Dreamy Orange Clouds at Mission Dolores Church

As golden hour became more and more intense just before the sunset, I admired the orange hued clouds from afar. These make the perfect backdrop against the famous Mission Dolores Basilica Church. 

Futuristic Skies + Skyscrapers by the Waterfront

The future is certainly going to be unpredictable. Not just with the architecture, but the colors, the lights that illuminate into the sky...everything will be exciting, abstract, and futuristic. 

I decided to dramatize this photo taken in Yokohama, Japan a bit more by reducing the contrast, stripping out the dark colors, adding in hints of fog, yellow-white lights, pastel hues, and abstract designs into the sky to create an entirely different vibe of the city at night. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore. 

Vibrant Orange Sunset in Downtown Vancouver

The stunning sunset above downtown Vancouver I had to capture as the elevator was rapidly going up Harbour Center. 

Sunsets in a way are such rarities--it's hard to capture the exact same sunset and if you miss your window...it can be a completely different outcome. 

Blue-Green Snowflakes and Sparkles Imagery

 'Tis the season! 

I decided to create a snowflakes design by combining a range of snowflakes, adding extra sparkles, diamond effects, and extra glow to a blue-green gradient background to jumpstart the holiday month. 

Autumn's Marvelous Beauty: Vibrant Fall Leaves

Autumn continues to bring us vibrant fall foliage. Rich red, yellow, and green hues of all shades are meshed together to create this beauty. The textures, details, and saturation of this is absolute perfection. 

Dusk Colors Across Vancouver at Twilight

Kitslano Beach Part II: After the sun sets, you're faced with blue hour at twilight. The colors begin to mute a bit, the glow fading but still reflecting on the skyscrapers, and the mountains darken more, creating a marvelous contrast against the sky and waters. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Aerial Views of Southern California Coastal Mountains

Flying through the Southern California coast eyeing ridges after ridges of the coastal mountains. I love how sharp and uniquely textured this is with its strong contrast against the clear blue skies and coastal waters. 

The Captivating Forest at Capilano Suspension Bridge

One of the most peaceful, enchanting places I've ever seen. 

Everywhere you walk, all 360 degrees around you is being enveloped by a bunch of tall 250-year-old Douglas-firs. It truly was a magical, adventurous day walking (and running) around the forest, up and down the stairs, and exploring mysterious suspension bridges tucked away in the middle of the park. 

Top of Vancouver's Revolving Night Views of Lights

Absolutely spectacular night views of the city of Vancouver from the Top of Vancouver Revolving restaurant! 

The view changes every second--the lights from the city and the bay were beyond phenomenal to look at from sunset to dark. 

Water Waves + Sunset Colors at Kitslano Beach

Kitslano Beach Part I: That moment where you're sitting right between golden hour and blue hour, where you still get the orange colors but the darkening sky creates a greater contrast. 

The beauty of Vancouver is even more striking after the sunset, with shadows of the mountains coming alive. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

The Fairmont Hotel at Golden Hour

The Fairmont Hotel building is classy, otherworldly, and historical all at once. When golden hour hits, the place transforms. The building lights up with that ethereal glow, soft pastel clouds form, and the trees create the perfect contrast from a distance. 

Inside the Garden: Bright Red Rose

So many bright flowers blossoming at the Stanley Park Rose Garden. This rose caught my attention and had this royal flair to it that I really liked. It shined so splendidly with the sun casting that extra glow to it. 

Mix 'n Match: Famous Skyscrapers and Skyline Imagery

City Mashup Part II: Continuing to mix and match different skyscrapers from famous cities all over into one single image. 

Inspired by Big Hero 6, I decided to do my own mashup with a range of skyscrapers at night, tweaking the background colors into a dark, midnight blue hue. 

Magical Display of Fireflies at Night Imagery

I always love the dramatic, magical beauty of fireflies and the cold lights that emit from them.

I decided to create a closeup image with swarms of fireflies and their bright yellow light outside by the trees. 

This original picture was taken during the day time next to a colorful lake. After changing the hues, darkening the tones, and adding in firefly art, this ended up being the final result.

Above in the Distance: Sunset over the Mountains

Red Butte Garden Part III: High above in the mountains on the other side, you can see an epic view of the Salt Lake City area, from mountains to flowers to city life and more. The super clear skies, bright orange glow, and the peaceful beauty all around made this one of the calmest, coolest sunsets ever on a sweltering day.

Swirls + Waves Collage: Blue-Green + Purple Effect

I continued distorting and experimenting with more effects in photoshop using some of my favorite colors and filters, creating a mix of neat swirls and graphic imagery. 

Golden Hour at Red Butte Garden

Red Butte Garden Part II: I just love this orange glow on the mountains as the sun begins to set during the magnificently breathtaking golden hour. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Salt Lake City's Ultra Sleek Public Library

Probably one of the coolest libraries I've ever seen. 

This public library in Salt Lake City has such a cool modern look and feel with plenty of glass everywhere, from the curved glass on top to escalators to staircases. Just remarkable all around. 

Electrifying: The Mountains of Salt Lake City

One of the most breathtaking mountain views ever as I descended from my hike. The mountains make beautiful backdrops behind the canyon with the clouds aligning so perfectly from above. 

That Sunset Glow: Colorful Orange Mountains

Red Butte Garden Part I: As the sun moves lower and lower into the sky, the stunning golden hour sunlight hits right at the mountains, casting the coolest orange glow ever.

Pink Sunrises and Moon Views in Fairbanks

Bright, frosty, clear skies on a wintry day at sunrise. 

It's one of those mornings where you walk outside and feel the blistery cold but breathe the pleasantly fresh air while soaking up the views. 

City Mashup: Visionary Skyscrapers and Blue Lights Imagery

City Mashup Part I: What happens when you mash up a bunch of cities together? 

I'm always just so fascinated by the visuals and the combined cities of San Francisco and Tokyo in Big Hero 6. Inspired by the colors and the combination of the two different cities, I decided to create an image with a bunch of well known skyscrapers from major cities and mix them all up together. 

I wanted to create an otherworldly effect with the skyscrapers by adding in unique graphic effects to the rooftops of buildings, incorporating blue streams of lights going up in the sky, and altering the background colors with a blue tinted hue (as inspired by Perfume's Tokyo Girl MV. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

The Golden Cacti at the Desert Garden

Huntington Garden Part VI: It's always so extraordinary how everything looks so different based on the time of day and where the light hits. 

It was a sweltering day in Los Angeles and the Desert Garden didn't offer much shade until the sun started setting. During the golden hour, the lowering sun casted a striking golden glow onto the cacti outside, creating a pretty cool magical vibe. 

Blue-Green and Purple Glass: Waves + Swirls Effect

What happens when you mix your favorite colors up together into a gradient and play around with all the filters and distort everything? 

You get some fascinating effects. I was surprised by how this one turned out--it looks like an interesting mix of a swirly wave with sharp glass edges and clear, vivid textures all throughout. 

Bright Blue Skies: Golden Gate Bridge's Water Reflections

It was a crystal clear blue skies day with no fog in the horizon. 

As the waves continued to wash up to the shore of China Beach, it created spectacular reflections of the Golden Gate Bridge! 

Pastel Watermelon Skies: Palm Trees Glow Effect

So many carefree, chill palm trees all over the beach in Southern California. 

I decided to modify this picture a bit (taken during sunset) by altering the hues for a full contrast effect. I like how this gives off a nice pastel watermelon vibe, with blends of orange-pink and glow-in-the-dark green colors. 

Futuristic Art Inspired by Nature: Orbital Sculpture Design

Modern art can be found at Pierpoint Lane Plaza. 

Orbital, a new contemporary art piece, is one of the highlights. It explores geometric shapes that can be found in nature and is also inspired by robots, futuristic space vehicles, and colorful origami.

Denver's Mountains + Skyline Views from City Park

From a hill above City Park, you can see the outlines of mountains and downtown skyline of Denver. 

It was a couple hours before sunset and the clouds began to form across the sky, breaking up into different, astonishing patterns. I decided to add on extra effects to this, giving it a soft orange glow. 

Vibrant Tulip Flowers at the Gardens

Bright pink, yellow, and orange tulips steal the show outside of the Denver Botanic Gardens. The impeccable arrangement and neon hues make these so much fun to view and photograph! 

Light Up the Sky: Glowing Clouds at the Lake

 

Duck Lake Part II: At around sunset, the colors in the sky instantly transformed. The coolest part was watching these small clouds above light up, glowing brightly from above. 

Within minutes, the glow faded and it started to blend in with the rest of the darkening clouds, enveloping the entire sky. 

Sunset Clouds and Reflections at the Lake

Duck Lake Part I: So many cloud formations and cloud changes. As the hours passed and the day continued to unfold, we ended up with mostly cloudy skies, offering some breakage for a peak of sunshine before the night began.  

The High-Tech: Denver's Modern Architecture + Design

I just love looking at all of the different convention centers across major cities. 

This was an extraordinary one with striking exterior design that looks even cooler at unique angles. It looks super high-tech, super sleek and fits right in at the booming Denver downtown area. 

The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre Part II: One of the most remarkable outdoor amphitheatres out there. Views of big red rocks, mountains and cityscape views all wrapped together in one place. 

The Cliffs + Views from Red Rocks Park

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre Part I: Mesmerizing red sandstone rocks surround this popular amphitheater on top of a mountain. The beautiful ridges and textures create spectacular layers that can be admired from afar. 

Painting the Sky: Clouds Formation at Sunset

So much open space in the pier by the waterfront where you can see all the fabulous cloud formations just before the sunset. The clouds were so magical and artistic; it's like looking at a painting straight out of the sky. 

Escape to the Coast: Corona Del Mar's Expansive Views

Corona Del Mar State Beach Park is known as the "Crown of the Sea." 

It truly lives up to its name with mansions surrounding the park and beach (for miles and miles), gorgeous views from the waters, and the calming, coastal glamour that you can only dream of. 

This was one of my favorite pics from this beach and I decided to add a cool blue filter to it to create a calming, yet somewhat moody photo to match the grey overcast skies. The different textures from the clouds create a slight pastel effect, which lends itself a nostalgic, ethereal, dreamy quality.

After Sunset: The Blue Hour at Laguna Beach

The fading light. 

The last remaining glow. 

As we continue to count down the minutes after the sunset until dusk, the sky continues to darken, the colors becoming more vibrant and more widespread--spreading across the sky until the very last second. 

The Star Dust Effect: Night Lights in the City

Come take an elevator ride up 40 floors and peak outside the window into the city streets of Tokyo. 

Skyscrapers, tons of lights, and a tower surround us 360 degrees of the way. 

I decided to have a little bit of fun with this picture, adding in some extra light effects, adding in trails of stars falling from the dark sky. 

State of California: Abstract Nature and Art Garden

The seemingly effortless garden that has so many meanings. 

Meant to resemble the State of California, the Noguchi Garden provides a welcome escape for locals and tourists alike. This compact, flowing, minimalist garden looks especially zen in photos and gives off an abstract look and feel, letting the viewers interpret the designs themselves.

The afternoon glow created extra vibrant, golden lighting at the top, cutting into the pyramid and offering the perfect contrast. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

Moon and Palm Trees with Purple-Pink Sunsets

Huntington Garden Part V: The sun's gone; the moon's out. 

The pink-purple sunset hues really shined at the desert garden, with these palm trees complementing so well with the gradient background, creating such a peaceful atmosphere. 

Fog + Sky Rooftop Views of San Francisco Skyline

Remarkable cityscape views from a rooftop bar in SOMA of San Francisco, offering skyline views of downtown, including the Salesforce Tower (being partially shrouded in fog) and other notable buildings towering into the sky. 

Sunset and Water Colors: Painterly Vibes

The golden hour is the best time of the day. 

Especially while watching the sunset colors from the other side of the city, all the changing hues in the sky and cool water effects. 

This is such a serene spot and I decided to incorporate extra painterly effects so it resembles more like a painting. 

Spring Alive: Sunny Skies and Blooming Pink Flowers

Saw these blossoming pink flowers on a plum tree and loved how it looked with the bright, clear lighting! The picture perfect blue sky added a nice contrast effect to this along with the sharp, dark, well-defined branches. 

Magical Clouds in the Pastel Sky

Spotted some of the most awe-inspiring clouds while in the air and had to capture this aerial view right away. 

I decided to manipulate it a bit, adding in some extra sun flare, lightening up the image, and also incorporating a mix of pastel hues to the sky in the background. 

Calming Nature: Circle of Surprise at Chinese Garden

Peer through this circle doorway and you'll get an element of surprise...tranquil nature surrounding you at all angles. 

Zen rocks, trees, and water look even better in the mid-afternoon as the sun begins to descend lower and lower in the sky, casting a magnificent yellow glow. 

Behind the Lens: Kyoto Tower at Night

The tallest tower in Kyoto, Japan offers up views of the entire city, all the calming mountains, forests, and parks along with the famous landmarks and more. 

Flows like Water: Pacifica's Beaches and Striking Waves

Such strong currents, creating a spectacular view where waves wash up to the shore, delivering an animated art show with its foam-like surface. 

The waves have such distinct textures all around, looking very 3D in a 2D frame. 

Sunset Colors: Pink + Orange Dreams at the Walkway

Pier 7 Walkway Sunset Part I: One of the most photogenic walkways ever, gorgeous during day, sunset, and night. Before the lights turned on, I captured this picture of the setting sun from the other side. 

Clear skies are covered by a couple wispy high clouds, with the Bay Bridge and pastel hues complementing it in the background. 

When the Wind Shifts: Cloudy Pink Sunsets in the City

High pressure causes some spectacular skies, clouds, and sunsets. 

I particularly liked how this sunset really captured the day really well, highlighting the amount of cloud activity that's been happening throughout and the breakthrough of the skies, while still offering enough clarity of the nearby surrounding buildings and trees. 

The contrast in the colors also makes it a pretty cool, slightly dramatic scene. 

The Architecture of Walt Disney Concert Hall

Stainless steel makes up the architecture of Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. I loved this post-modern style look and feel and wanted to capture a closeup view of it with the sun glaring down in the middle of the day, casting some cool saturated colors and hues.