Surf’s up in Sunset Cliffs, San Diego and the Pacific Ocean is calling your name!

Surf’s up in San Diego and the Pacific Ocean is calling your name!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

From one coast to another! Yes, the lavish lifestyle of a travel photographer. I was in Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom and now I am back in my hometown of San Diego, California soaking up the sun.

My photography has taken me all over the world, but sometimes I forget that I live in an American paradise here in “Sun” Diego. The weather has been in the high 70s this week so the other day I went to one of our hidden gems called Sunset Cliffs. This area has sheer cliffs that borders the Pacific Ocean and as the name states, it is a popular place for locals to watch the sunset.

There are some surfing spots below the cliffs and I spied on these two surfers as they headed down toward the ocean. I followed them down the cliffs and I captured one of the surfers just as he jumped into the water while his friend looked on.

I hope everybody has a great weekend. I am going sailing today and the weather will be at a high of 82 degrees. With that type of weather I may be jumping into the water just like the surfer!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Ring of Fire! National Mall - Washington, DC

Ring of Fire!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Sunset on the National Mall in Washington, DC. I took this in front of the U.S. Capitol with my Canon 5D Mark II camera mounted on a small table top tripod. I forgot to remove my UV filter, but as a result it gave me this “ring of fire.” I like making mistakes like this. It is still cold here in DC and waiting for the cherry blossoms to bloom.

I have been busy brokering a budget deal with Congress, working with the State Department on increasing world peace and playing golf with the President. I will be catching up with all of you soon.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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The Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”

The Beach Boys “Surfin’ USA”, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

The Beach Boys classic song, “Surfin’ USA,” mentions some top surfing beaches in San Diego County. Here they are featured in the lyrics in bold.

Watch the Beach Boys perform “Surfin’ USA”

If everybody had an ocean
Across the U.S.A.
Then everybody'd be surfin'
Like Californ-i-a
You'd seem 'em wearing their baggies
Huarachi sandals too
A bushy bushy blonde hairdo
Surfin' U.S.A.

You'd catch 'em surfin' at Del Mar
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Trestles
Australia's Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny way
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

We'll all be planning out a route
We're gonna take real soon
We're waxing down our surfboards
We can't wait for June
We'll all be gone for the summer
We're on surfari to stay
Tell the teacher we're surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

Haggerty's and Swami's
Pacific Palisades
San Onofre and Sunset
Redondo Beach L.A.
All over La Jolla
At Waimea Bay

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin' U.S.A.

Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin U.S.A

Yeah, everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin U.S.A.

I took this sunset photograph of Oceanside Beach which isn’t featured in the song.

It doesn’t matter because...

Everybody’s gone surfin’

Surfin’ U.S.A.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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What famous 1980s movie was filmed nearby the Oceanside Pier?

What famous 1980s movie was filmed nearby the Oceanside Pier?, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Maverick: I feel the need...
Maverick, Goose: ...the need for speed!

Charlie: Excuse me, Lieutenant. Is there something wrong?
Maverick: Yes ma'am, the data on the MiG is inaccurate.
Charlie: How's that, Lieutenant?
Maverick: Well, I just happened to see a MiG 28 do a...
Goose: We!
Maverick: Uh, sorry, Goose. *We* happened to see a MiG 28 do a 4g negative dive.
Charlie: Where did you see this?
Maverick: Uh, that's classified.
Charlie: It's what?
Maverick: It's classified. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

If you haven’t guessed it already those quotes are from the 1986 classic film “Top Gun” starring Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, Anthony Edwards as Lieutenant (junior grade) Nick "Goose" Bradshaw and Kelly McGillis as Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood. Top Gun was filmed mainly around San Diego and established Tom Cruise as a Hollywood superstar.

“Charlie’s House” or the “Top Gun House” is located at 102 Pacific Street in Oceanside, California, just walking distance from where I photographed this pier. The house sits on a prime location with a million dollar oceanfront view.

In the movie Maverick (Tom Cruise) rides up from a hill in his motorcycle to the front of Charlie’s (Kelly McGillis) house for a dinner date.

Here’s a link of that scene from Top Gun of the seaside house with a golden sunset and palm trees in the background.

=============================

Measuring a distance of 1,954 feet, The Oceanside Pier is the longest overwater pier in Southern California. The pier is a popular fishing spot for locals and located at the end of it is a 50’s style diner called Ruby’s Diner.

Technical notes:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II camera
Canon EF 17-40mm f4L lens
Manfrotto Tripod
Maniac Photographer

Happy Travels!

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You stay classy, San Diego!

You stay classy, San Diego!, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

"Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in, it always goes down smooth." - Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Sunny days and mild, year-round weather make San Diego’s beaches a world class destination. Winter in San Diego is the best time to photograph landscapes and seascapes due to clear skies (no haze or fog).

Imperial Beach is a residential beach city in San Diego County, California. It has the distinction of being the most southwesterly city in the continental United States. If you were standing on the Imperial Beach Pier you would get a clear view of Mexico, which is only a stone’s throw away (that is if you have an arm like quarterback Cam Newton).

I took this photograph of the pier right before sunset. As luck would have it a young couple ran across the beach and into my frame. That’s San Diego for you...having fun in the sun!

I hope you are enjoying my San Diego series and as Ron Burgundy would say in his signature sign off for each broadcast, "You stay classy, San Diego!"

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Always Look, Down, Back and Up

Always Look, Down, Back and Up, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Travel photographer Rick Sammon has a saying that you should “Always look down, always look back and always look up.” He believes that so many people miss great photo opportunities because they are in such a hurry to get to the final location that they miss what’s going on around them.

This almost happened to me on a sunset hike to the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica. As one of the world’s ten most active volcanoes, I was looking forward to photographing it.

I hiked and reached the crest of a hill where I had a magnificent view of Arenal all the while the sun was beginning to set behind me. I turned around and I saw my nephew, Richard, and his wife, Cindy, admiring the sunset.

I turned my camera on them to capture this silhouette. I’m glad I did.

Thank you Mr. Sammon!

Happy Travels!

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A Great Way to End the Day in Wilmington, North Carolina

A Great Way to End the Day in Wilmington, North Carolina, a photo by Sam Antonio Photography on Flickr.

Beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina! No words can fully encapsulate such a beautiful city. Located between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean Wilmington entices you with its distinctive architecture, friendly locals and historic downtown.

In the early 1980’s this sleepy little town was thrust into a new thriving industry - filmmaking. With such popular television hits like Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill and movies such as Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Forrest Gump, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Sleeping with the Enemy, Blue Velvet filmed here, Wilmington has garnered the name “Hollywood East.”

Restaurants, cafes, bars, historic buildings, stores and art galleries line the pedestrian friendly downtown riverfront district. Strolling the area one afternoon, I noticed these trees were strung with lights and I knew instantaneously that this would make for a great “blue hour” photograph.

Looking at this photograph brings back some great memories and a constant question - Why did I ever leave Wilmington?

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Lost on Michigan Avenue

The Michigan Avenue Bridge carries Michigan Avenue across the Chicago River. Michigan Avenue is home to famous landmarks such as the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the Magnificent Mile.

Since moving to the Midwest from Southern California, I have visited the city that Frank Sinatra sang as "My Kind of Town," numerous times. The first time I visited Chicago I took this same photo with my old Canon Powershot camera that didn't have image stabilization so it came out a little blurry. I always had the notion in the back of my mind to return to take that same photo. So over this past President's Day weekend I took the three hour drive from my home in Appleton, Wisconsin to Chicago, Illinois.

One quirky thing about photography is that sometimes a little gadget, rather than a new camera body or lens, can make a huge difference in your image quality. A couple of years ago I was photographing Bodie Ghost Town in the Eastern Sierras of California and I met a fellow photographer who had this strange square device on his hot shoe.

"What's that strange thing you have on your camera?" I asked.

"It's a bubble spirit level. You serious don't know what this is and you call yourself a landscape photographer?" he replied incredulously.

Okay I thought to myself....so after returning from that trip I ordered a bubble spirit level online and my photography has vastly improved along with less time fooling around with Photoshop in trying to straighten out my crooked images. What is a bubble spirit level? It's a little square that you put on your hot shoe that ensures your camera is perfectly level whether shooting in horizontal or vertical position.

What does this have to do with this photograph?

As I walked out of my hotel I put the bubble spirit level on my Canon 50D camera hot shoe. When I got to this location and put my camera on my tripod I noticed the bubble spirit level was missing! I didn't have time to retrace my steps to look for it since I would miss the "blue hour," so I did without it and continued to take a couple of frames for the next ten minutes before my 50D completely froze up! The wicked Chicago cold melted down my 50D! On the LCD my menu screen was on, but I couldn't navigate out of it in addition to my shutter button not working at all.

So once again I turned to my backup camera, the always reliable and phenomenal Canon G9! I am constantly amazed of the incredible image quality that comes from this compact camera (The photograph you see here was taken with the G9). Since I lost my bubble spirit level, I used the G9's grid view to ensure the horizon was level. After freezing in the cold and cursing at myself, I retraced my steps to my hotel looking for my bubble spirit level but to no avail.

So somewhere on Michigan Avenue is my lost bubble spirit level. Somebody probably found it and asked the question, "What is this strange square looking thing?"

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Door County, Wisconsin Sunset

Another photograph from my Wisconsin series as I take a break from posting my photos from my Philippines trip.

Some of the best sunsets in Wisconsin are in Peninsula State Park located in Door County. It gets very cold in this part of the world so much that bodies of water freeze over (as a native Californian I just find this fascinating). The frozen body of water you see here is Green Bay (yes, as in the Green Bay Packers football team).

As I was driving through the park, on a road that was parallel to the frozen bay, I noticed people walking on the ice and admiring these strange ice formations. They are called pressure ridges which are long cracks in the ice that occur due to repeated heating and cooling. They are also a sign that winter is ending and spring is beginning as temperatures begin to rise.

I have never walked out on a frozen body of water before, but I thought it would be a great experience and besides there were other people on the ice so it would be safe. It was only after I started walking on the ice did I realize that with 45 degree weather (warm for Wisconsin) and the pressure ridges in front of me did it dawn upon me that the ice was thinning out and maybe I shouldn't be out here.

I quickly put that notion aside when I scouted a perfect location that would make for a great sunset shot. When I came back that evening, I was the only one walking around on the frozen bay among the pressure ridges. I was risking death in the event if the ice cracked and I fell in the icy, cold water!

The things I do to get that perfect shot. Please remember I am a professional and do not attempt this on your own!

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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Before there was email...

There was the Pony Express!

The Pony Express mail service operated for only 18 months from April 1860 to October 1861 before it fell victim to the transcontinental telegraph.

Riders would gallop along a 1,966 mile route from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California where upon the mail would be taken upon a steamer to be sent down to San Francisco. Because the mail was delivered by riders on horseback rather than stagecoaches mail could be delivered between the Pacific and Atlantic coasts by ten days.

The Pony Express Monument in Old Sacramento, California commemorates the first Eastbound ride which started at this exact spot at 2:46 a.m. on April 4,1860, when Sam Hamilton started his first lap of the 1,966 mile trip to St. Joseph, Missouri.

Old Sacramento, California is located on the Sacramento River and is minutes from the State Capitol. It has the highest collection of "Gold Rush" era buildings and is registered as a National and California Historic Landmark.

Kudos to the young men of the Pony Express who endured inclement weather and treacherous terrain to deliver mail, while today I sit at my computer and send electronic email to thousands of people all over the world in a blink of an eye!

Text and photo copyright by Sam Antonio

Canon 50D, Canon 10-22 f/3.5-4.5 Lens

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