, what looked like the masts of a large sailing vessel, but unlike anything, I had seen before. It was sailing toward Cannery Row. I had to use my AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED lens on my Nikon D-200 10.2MP camera to see a larger view. I stood on the pier captivated watching the ship appear grow larger. I realized with pleasure that it was a “Tall Ship.” This was my first experience seeing a “Tall Ship” in person and it was very exciting to imagine how this was a more common sight a hundred years ago. From the end of the wharf, I could see the ship sail near Cannery Row and as it turned toward me, it fired its cannons. I could see the puffs of smoke. I figured that it represented an historical naval attack. It was an amazing site and took me back 100 years. As it came closer, many people gathered around me watching the ship in a hushed silence. I took a number of photographs with my mid range telephoto as the majestic ship approached. I later found out that it was the “Tall Ship” Lynx, which is an interpretation of an actual privateer named Lynx built by Thomas Kemp in 1812 in Fell's Point, Maryland. She was among the first ships to defend American freedom by evading the British naval fleet then blockading American ports and serving in the important privatizing efforts. The Lynx sailed just beyond the end of the rock sea wall and nearly stopped. Then several times, it fired its cannons at the entrance to the harbor. There were barriers but I managed a few photographs. Later, I photographed the Lynx sailing near the Old Fisherman’s Wharf. I took additional photographs after it docked.

Photo Essay: Lynx

Photo Essay: San Quentin State Prison "BIG HOUSE" : When I take the Larkspur Ferry from the North Bay to the Ferry Building in San Francisco, California, it passes near San Quentin State Prison known as the “Big House” in Marin County, California. I took these series of photographs from the ferry during several trips.

Photo Essay: San Quentin State Prison "BIG HOUSE"

When I take the Larkspur Ferry from the North Bay to the Ferry Buildin ...

Updated: Jul 03, 2008 10:12pm PST

Photo Essay: USS PAMPANITO (SS-383) A WORLD WAR II BALAO CLASS FLEET SUBMARINE : For a while I wanted to take the tour of the USS Pampanito moored at Pier 45, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California. I recently did and took these series of photographs. See the links below for more information. http://www.maritime.org/pamphome.htm http://www.maritime.org/tour/index.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pampanito_(SS-383) http://www.maritime.org/tour/tatrvr.htm

Photo Essay: USS PAMPANITO (SS-383) A WORLD WAR II BALAO CLASS FLEET SUBMARINE

For a while I wanted to take the tour of the USS Pampanito moored at P ...

Updated: Jul 04, 2008 1:38am PST

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