Sunset - WOW!!

I have said it before and I will say it again - Sunsets are my favorite times to shoot.
Someone once looked a sunset photo of mine and said that it was beautiful, but what is your subject. Granted there was no person, no mountain, no foreground, no etc. just the clouds and the changing light. If that isn't interesting enough to find a "subject", I don't know what is. Depending on the amount of wind and I guess your position on earth that would determine the speed of the setting sun, everything changes and often dramatically every few seconds. I have shot several hundred exposures (not counting the fact I usually shoot HDR with at least 3 frames per) during a sunset, just marveling at the changes I see.
Last night I looked out my door and ran to the beach for sunset. It had rained yesterday, bringing clouds to SoCal that it normally doesn't have. I was a little late getting there and saw some incredible moments sitting at a traffic light. I remember looking at the cars next to me and seeing that no one was even looking at the view that was right in front of them.
So here is the first shot I made when I got to Mandalay Beach, looking toward the Anacapa Islands.

This is a few minutes later - I only shot 150 images last night - I just watched a lot.

And this one is the last shot just as I was leaving to go home to fix dinner.

As you see, it is a constantly changing light show. If I was inclined to be an early riser, I would try to compare the views of Sunrise with Sunset.

Here's a shot of the clouds during the sunset that just looked interesting to me. Subject: Clouds!!

For you techies, all shots were three exposure HDR processed with Photomatix Pro 5; then back to Lightroom 5 for final touches.

Enjoy

Come visit the website

I have been working on the website. New look, more pictures - yes, I have been able to upload more of the Summer Trip.
I invite you to stop by:
http://www.pixstix.biz
Let me know your thoughts and remember the shopping cart is always below the photo.
Best

Jet Lag

Here it is Saturday and though my body arrived in LA Monday night after about 21 hours of traveling, my mind is just now beginning torealize it is back in SoCal.
Holloween was fun watching my granddaughter being the little Princess she is and stalking the neighborhood to get candies. Fortunately, her mom only allows her to have two pieces.
Next week I must begin work on some of those photos from the trip that I just dumped onto the hard drive, but haven't even looked at. I am afraid that Rome was left alone.

 Here is a shot taken at 6 AM Rome time from my plane as the sun was rising.

And here is sunset over the Pacific as I headed intoLAX about 6:30 PM, PST

 These were taken with my iPad Mini, with the new upgrade iso, and they are not too bad.
More to come,so stay tuned.

Time to go Home

What have I picked up while on my "expedition"?

1. Patience is a virtue, but you waste a lot of time achieving it. I can't tell you how much time I have waited for idiots, who have no clue that other people inhabit this world, to move out of a shot. 
2. Croisants in Italy have powdered sugar and a filling.
3. You have to lock your hotel door from the inside, it is often not a automatic thing, and you have to lock it on the way out. Twice around.
4. Crossing streets in Italy is a game of intimidation. Make eye contact and force them to stop while you walk across, otherwise they will have the advantage and never let you go.
5. Traffic lights are sort of there just to add color to the intersection. Few people pay attention to them. If no one is ready to go when the light changes, they keep going.
6. Scooters are everywhere and worse than cars. They sneak in between cars.
7. If there is a space of more than 5 feet in front of them, Italian drivers try their best to hit 100KPH.
8. Remember when you sit down at that beautiful patio table that you will be surrounded by smokers. It is the only restaurant seating that allows smoking. And it seems EVERYONE smokes. Walking the street is contact cancer.
9. Always use the front or rear cars on the subways and metros, as the majority get on in the middle, and that's where the pickpockets work. Don't let anyone slow you down getting on board, cause they are taking your goods. PUSH THROUGH!
10. I haven't met anyone that a simple smile and a laugh won't help translate a language barrier.
11. The food in Europe is healthy, fresh and good for you. American food is trying to kill you!!
12. Caffe gets everyone going in the morning, and by mid-morning most are crashing and nodding off. Then they light up and keep going.
13. The trains are great in Europe. Even in Italy where they are never not on time - the passenger is either early or late!
14. There is so much to see and do here, that it is overwhelming. Calm down and don't expect to do it all. Plan on coming back.

There's more I am sure but I am packing my bag for that 6:30 flight tomorrow and with an hour's drive to the FCO, and two hours ahead of international flight, I up at 3AM. Then it's three flights and a drive to Ventura. Let me see if I can find a shot to fly home on.

Saint Peters on left, Castel St Angelo on right

Castel Saint Angelo

Another old Ruin in Rome

Ciao to Roma, Farewell Europe - It has been fun and I promise to return!!

Roma

I got here Monday evening, went to my Airbnb apartment and then the troubles began. To cut a long story short, I moved out this morning and checked into a hotel that is already superior in so far as they have a room with a window. When the dead plant on the table at the apartment to welcome the guests wade the room look good then you can guess the rest. Airbnb is having troubles with it properties in NYC and other places, this could be part of it. No one is checking the validity of the properties and if they are what they are advertised to be.
Changing High Horses here.
I went out yesterday and rode the Hop On, Hop Off bus to get my bearings, and Rome is large, but not undo able. I look forward to my next few days here and the end of my expedition and returning to SoCal on Monday.
I have to go do some laundry and have some lunch, so I just leave you with this one shot of Saint Peter's Square last evening and say

Ciao

 

Warning: Don't change High Horses in Mid-Live Streaming

For those of you who can remember the original phrase, I hope you see the humor in it as I did when I thought of it. I had just heard that CBS was going to be starting a live stream. Now there will be yet another "news service" that will be ranting about all kinds of things Especially during these last weeks before midterms.
For those of you who didn't recognize the old saying, uttered many times during my youth, as it doesn't fit the three letter, two finger typing lexicon so favored by the young iPhone generation, I would say to ask your parents - but studies have recently suggested that it's not the number of words they speak to you during infancy, but the quality and complexity of the words that matter in the making of intelligently conversant adults. In other words you are just as stupid as your parents!
Oops! I changed horses again, didn't I?
Ciao

Leaving Sorrento Tomorrow

I have been in non-wifi world again, but have busy anyway. Sorry no photos today as I'm using my mini at a Pub up the street from my hotel. Got to get up early and try to avoid the pickpockets at the Napoli train station. I took the ferry to Sorrento when I arrived to miss them, but yesterday I went for a bus ride to Positano, Amalfi and then Solarno and decided to train back to Naples and on to Sorrento on the Circumvesuiana train, so of course they tried to hit me getting on to the little train. This Eastern European girl body blocks me on the way into the car and then stops right in front of me. DuH! she's a setup for someone to hit my pockets. Well, I just did a very un-American move - I pushed her out of the way and went to the back of the car and out of the way. She was able to get my side pocket zipper down but my move kept her partner from getting my phone. She did get caught by an American girl with her hand in her purse and she started yelling and shouting. Americans 2 - Pickpockets 0.
There will be so many photos to upload to this site when I get back, it could take until my next trip.
I'll be off to Messina in the Deep South and then back up to Rome.
More later
Ciao