Leave the great indoorsnotes on the journey

My parents are currently visiting from South Africa, and last week we took them on a road trip to explore the California Coast.  The weather was spectacular, and it was a great time all-around – it’s always fun when you have an excuse to act like a tourist in your own backyard.

I took a lot of photos of course, and you can click here to view the album of what I think are the best ones.  But I also wanted to post some of my favorites here, and explain a little bit why I like these photos.

We’ll start in Cambria, one of my new favorite places in the U.S.  It’s a little coastal gem of a town tucked away off the main highway.  It reminds me a lot of Kleinmond – the South African town where I spent my summers growing up – which might explain why I love it so much.  There’s a beautiful walkway along the ocean, where I took these photos:

We went for a walk along the beach the next morning, and I got some shots I really like.  The black sand with the white tree-stumps create a really nice effect:

We then went to Hearst Castle, where I took way too many pictures, but this one is probably my favorite:

The next morning we took off for L.A., but first we made stop in the town of Harmony, just off Highway 1.  It is one of the smallest towns in America (population 18), and it is any photographer’s dream! The place has so much character, and I spent quite a bit of time there while my family shopped around for pottery and glass works.  These are my favorite shots:

Our next stop was L.A., but I have to say that it’s probably my least favorite city in the world, so getting pictures I like there was nearly impossible.  I think you have to like a place and feel moved to try to capture its “sense of place,” as my dad calls it.  Otherwise you just end up with generic city shots of billboards and tall buildings.   So there it is – great trip, and lots of fun playing around with my camera!