Saturday, September 24, 2011

Trip to Bolsa Chica reserve

So since it was my Friday off, I decided to rent a Nikon 300mm F4 AF-D. This thing is pretty massive, about 2 lbs and 8.6". This lens was introduced in 1987, and I wanted to rent the newer AF-S version but couldn't find a shop that had it for rent.




Anyway, I headed down to the Bolsa Chica ecology reserve and the Upper Newport reserve to test it out. I shot everything wide open at F4 to test out the sharpness.


Willets in flight, Bolsa Chica Reserve, CA
Willets in flight, Bolsa Chica Reserve, CA

Long billed curlew in flight, Bolsa Chica Reserve, CA
Long billed curlew in flight, Bolsa Chica Reserve, CA

Mallard, Newport Reserve, CA
Mallard, Newport Reserve, CA

Snowy egret feeding on fish, Bolsa Chica reserve, CA
Snowy egret feeding on fish, Bolsa Chica reserve, CA

Western sandpiper looking for food, Bolsa Chica reserve, CA
Western sandpiper looking for food, Bolsa Chica reserve, CA

I was pretty happy with the results wide open, especially with a 20+ year old lens. Looks like I know what my next lens will be (the AF-S verson of course).

Brandon Yoshizawa
B.A.Y | photography
http://bayphotography.smugmug.com/
Landscape and Wildlife photography

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Long Beach, CA by night

So I've been wanting to shoot more around home, so I headed down to Long Beach, CA to get a few captures. The waterfront has some great colors that reflect off the water at night. I headed down to the Queen Mary to get a better view of the waterfront.

Downtown Long Beach waterfront from the Queen Mary
Long Beach Waterfront from Queen Mary

I also walked around the waterfront to get views of the lighthouse and harbor.

Long Beach harbor with downtown in the back
Long Beach harbor

Queens Bay bridge and lighthouse in Long Beach
Long Beach lighthouse and Queens Bay bridge

Long Beach lighthouse
Lighthouse during the day

I plan on heading back as soon as time allows.

Brandon Yoshizawa
http://bayphotography.smugmug.com/
 B.A.Y | photography
Landscape and Wildlife photography

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Kings Canyon, California

So every year we take a 3-4 day camping trip, and get to relax, hike, eat, and just enjoy the outdoors. This year we decided to go to Kings Canyon so Mai @ Bunch Studio could see the Sequoia's. We found a spot at Sheep Creek Campground and set up all of our tents and stuff. After, while everyone was relaxing, I walked around the campground looking for birds/wildlife. I did spot a few American Robins, and a woodpecker but my 200mm wasn't long enough to get a good shot. We did however have many Stellar Jay's around our site.

Stellar Jay, Kings Canyon California
                                      Stellar Jay, Kings Canyon California

We ended up hiking for a majority of the time, and had a chance to see Moro Rock, Panoramic Point, Hume Lake, Mist Falls, and stop off at a few other scenic points.

Panoramic Point, Kings Canyon California
                                     Panoramic Point, Kings Canyon California

Vista Point, Kings Canyon California
     Vista Point, Kings Canyon California

Hume lake, Kings Canyon California
     Hume Lake, Kings Canyon California

Kings river at sunset, Kings Canyon California
                                Kings River Sunset, Kings Canyon California

As much as I enjoy NOT having people in my picture (unless for scale), we managed to take a few group pictures:


                Kings River and massive granite formations in the background


                             Kings River view from behind our campsite


                                     Ito in front of Mist Falls - per his request

So this might be the last camping trip for a while, depending on any new additions to the family. Until next time.......if there will be one.

Brandon Yoshizawa
B.A.Y | photography
Landscape and Wildlife photography
http://bayphotography.smugmug.com/