Simple Pleasures: Sunset Behind the Trees

Loring Park Part I: One of those perfectly situated moments where the sun begins to set and shines straight through between the trees at Loring Park, creating a gorgeous sun flare and golden colors.

Dream State of Life: Animated Clouds at Sunset

Anime-inspired skies continue to take over our world. 

The most glorious and dramatic sunsets happen in areas surrounded by mountains as high-altitude clouds spiral rapidly from golden hour to beyond. 

I altered the hues of this sparkling sunset, adding extra light blue touches, purple-pink afterglows, sparkles, and sun flares to create a dreamy, ethereal state of life. 

Featured in Flickr's Explore.

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.

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.

Soft Pastel Summer Vibes: Sandy Beaches and Waves

 A tranquil scene in a chaotic world. 

I love this view of the waves crashing into the shore in the later afternoon, where you see the sunlight directly reflecting on the water, creating these cool textures and effects, making it look 3D almost. 

I wanted to give this a soft, pastel feel where it feels light and airy like summer and in the comforting light turquoise and pinkish beige hues, so I adjusted the colors a bit giving it a more warmer tone. 

The Sunlight Shines Through: Hints of Wonder Reimagined

Letting the light stream through all of the redwood trees~

I wanted to create a pastel imagery with streams of light and trees all mixed together. This original photo had pockets of sunlight shining through but I wanted to add more to the imagination. I also included a nice, subtle peachy salmon and aqua green gradient across the background to further enhance the dreamy quality.

Palm Trees + Sunshine in Hollywood

Glistening sunshine and clear skies seen above the lines of palm trees, adorning famous Hollywood in Los Angeles. 

The vast blue skies and the natural beauty of this landscape are always a classic. 

Vista Point's Perspective on the Golden Gate Bridge

One of those famous views captured at Vista Point. Great contrast of blue skies, clouds and the fog hovering over San Francisco city. So glad that at least the sky was clear enough on the Sausalito side so I could capture this bridge clearly!

Serenity and Sunlight at San Francisco's Ocean Beach

A simple view of the ocean that puts you at ease in an instant.

There was something with the fog, the clouds, the blue sky and the streaming sunlight (at a couple hours before sunset) mixed in together that really made this photo stand out to me. This is a simple capture but yet so special because of how these components blended in together, creating that classic beach scene.

Sunlight Streams Over the Trees: Tranquil Moments

When there is light, there is hope...and there are trees. No matter what type of darkness you see in front of you, it won't last forever and there is always light at the end of every tunnel.

Chicago River's Bright Skyscrapers by Day

Chicago River Part II: Day and night at the Chicago River. Drastically different in views and in colors...and equally astonishing. 

Clear skies, translucent reflections, and clear-cut skyscrapers make this a fun, top spot.

Light Fog and Sunrise Over the Mountains

A little bit of mist, a little bit of clouds...a magical aerial view of the morning sunrise above the ground. I looked outside the window and was amazed by the beauty and simplicity of this picture-perfect view and needed to capture the pastel glow of the sun streaming through the clouds.

Over the Rainbow: Rain and Shine Across the Bridge

A mix of rain and sun makes the perfect recipe for a rainbow! Such an epic scenery gone in an instant.

Radiating Light and Sunset Colored Clouds Imagery

We all need a little extra light in our lives.

While flying for a couple hours, I watched the sunny afternoon sky slowly transition into sunset and then darkness as we jumped through different time zones.

When I looked outside the plane, I noticed the clear, yellow-orange sunset and soft clouds across the sky and had to capture it immediately. It resembled the colors and natural aspects of the anime Your Name. Your Name has some of the best visual imagery of clouds and streams of radiating lights and I was inspired to use those same colorful effects here. While creating this image, I used the sunset photo as the backdrop and added in various layers to show streams of light (inspired by Perfume's Tokyo Girl MV), sunlight, clouds, sparkles and other reflections. I also added in some human aspects to this by having multiple versions of myself stepping on clouds and creating sharp reflections on the clouds.

City of Palm Trees: Famous Los Angeles Sunset

Everywhere you go around Los Angeles county...you're pretty much surrounded by palm trees. It makes for a fantastic, scenic drive despite all the traffic. Up above in a cozy room near downtown, I see this array of palm trees in the distance during sunset and had to capture this classic beauty. I added some sun flare, enhanced the saturation with pinkish orange hues, and blurred it out for a vintage-y, summery mix.

Bursting Through Clouds: Dramatic Aerial Photography

That moment when you peer out the window and see your plane flying across the sky with a stream of puffy, heavenly clouds surrounding the nearby area, covering (and then revealing) the random hints of sunlight.

Symmetrical Trees and Reflections By the Waterfront

While walking by the pier along the waterfront, I noticed these simple, symmetrical trees aligned together across the water and had to capture this spectacular photo, especially with the mid-afternoon sun shining below and clouds sweeping across the sky. The extra glow and the reflections don't hurt either!

Translucent Light Reflections Across the City

And the obsession with reflections continues...I loved the striking reflections of the nearby skyscrapers with the mid afternoon sunlight streaming down right from the window.

Just Paint the Sky: Gorgeous Cloud Formations Collage

It's like a painting...in the sky! Clouds are never, ever the same each day and that's what makes them so fascinating. I was capturing a sequence of clouds for a few weeks and these were the main standouts.

Majestic Sunrise by the Bay

We were rewarded with a glowing sunrise at the balcony after a night of storms in Half Moon Bay.