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!

We were in for a huge surprise on the first night.  We were just walking around, and stumbled on Radio City Music Hall – it’s a world famous venue for live music and a place where I’ve always wanted to see a show.  Well, Death Cab For Cutie was playing that night, and while I was taking photos of the outside building, a couple came up to us offering up free tickets to the show.  She is pregnant and didn’t want to deal with the loud music.  Thank you very much!!  It was a fantastic show, and turned me into a full-blown, totally obsessed fan of Death Cab…

We spent the next few days being tourists, going to all the sites.  Here are some highlights:

Done with sightseeing, we went about the business of doing fun things and generally being dorks…  First, up, SPAMALOT!  Followed by a stop at the Today Show…

And of course, you can always count on Jess…

For the full picture gallery, you can go to http://rianvdm.smugmug.com/gallery/6217539_VSQpT