Venus Transit from Oceanside CA

Ok, I waited all day for this.  I tried to take a few shots this afternoon, but the sun was too bright and too high and I didn't have the proper filter.  As the evening approached, I was praying that the evil clouds / marine layer wouldn't mess me up.  The gods were with me, because I was able to catch these shots at sunset tonight.

These were taken from just south of the pier in Oceanside, CA.

Venus to Pass Between the Earth and Sun Today

Not sure how many of you are interested in celestial events, however, we've had so many so far this year. The last one was a lunar eclipse (where Earth's shadow crossed the moon) two days ago. Today's event is something super cool . . . where Venus travels between the Earth and the sun).  From California , you should see it from approximately 3pm local time until sunset. If you don't catch this one, you'll have to wait until 2117 . . . better, you'll have to tell your grandkids to catch it.

WARNING! DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!!! Create a pinhole projector (http://www.exploratorium.edu/eclipse/how.html).

Have fun and good luck and if you have the right equipment, post photos!

Get the details from Earth Sky! 

Eclipse from 20 May 2012

I have always been fascinated with the sky.  Whether it be the day or the night.  I travel sometimes out to the desert at night to get a clear open sky with almost no light noise just to watch the stars and planets above us.  and if I am really lucky, i'll catch a satellite or meteor streaking across the sky above.  I can sit and watch the night sky for hours.

And just like any amateur photographer, I am always trying to capture shots of the moon.  I have yet to take a closeup of the moon that I am happy with, however, I have captured some great scenic shots . . . never crisp or clear . . . but beautiful scenes.

As far as eclipses, I am always excited to see those too.  My first one that i remember was back in the mid 80s when i lived in Phoenix.  I headed down to the plaza in downtown Phoenix where there was a big gathering of people.  I was delighted when i was able to witness the image of the eclipse being filtered through the leaves onto the ground.  It was like magic!  thousands and thousands of eclipses decorating the ground around me.  Oh, to have had a camera back then to capture what i remember so vividly.

Yesterday's eclipse was better than I could have hoped for.

I live by the coast in San Diego and although the marine layer was starting to set in, i was able to capture some shots of the sun and moon that i was happy with.  Not the perfect shots that some others were able to capture, but shots i do like.  Relatively crisp.  and just enough foreground to add some depth to the images.

I shot these with my Olympus E620 with my telephoto lens with a Polarizing filter on it.  The grey ones were taken by my home and the marine layer helped to create an eerie black / grey look to them.

The start of the eclipse

After the fog complete socked us in, the eclipse disappeared from my view.  However, as I could see further east, the sun was still shining at a higher elevation.  I trekked off as fast as I could and I was able to capture the eclipse was it was starting to wane.  The moon had come in from the bottom right and was just exiting the top left.

The end of the eclipse about 1.5 hours later

What an awesome treat to see this.  I can't wait for the next one!

Now showing at Relm Wine in Carlsbad

I am lucky enough to have my photos on display at Relm Wine in Carlsbad, CA for May and June 2012.  We are having a reception on 3 June at 4pm so come in and chat and enjoy Relm.

Relm is at 2917 State Street.  Their website is http://relmwine.com/art-exhibits.html.  We have over 20 images on display and canvases are for sale at Relm only discounted prices.

The Oregon Coast

We had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Oregon coast this past week.  We took the trip to continue the college search, but while there, we took some much needed time to decompress as a family and see this beautiful part of the country.

Does it rain in Oregon?  Oh, yes . . . lots and lots . . . however, we got very lucky.  As it turns out, our Thursday was relatively rain free and, as the locals told us, quite warm.

Here is the Yaquina Head Lighthouse . . . locate just a few miles north of Newport Oregon.


Near the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, there was a perch from which we could view Newport Bay Bridge.



We found this wonderful home to rent in Seal Rock, Or.  It was large and perfect for us to relax at.  Not more than 50 steps from the house was this incredible beach . . . almost secluded from the public.  Here are a few images from beach.

It took me a while to figure out what this was but it is known as a Sea Star

The beach and tidepools were Sea Anemone filled . . . all were gorgeous!


This family of waterfowl were fun to watch.


The surf was incredibly strong . . . i couldn't imagine surfing here


The simplistic beauty of the tidepools

Moonlight Beach at Sunset

Moonlight Beach at Sunset, originally uploaded by les abeyta.

At the coast, where the sun drops beyond the ocean’s horizon, people gather just to watch. Witnessing a sunset is almost a religious experience. As the sun is in the air, people are running around, chatting, laughing, sipping wine. As the sun drops low enough to kiss the sea, the sounds start to subside. Kids become more still and all eyes focus on the orange ball. For 4 minutes, no matter the day, there is stunned silence until the sun disappears for the day. Some days there is even applause.

Blank Note Cards now for Sale on Etsy.com

We send them as a thank you with most locally shipped orders, but now I am getting requests to sell my images on blank note cards. I have two designs in stock, and this one is Spiral Staircase from Kutna Hora Czech Republic. The image on the front of the card is of this beautiful spiral staircase found in Lady of Assumption church in Kutna Hora Czech Republic. This Gothic turned Baroque style church is as beautiful as it is unique. Not extravagant, but designed with simple beauty, such as this staircase that leads up to a series of anti-chambers. Black and white, the hard lines and soft turns are graceful.

Visit Etsy to pick up a set by clicking here.

This professionally printed blank note card is made on linen finish paper. The dimensions are 5.47" x 4.21" landscape mode. The image of the front and back are displayed. The inside of the card is blank so you can create your own message. The come complete with envelopes.

Stop by and check them out . . . perfect for any occasion.

The art of writing (and not by keyboard) and social grace

I remember as a kid we use to practice our printing and then as we got to the third grade, we were introduced to cursive.  When I was a senior in high school, I was forced to learn typing on an actual typewriter (not a word processor).  I remember all of the whiteout on that first paper.  When I held it up to the light, there were more dark spots than typed letters on that paper.  As technology progressed, I was glad that I had taken that typing class because then when computers and word processors became rampant, I was actually a good typist.  That sufficed for a long time until texting became the new norm . . . Oh Jeez, what is next?????  Oh, I know what is next!  Now, I don’t even have to type anything with my fingers!!! I can actually talk to my phone and it writes the message for me . . . spelling everything correctly!  (that’s a whole other conversation . . . wouldn’t it be best just to call?)

Likewise, we use to send actual cards to our friends for birthdays and write actual thank you letters to our grandparents for that spiffy new cowboy hat.  Then as I got older, it got more convenient to send dear ol' granny a typed up page from my computer . . . at least I signed that before I put it in the mail.  Now, if granny were alive and knew what a cell phone was, she'd get (maybe) at "Thx 4 10 gal hat"

I have noticed how over the years my focus on penmanship has changed.  In kindergarten we use to take our time and try to make the perfect T and make sure our small "j"s had the sharpest fish hook and the dot was placed just over the dashed guideline.  When I got the star from Mrs Heijny, I was happy as could be.  Then cursive was the next challenge . . . it was like learning a new language and I was the type of kid that wanted to see how fancy I could get.  I messed around with calligraphy a bit and boy did that get wild . . . I look back at some old homework, and boy, it would have taken a cryptologist to figure out what I wrote - I didn't even understand it - but it looked fancy.  Now, when I write, I noticed that my writing is a mix of print and my personal label of cursive (I have a copyright on it so you can't call it your own) and upper and lower case letters.  I think back to all of the serial killer movies and how the detectives try to decipher the hand writing . . . so much they can tell from a swoopy "z" vs a capital "A" that has the middle line going just a bit too far down and to the bottom right . . . "yeah, this guy must have killed a bunch of dogs when he was younger because his As are like daggers".  So, no, am not interested in my handwriting being analyzed.

Anyway, the point of this treasury is getting back to the basics of writing.  All of the wonderful artisans and artists on Etsy made me think of this last night.  On the matte of each image, I write the image name, my company name, and where the photo was taken.  Also with each photograph print or canvas I sell, I enclose a hand written thank you note to each of my clients.  Depending on the conversation with the client, it may include my story of the piece or I may write about the image as a gift for Aunty Jenny and how I hope she likes it.  Whatever the message, it is a sincere note from me to the purchaser.  My art is personal to me and when someone invests in one of my pieces, something about the image is personal to them.  In order to link the two personal experiences, a handwritten note is my glue.

Now, I haven't sold so many images that this is an overwhelming ritual.  I hope that I get busy enough that it will become difficult, however, until that day when I am so overwhelmed that I have to ship that chore to India, I will continue to write that note.

Below are some of the treasure on Etsy that help me keep in perspective how important and personal a hand written note is to help maintain social grace.  And when the electric grid finally shuts down, i'll still be able to communicate without a keyboard (real of virtual).

Cheers!

les

Oh, by the way, my kids know the imporantance of a hand written thank you . . . I know once they leave the nest, they will forget about it because I won’t be there to nag them.  But hopefully they will find this post sometime in the future and they will pick up the art again.

To see the etsy treasury this belongs to, follow this link:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTE4NDMyNDN8MjAzNjkzNTk3MQ/the-art-of-writing-and-not-by-keyboard
To see my etsy storefront, follow this link:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AbeytaPhotography