Mini Road trip

You guys, I went on a mini road trip two weeks ago. It was semi work related but I was able to take my family. Our destination was Pismo Beach, which is in the central coast of California. I was in a mad rush to make sure everything was packed and that we left on time that I completely forgot to take my Nikon camera. So all of these photos were taken on my iphone 6. 

Our day started somewhat gloomy and as we drove towards the ocean it became even more gloomy. This picture was taken from the passenger seat while stuck in traffic on the 101 freeway.

As soon as we reached Pismo Beach, the sky cleared up and it was nothing but sunshine. 

We had lunch at Dinosaur Caves Park and walked around and enjoyed the view. 

We made our way down a stair case but weren't able to walk through or around the caves because of the tide. The view was amazing and once the sunset came we drove towards the downtown area and had dinner on the beach. 

Sunsets like this never get old!

The next morning we woke up and had breakfast in Santa Maria and drove off to Solvang to play tourist for a while. If you are not familiar with Solvang here is a quick little history on this cute town. Solvang is a small town in Santa Barbara County that was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes who traveled West in effort to establish a Danish colony from the mid-western winters. The majority of the town consist of unique half-timbered buildings that make you forget your actually in California. 

The town has cute pastry shops, restaurants and gift shops. A replica of a 19th century Danish streetcar, is available for sightseeing tours.  

Since we were doing good on time we decided to make a quick pit stop in Santa Barbara. 

Living in California we are so fortunate to have great weather and have so many places to visit that sometimes we forget how fortunate we really are and we get stuck in our routine. Needless to say, it was nice to getaway for a weekend and spend time with my family. 

Summer

Are you guys done with summer or at least with pictures of the beach? I know, I know it seems like all I've posted are pictures of the ocean or some sort of body of water. I'm sorry, but it's summer, it's hot and I've been soaking up all the sunshine I can. With the current drought in California, I can't be wasting water at home trying to stay cool, so beach bound I am.

These pictures were taken in Huntington Beach, California.

Four Surfers

The US open started this past weekend in Huntington Beach, it just so happens I was there on Sunday. Well I was at Huntington Beach but I wasn't at the US open. We made a point to avoid the traffic and people of the US open as much as possible. I did however capture some surfers that were surfing on their own.  

Looking for Distractions

Sometimes we're okay and sometimes we have bad days or weeks. Sometimes we look for things to distract us of the sadness we feel. On this day we went to the Queen Mary to visit the Princess Diana exhibit. Pictures are not permitted during the exhibit so these pictures were taken after, while roaming the Queen Mary. 

These pictures were taken in Long Beach, CA.

Perris, CA

Last weekend we decided to join some friends and family at the lake. We figured it would be a great day to go swimming and hang out by the lake since it's been hot lately. We are currently experiencing a drought in California so we shouldn't be wasting water trying to cool down. It didn't really rain much during winter or spring but Saturday was another story. It rained so much on Saturday, like if we were finally receiving the rain we should have received during winter and spring.

We spent most of the day trying to stay dry and trying to keep are belongings dry as well. Finally around 6 p.m. the rain stopped, the clouds made way for the sun and a partial rainbow appeared.

These photos were taken at Lake Perris, California. 

Color of the Month-July

When I think of July I think of Independence day, the American flag, fireworks and barbecues. So it's no wonder the Color of the Month for July is Red!

Some of these photos were taken on an iPhone and others were taken on a Nikon camera. Now, when  picking pictures for The Color of Month post I don't have any rules, for instance the shades of color can vary and are not limited to a specific shade of red. 

This photo was taken at Hellman Trail in Whittier, CA.

This photo was taken on the 6th Street Bridge in Downtown Los Angeles. 

This photo was taken in Chinatown.

This photo was taken of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. 

This photo was taken in Santa Monica, CA.

This photo was taken at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA.

This photo taken in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles, CA.

This photo was taken in Cerritos, CA.

This photo was taken in Santa Monica, CA. 

P.s. sorry the last photo is scary.

Current Interest

Minimalist Photography, I knew some basic things about this type of photography but wasn't really exposed to it. However, Instagram has really helped me expand my interest in minimalist photography. It amazes me how many talented photographers exists and how we can easily enjoy their work at any time of the day through Instagram. Okay enough about my love for Instagram.  So what is Minimalist Photography? It's basically a technique or style of photography that is simple and focused on a limited number of elements. Some might say "less is more" when it comes to minimalist photography. Feeling inspired by my Instagram feed, I thought I would give minimalist photography a shot. 

Actually I already shared one shot with you guys, I call it American Pirate:

I struggled with the cropping of this photo because I wasn't sure if I should include the flag pole or not, I decided to keep it but I'm still not 100% convinced. This photo was taken while I was walking from Venice beach to Santa Monica. The following picture was also taken during this walk.

I sort of wish the sky was clear at the time of this photo. I think a clear blue sky would've really given this picture a crisp clean look.

My last photo is what some artist would call Candy Minimal. Honestly my interest for minimalist photography grew because of Matt Crump, he is the creator of the digital art movement of candy colored minimal photography.  He describes his signature style as candy-colored negative space, surreal compositions, offbeat and Americana subjects. If you are interested in checking out his work click here

These photos are my initial attempt at this type of photography, but it's definitely something I would like pursue.

p.s. I just realized all three photos contain the subject on the right side of the picture.