We got lucky!  It was an unusually warm (almost 70 degrees), non-windy day in January, in the Antelope Valley, and thirteen LPA members met up to photograph the beautiful canyons at Red Rock Canyon State Park, with it’s scenic desert cliffs, and spectacular rock formations.  We were all excited about learning how to photograph star trails on a moonless night.

David Wilkins, our trip leader, has a passion for star trail photography and scenes in the dark, whether it be by the light of a full moon, or a dark moonless night, or painting the subject with light, and is always willing to share his techniques.  He also loves turning nature photos into B/W’s, and the dramatic cliffs and desert flora around Red Rock Canyon make for perfect photo ops.   Chris Wilkins was our wildflower guide and pointed out the first “Goldfield” and “Coreopsis” of the season.

Last Saturday, some of us were able to go down to Riverside for the January S4C competition. This is something that I would recommend to all LPA members.

We had 11 members leave the A.V. around 6:45 a.m. but it was certainly worth the early start.  I really learned a lot watching the judging. Even though there were no comments during the judging, you really got a sense of what the judges were looking for.  In fact, it didn’t take long for me to start judging the pictures myself and I found that I was running very close to the three judges that day.

December 3rd brought out a dozen or so LPA members to shoot holiday lights on Clark Court and the holiday festivities on Lancaster Blvd afterwards.  Even though only a few houses were fully decorated on the street at that point, there were still lots of interesting things to shoot.  Arriving at 4pm gave everyone plenty of time to not only take the “normal” shots with longer exposures and a tungsten white balance setting but also to get creative with zooming in/ out during long exposures and with camera movement to create light streams.  Over on the Blvd it was more about using a flash to capture faces full of holiday spirit – from face painting to caroling to marionettes to Nutcracker ballerinas.

November 15, 2010 - Led by David and Christine Wilkins

We left the Antelope Valley under blue skies and light traffic.  Four of us, Sue Craft, Lee Simmons, Dave and Chris, were headed down to visit the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. After a quick trip on the freeway we arrived at the concert hall at about 3:30 PM and parked in the garage underneath the hall.  We grabbed our camera gear and went upstairs to street level.  On Mondays there is no concert so there were few other visitors and we almost had the place to ourselves.

We spent the first hour exploring the various nooks, crannies and levels of the property.  The afternoon light of late fall had a warm glow to it, and many reflections, and abstract patterns could be found on the glassy siding of the architecturally unique concert hall.  Parts of the Disney Hall reflect like a mirror.  We followed the light around the building and then after sundown, we took our tripods and set up across the street from the hall to shoot some HDR frames at twilight.  The sky doesn’t get really dark in downtown Los Angeles but we wanted the deep blue evening glow. We also tried our hand at catching the bus and car taillights as they drove past.

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is in the block next to the concert hall so we went there to catch lights and fountains.  Tripods are not allowed in this area and guards enforce the rule so it was time to improvise and find ways to steady the camera without using a tripod. 

Back at the concert hall the guards suggested the California Pizza Kitchen two blocks down as a good place to eat; it was.  Then back to the car and home by 9.

We all enjoyed sharing photo tips and finding exciting things to photograph.  Thank you David and Chris for putting together another fun trip!

Twelve LPA members met for a late breakfast at Crazy Otto’s in Acton, to fill their bellies with a big breakfast, before heading to the arena to photograph running horses for a few hours.  If you ever go to Crazy Otto’s for breakfast know that two people can hardly finish a half order omelet and a full omelet breakfast has 6 eggs!!!

As the group was sitting there, and the clock struck 10AM… they could hear the whistle of an oncoming train, and then the thunderous roar got louder, louder, and louder, and it sounded like the train was going to come right through the restaurant!  But…  the tables and chairs weren’t shaking.  Oh yea… it was pretend.  The old timers to the AV, had to explain the history of Crazy Otto’s to the newcomers. 

Led by David and Chris Wilkins

Star trails in the night sky; a full harvest moon illuminating the Alabama Hills; moonset over the High Sierra…  all enticed David & Chris Wilkins to put together a LPA field trip.

David did his “prep” work and utilized technology to plan the timing, and places to be. Sunrise/set and Moonrise/set times are available at http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/astronomical-applications/data-services/rs-one-year-us.  Utilizing the program The Photographer’s Ephemeris one can determine where and when the sun/moon are going to rise/drop behind the mountains.

September 10, 2010
Led by Bill & Leslie Sutton

Six LPA members carpooled down to the Long Beach Aquarium on this beautiful Friday morning.  The car pool lane was wide open.  “Friday Light” in all the other lanes was just creeping along, so if you go… take a friend!  The aquarium crowds were non-existent.  All the kids must have been back to school.  Bill found discount coupons for all, so everyone got a break on the entry fee.

The second opportunity to visit  Tropico Mine was a big success, thanks to the 19 earlier risers that attended.  Any trip to Tropico is a good one, that is if all the elements are right.   On Saturday July 31, 2010, the weather was great, the lighting was spectacular, and the company was awesome, what more can one ask for.  Yes, there is one thing, all could have been there.