Wrinkled Earth

My Travel Log: 

Continuing my travels along the beach which stretches from Oceanside to Torrey Pines (my foot travels so far) I have discovered some interesting things, to me anyway.  I've discovered the best beaches (without stones and rocks), I've seen palatial homes hemmed in by tattered and weathered shacks, and I've determined the favorite surf breaks by the number of surfers clamoring for a wave.  I've seen certain spots where excess seaweed is washed up from an apparent underwater seaweed field nearby, and I've witnessed the Snowy Egret feeding along the shore as the wave recedes back to the ocean uncovering a bug to eat.  

Something that is very familiar and obvious is the ever-present sign warning of bluff failure. 

Along our beaches we have high bluffs and cliffs scattered throughout the topography.  Some of them are really high and the dangerous.  The wind and weather and of course the ocean has had a severe effect on their stability.  Through erosion, soil and rock are being dissolved from the earth’s crust and washed down onto the beach.  As the bluffs weather, they become textured and wrinkled waiting for the gradual destruction from the elements. 

Some of the residences along the bluffs are in precarious positions.  Owners and the local governments collaborate to try and shore up the bluffs to prevent their collapse. And walkers and sunbathers are warned of their danger.

But there is something beautiful about the way nature slowly reclaims the land back to itself through time.  I found this spot where erosion from nature is making its mark; what texture, what design and style.  And in time it will all wash onto the beach and be swept out into the ocean.

 

 

Beauty

One of the great loves I have in photography is portraiture.  Why portraiture and not landscapes or abstracts?  I have this wondering eye always looking at the landscape of each person's face, looking for a special abstract beauty which is emoted by facial characteristics, the way a person looks, and the way a person carries themselves.  It may be someone just passing by, it may be someone sitting at a distance, or someone I see routinely.

I was photographing a young lady the other day, using various street spots for backdrops when this beautiful young woman passed by.  Our eyes caught but she disappeared into a doorway of the office.  A bit later she came out and I invited her to wait for a moment while I took a photograph of her.

 After several snaps with a willing participant, she disappeared down the walkway. 

When I uploaded my day's work, there she was.  So I proceeded to go to work adding my special "soup" to the mix of a pretty lady and a vision of what I wanted her to be.

I'll go out and look for another beauty.













 

El Capitan

Meet the "Captain."  I was at the San Diego Embarcadero recently to observe the raising of two yachts which had sunk in the harbor after the recent heavy storm which passed through.  The two old yachts had broken from their moorings and were unceremoniously sunk near the pier.

Sadly, like any other major urban area -- especially those geographically located in temperate climates -- San Diego has its fair share of vagabonds, vagrants and the purposefully homeless.  A harsh reality when homelessness is an accepted part of the moving city.

But I digress; as I watched, "The Captain" slid alongside of me and began to give me a narrative of the salvage operation.  He was quite articulate, funny and informative.  The Captain told me that the sunken yachts were used by homeless people and were abandoned when the winds came and the harbor sea became extremely rough.  He pointed out that the lines weren't frayed from straining against the wind, rather they had been cut, hastening their demise of the old, dilapidated vessels.

While I talked to him, he recounted that he loved the ocean and that before his druggie days he crewed various yachts and working vessels around the port.  But that was in another time.  Now he hangs about the harbor, occasionally yelling a "hello" to a fellow traveler as he talked of the old times.

Before I left, I asked the Captain for a couple portraits; he readily complied.  The rugged face, the large nose, the stringy hair, the ragged beard:  all part of the persona of a man who struggles along the waterfront just like those old yachts did that stormy night.

Aye-aye Captain.


Tech Information:  Fuji x100s; ISO 200; F/8; 1/320 sec.  Black and white from Nik Software Efex Pro 2.

Attitude

Street Photography is something I really enjoy doing.  So this weekend while I was giving a photography lesson to a student, we visited Chicano Park, located in Barrio Logan which is situated underneath the concrete overpasses of busy roads heading in and out of Coronado Island.  As we walked into the park, I noticed this man, his back to us, sitting on a cold concrete park bench.  His hat was perfect for the scene -- the way he was sitting hunched over.  I mentioned to the student that I would like to take this photo but he stood and moved away as we approached.  Later, we found him sitting at the same place, so using my Spanish, I asked if we could photograph him.  He was extremely polite and allowed us to do so.  After we showed him the images on the back of the camera he was very appreciative of our interaction with him.

©2016 James David Phenicie   All Rights Reserved.

Tech Data:  Fuji x100s:  ISO 200; F2.8; 1/125; Natural light.  Processed in Adobe CS6