California's Central Coast

20 21 22 23 April 2022

Introduction

I made these photos as part of a trip of friends I helped lead along with Dave Wyman.

 

Ken Rockwell with Nikon Z9

iPhone self-portrait with my Z9 & 24-200mm VR from 2 feet (60cm) away. bigger.

Shooting

I traveled light; bringing just my Nikon Z9, Z 14-30mm f/4 and Z 24-200mm VR, and my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.

I much prefer my sharp, light Z 14-30mm f/4 and Z 24-200mm VR over the bloated trio of Z 14-24mm f/2.8, Z 24-70mm f/2.8 and Z 70-200mm f/2.8. As you can see below, the lightweight Z 14-30mm f/4 and Z 24-200mm VR are optically superb and let me shoot anything in any light, and just as importantly as being lightweight and inexpensive, the Z 24-200mm VR covers everything with a flick of the wrist rather than missing photos swapping between the Z 24-70mm f/2.8 and Z 70-200mm f/2.8 for every shot. I make much better pictures when I'm relaxed rather than tired from hauling too much gear.

I also brought my Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod with my matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head for a few long exposures, otherwise I didn't bother carrying it.

I shot my Nikon Z9 in VIVID Picture Style with +3 Saturation. My Nikon Z9 was running firmware version 1.11.

I shot everything as BASIC ★ LARGE JPG files, not NORMAL or FINE and certainly not raw. I get everything I need with JPG and can edit everything about my JPG files if I need to, so there's no need to suffer the inconveniences of raw files.

Of course I also brought my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. I shot it in its native Camera app. I read its EXIF exposure data later in Photo Mechanic for my JPG files; I most certainly didn't fiddle with manual exposure or any other camera apps.

I carried my Nikon Z9, Z 14-30mm f/4, Z 24-200mm VR, SB-400 flash (still the world's best flash for Nikon mirrorless), my tiny LEICA TRINOVID 8×20 BCA binoculars, NiteCore BlowerBaby and other goodies in my small ThinkTank Retrospective 5 bag. The Nikon Z9 with its grip is a bit tall for the small Retrospective 5 when put in facing down, but so what, it does fit and small bags are always lighter because what you carry always expands to fill whatever bag you bring, so I bring the smallest bag I can.

New on this trip is my ThinkTank Retrospective Duffel 75, a good-sized duffel bag that matches my beloved Retrospective bags! It holds just the right amount of clothes, toiletries, computers and accessories for a long weekend trip, like this one. It's super well-made of waterproof cotton canvas, cloth linings and leather trim just like the Retrospective camera bags; it's not the usual nylon duffel bag. Perfect!

ThinkTank Duffel 75 ThinkTank Duffel 75 ThinkTank Duffel 75

ThinkTank Duffel 75. click any to enlarge.

 

Editing       top

When I got home I copied the JPG files from my Z9's RitzGear CFexpress card with my RitzGear CFexpress card reader into my Mac Pro (late 2013). I imported from my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max with an Apple Lightning dock and my Mac's native Image Capture app as JPGs. I have my iPhone shooting them as HEIC and I have my Image Capture app set to convert them to JPGs as they're imported.

I sorted and picked the winners with Photo Mechanic.

Each pick received significant artistic input in Photoshop CS6 (from 2012) with the Perfectly Clear and/or Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) plugins until each completed work looked as I originally envisioned it.

Many of the iPhone shots were optimized in the free Snapseed app on my iPhone first, otherwise it was all sorted and edited and published on my hot-rod Mac Pro (late 2013) or base-model 2017 13″ MacBook Pro.

My base-model 2017 13″ MacBook Pro had but a 128GB SSD, and with all this work I was running out of room and getting all sorts of DISK ALMOST FULL or DISK FULL warnings or crashes, so I installed an OWC Aura Pro NT 1TB SSD, and voilà!, no more problems and tons of storage space. It was a trivially easy installation for anyone good with a screwdriver; OWC has clear, easy-to-follow instructional videos and includes all the tools needed. Bravo!

Like all art and man's other creations, each works first exists in my mind, and I do whatever it takes until the final result matches my vision. For instance, I often add deliberate cropping, edge-burning (darkening or vignetting), perspective corrections and/or split-toning. Photography is a creative art, not an application of rules; you have to know what the picture is going to say and how you want it to look before you take it. See also my articles at How to Take Great Pictures.

While Perfectly Clear is great for making pictures better faster, Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) lets me go from plain to INSANE!!! in no time flat. If your imagination is as vivid as mine, Skylum Aurora HDR is a must-have. Aurora HDR is amazing for adding even more WOW! to my images. While it's called "HDR" and is intended for merging multiple bracketed frames into one image, the secret is that it works great with just my single JPG shots, bringing out loads of detail from dark shadows and bright highlights and letting me make them blast your eyeballs when I want to. Perfectly Clear and Aurora HDR are magical, but each software works best on certain kinds of images. Use them appropriately.

I built and published these pages in my 2010 copy of Dreamweaver CS5. There is no template; this page is designed by hand.

 

Viewing       top

Turn up your screen brightness for best results.

Click or tap any image to make it fit your screen. On Mac Safari, command and + or - on will change the size of the page or image, and command and 0 brings it back to normal.

Everyone's screens, from iPhones held vertically to computers with squinty 16:9 monitors, have different shapes. I can't make my differently-shaped shots fill everyone's screen at the same time.

These are 2,400 pixel-wide images; the originals are much higher resolution, but only a few of those original files are shared below. These images will fill your screen horizontally, up to 2,400 pixels wide (or 4,800 pixels wide on Mac retina displays). The vertical size will vary with each image.

On iPhone and iPad, everything changes size when you rotate between vertical and horizontal.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

20 April 2022, Wednesday       top

20 21 22 23 April 2022

I met my friend Dave Wyman in Los Angeles at 9:55 AM. We loaded our gear and headed north together at 10:58 AM.

We stopped at the bottom of San Marcos Pass to get sandwiches at the very well stocked Hi-Time Liquors, and headed up San Marcos Pass to an overlook for lunch:

Trees, San Marcos Pass

Trees, San Marcos Pass, Santa Barbara County, California, 1:12 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/439 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 11.0), Snapseed. bigger or fit-to-screen.

We headed further north and arrived at the hotel in Arroyo Grande at 2:37 PM. We checked into our rooms, and met our small group and enjoyed fresh fruit in the lobby at 3 PM.

We drove into San Luis Obispo and walked around looking for pictures before dinner. We parked in the Chinatown garage:

Chinatown, San Luis Obispo

Chinatown Sign, San Luis Obispo, California, 4:25 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/400 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

We walked over to a great paella restaurant for dinner:

Paella, San Luis Obispo

Paella, San Luis Obispo, California, 5:15 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/134 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 9.9), Snapseed. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Ken Rockwell Self Portait on Toilet Wall

Self Portrait, Oceano Campground, Oceano Dunes, California, 6:36 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/134 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 9.9), Snapseed in iPhone and then Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) on 2017 13″ MacBook Pro. bigger or fit-to-screen.

In a self-portrait mood, I shot this one below so you people could see the camera and do-it-all lens I used for most of these shots:

Ken Rockwell with Nikon Z9

iPhone Self-Portrait with Z9 and Z 24-200mm VR from 2 feet (60 cm) away, Oceano Dunes, California, 6:50 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 2.7mm front camera in portrait mode at f/2.2 at 1/121 at Auto ISO 64 (LV 9.8), Snapseed on iPhone and then Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

This snap isn't too bad for a hand-held self-portrait. People look best photographed from much father away and look silly from this close, since shooting this close makes peoples' noses get too big, warps faces into funny shapes and makes ears go away, but hey, this is good enough for a one-armed shot.

I love my long-discontinued, American-made Tamrac N-25 straps. They're American-made so they've lasted for decades. I haven't removed the little white ties on the quick-releases because I don't want them to release!

As a note to myself, wearing a medium-weight sweatshirt over a polo shirt and then donning a basic jacket was the perfect combination of warmth and mobility for this trip, where it does get chilly and windy at the beach.

I kept walking from the campground to the dunes, looking for pine cones, sand and pebbles:

Oceano Dunes, California at Sunset

Dunes in Last Light, Oceano Dunes, California, 6:57 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 77mm wide-open at f/6 at 1/100 at Auto ISO 64. +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 12½), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Sand dunes aren't flat, so don't expect the corners to be in perfect focus here at f/6. This shot is all about three flowing lines.

 

Family having dinner on the beach at Oceano Dunes, California at Sunset

Perfect End to a Perfect Day, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:01 P.M. Nikon Z9 in square crop mode, Z 24-200mm VR at 85mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/640 at Auto ISO 64. +1.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 15.3), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and then curves adjustment layer masks in Photoshop CS6 (2012) to lighten the foreground and darken the sky further. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Backlit Kelp in the Waves at Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California

Backlit Kelp at Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:12 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/201 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 11.0), Snapseed on iPhone and then Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Yes, my Nikon Z9 has a crappy little flippy LCD screen, but my Phone 13 Pro Max has a huge, bright OLED screen I actually can see from arm's length, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max' 13mm (equivalent) ultra-ultra-wide lens has far more depth-of-field than my full-frame Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4, and forget trying to hold a Z9 in place as the waves keep crashing in. In this shot, it was trivially easy to get my iPhone 13 Pro Max in exactly the position I wanted for this shot as I envisioned it. Only with the pretty much unlimited depth-of-field of its 1.6mm lens could I get this all in focus in the real world racing the waves.

 

Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California

Sun Setting into the Sea, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:34 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm at f/11 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 180, +0.3 stops exposure compensation (LV 13.7), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Fishing at Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California

Fishing into the Sunset, Oceano Dunes, California, 7:37 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm at f/11 at 1/200 at Auto ISO 400 (LV 12.6), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) to darken the sun, sky and along the bottom and lighten the fisherman and the dark waves. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I cropped this to about the equivalent of 300mm and it looks great!

 

Monoliths, Best Western Casa Grnade, Case Grande, California

Adobe Monoliths, Arroyo Grande, California, 8:28 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 500 (LV 3¾ IPS), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Pool Area, Best Western Casa Grnade, Case Grande, California

Pool Resort Area, Best Western Casa Grande, Arroyo Grande, California, 8:40 P.M. Cropped from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 24mm wide-open at f/4 hand-held at 1/10 at Auto ISO 1,400 (LV 3½), Perfectly Clear (two passes to lift the shadows). bigger or fit-to-screen.

I braced my camera on a railing and shot away.

 

21 April 2022, Thursday       top

20 21 22 23 April 2022

Today we got up, grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed down to Pismo Beach:

Concrete Slides, Pismo Beach, California

Concrete Slides, Pismo Beach, California, 8:58 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 12.9), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Somehow these slides didn't look either comfortable or much fun, but I didn't try.

 

Footsteps in Wet Sand, Pismo Beach, California

Footsteps in Wet Sand, Pismo Beach, California, 9:07 A.M. Nikon Z9, Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head, Z 24-200mm VR at 54mm at f/16 for 5 seconds at ISO 64 (LV 6⅓), as shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The crazy part about this photo is that it's in color. The Z9's auto white balance and the subject magically gave me this split-toned look, without the split-toning.

 

Under the Pier in Black and White, Pismo Beach, California

Under the Pier, Pismo Beach, California, 9:25 A.M. Cropped a little from Nikon Z9, Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm at f/8 at 1/8 at ISO 64 (LV 9⅔), Perfectly Clear and Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo), split-toned-print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

It turns out that my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max also does a great job under the pier in low light, hand-held. This is about the same angle-of-view, just that I shot my Z9 horizontally but held my iPhone vertically:

Under the Pier in Black and White, Pismo Beach, California

Under the Pier, Pismo Beach, California, 9:28 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/99 at Auto ISO 160 (LV 7⅔), Perfectly Clear and Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo), split-toned-print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Tile Mural, Pismo Beach, California

Tile Mural, Pismo Beach, California, 9:46 A.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm at f/5.6 at 1/125 at ISO 64 (LV 12.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Sticker Mural, Pismo Beach, California

Sticker Mural, Pismo Beach, California, 9:49 A.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm at f/5.6 at 1/125 at ISO 64 (LV 12.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Hotlix Scorpion Suckers, Pismo Beach, California

Hotlix Scorpion Suckers, Pismo Beach, California, 9:54 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/60 at Auto ISO 80 (LV 7.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Surfer Mural, Pismo Beach, California

Surfer Mural, Pismo Beach, California, 10:07 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/2,222 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 14½), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Giant Mint Chip Ice Cream Cone, Pismo Beach, California

Giant Mint Chip Ice Cream Cone, Pismo Beach, California, 10:18 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/2,994 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 13.7), Snapseed, Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Our group had a long, lazy lunch (and I got Brown Butter Cookies) in Cayucos, and we then headed north to Ragged Point:

Elephant Seals, Ragged Point, California

Elephant Seals, Ragged Point, California, 3:08 P.M. Tightly cropped from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/200 at AUTO ISO 200 (LV 12.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen or camera-original 45 MP © 9 MB JPG.

Yes, the Z 24-200mm VR is so sharp that I was able to crop this image from the camera-original 45 MP © 9 MB JPG, giving me the same image I'd get if I had hauled a 500mm lens — and cropping like this gives me more depth-of-field to keep both seals in focus, which would have been tougher if I had lugged a 500mm lens with me. Whew! Back in the 1990s I paid over $5,000 for my used 14-pound AF-I 400mm f/2.8D which I hated hauling around to try to get this same shot on 35mm ISO 50 film.

We returned to San Luis Obispo from cold, drizzly Ragged Point. The Farmers' Market had been cancelled due to the chance of rain, so we walked around and had dinner as a group at Mo's Smokehouse BBQ:

Tri-Tip Sandwich, Mo's BBQ, San Luis Obispo

Tri-Tip Sandwich, Mo's BBQ, San Luis Obispo, California, 6:04 P.M. 2× crop from Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/30 at Auto ISO 1,250 (LV 3.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

This is one of the practical limitations of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max' fantastic macro ability. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max actually has three separate rear cameras, each with its own lens and its own sensor. Like all cameras, the widest lenses focus the closest. Regardless of zoom setting, if you get too close for the selected camera, the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max is so smart that it seamlessly swaps to the wider camera that can focus as close as you want, and seamlessly applies the appropriate digital zoom to give you exactly the framing you want at any distance and zoom setting. In this case I was so close that the 1× camera couldn't focus this close, so it magically swapped to the 0.5× camera and digitality zoomed 2×, all magically in the background so I could just shoot and enjoy my dinner.

That's it for today. Whew! This was a very full day.

 

22 April 2021, Friday       top

20 21 22 23 April 2022

Today we headed out early for the Irish Hills:

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 7:45 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/1,064 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 14⅔), Snapseed and then Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:02 A.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 130mm at f/8 at 1/160 at AUTO ISO 80 (LV 13⅔), screw-in Tiffen grad ND 0.6 filter to keep the sky from being too bright, Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) took my flat image and made it explode, even from just one JPG. Here's the original image:

Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo CA

As shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Cloudslooming over the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Clouds Looming over the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:06 A.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 49mm at f/8 at 1/800 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 16.3), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Cloudslooming over the Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Home on the Hill, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:19 A.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 38mm at f/13 at 1/160 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 15.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Tree Bridge, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California

Spring Sprung under the Tree Bridge, Irish Hills, San Luis Obispo, California, 9:32 A.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 24.5mm at f/8 hand-held at 1/25 at AUTO ISO 220 (LV 9.5), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo). bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Fourpipe, Avila Beach Pier, California

Four Pipe, Avila Beach Pier, California, 12:25 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 88mm wide-open at f/6.3 at 1/250 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 13.9), as shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Clouds above Avila Bay, California

Clouds above Avila Bay, California, 12:29 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 9mm (3× or 77mm equivalent) camera at f/2.8 at 1/2,660 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 16.0), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo), split-toned-print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Octagon Barn, San Luis Obispo, California

Inside the Octagon Barn, San Luis Obispo, California, 1:52 P.M. Nikon Z9 on Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 14mm at f/8 for 3 seconds at ISO 64 (LV 5.1), as shot. bigger or camera-original 45MP © 18 MB JPG.

I didn't really need the tripod except that I wanted to shoot at ISO 64 for the sharpest results. The flippy screen of the Z9 helped save my neck on this one:

Nikon Z9 on Oben CT-2491 Tripod

Nikon Z9 and Z 14-30mm f/4 on Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod with matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head. (Photo: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.)

 

Octagon Barn and Poppies, San Luis Obispo, California

Octagon Barn and Poppies in the Wind, San Luis Obispo, California, 2:10 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro M8ax 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/1,024 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 13⅓), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or fit-to-screen.

Sure, I had my Nikon Z9 and Z 14-30mm f/4 and my tripod in my hands, but no way with the wind was I going to be able to get a sharp, in-focus shot like this with them. I'd have to stop-down to f/16 to keep it all in focus, and then the exposure would be way too long unless I went to ISO 2,500 to get the same 1/1,024 exposure time.

Not only that, but good luck to me getting the Z9 contraption into the right place — and being able to see its tiny screen at a distance — where millimeters (fractions of an inch) matter to get the right composition.

In this case, I splayed the legs of my tripod so I could set down my Z9 so the wind wouldn't blow it over, and then I could simply reach down with my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max and grab my snap.

I love having my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max in my pocket for people, macro and odd-angle shots, for which it works so much more easily than my Z9.

From here we drove out to Montaña de Oro (Mountain of Gold) State Park, one of the most beautiful places on Earth:

Montaña de Oro State Park, San Luis Obispo County, California

Montaña de Oro State Park, San Luis Obispo County, California, 3:23 P.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 22mm at f/8 at 1/250 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 14.6), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

We hiked out to Corallina Cove, then left the park and poked around Los Osos looking for color:

Colorful Kayaks on Morro Bay, Baywood Park, Los Osos, California

Kayaks on Morro Bay, Baywood Park, Los Osos, California, 5:36 P.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 16.5mm at f/11 at 1/100 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 14.2), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Nine Posts, Boardwalk, Baywood Park, los Osos, California

Nine Posts on Morro Bay, Baywood Park, Los Osos, California, 5:59 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 60mm at f/8 at 1/125 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 13.6), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo), split-toned-print. bigger or fit-to-screen.

From Baywood Park we drove into Morro Bay for dinner:

The Three Stacks at Last Light, Morro Bay, California

The Three Stacks at Last Light, Morro Bay, California, 6:30 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 125mm at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 15.0), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

 

Sea Otter at Last Light, Morro Bay, California

Sea Otter at Last Light, Morro Bay, California, 7:03 P.M. About a 2× crop from Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 200mm (400mm equivalent after my cropping) at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 900 (LV 11⅙), otherwise as shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

It's so much easier cropping from my Z 24-200mm VR than humping my 14-pound AF-I 400mm f/2.8D all over, which I originally bought in the 1990s expressly for snapping these otters on ISO 50 35mm film.

 

Morro Rock at Sunset, Morro Bay, California

Morro Rock at Sunset, Morro Bay, California, 7:28 P.M. Nikon Z9, Z 24-200mm VR at 44mm at f/8 at 1/320 at AUTO ISO 64 (LV 15.0), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) and then Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

We enjoyed our dinner overlooking Morro Bay, and headed back to our hotel for the night. I've always loved the lobby here, which is loaded with fresh fruit during the day:

Best Western Casa Grande Lobby, Arroyo Grande, California

Best Western Casa Grande Lobby, Arroyo Grande, California, 9:48 P.M. Nikon Z9, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 16.5mm wide-open at f/4 hand-held at 1/15 at AUTO ISO 1,600, +0.7 stops exposure compensation (LV 3.9), Perfectly Clear, perspective correction in Photoshop CS6. bigger or camera-original 45 MP © 11 MB JPG.

Whew! Another whirlwind day driving all over and getting great pictures. Whoo hoo!

 

23 April 2021, Saturday       top

20 21 22 23 April 2022

We enjoyed hot breakfast at the hotel.

Adobe, Best Western Casa Grande, Arroyo Grande, California

Adobe, Best Western Casa Grande, Arroyo Grande, California, 9:12 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/4,831 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 14.4), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

We headed to the Los Osos Oak Preserve:

Mossy Oak, Los Osos Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

Mossy Oak, Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California, 10:24 A.M. Nikon Z9, Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head so I could get a precise composition, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 30mm at f/11 at 1/15 at ISO 64 (LV 11½), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) to bring out all the detail in the shadows and control the highlights, all from my one JPG file. bigger or full 45 MP resolution.

Here's how boring was the original file before I used any crazy HDR software from my one JPG file to make it so rich and vivid:

Mossy Oak, Los Osos Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

As shot. bigger.

 

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California, 10:59 A.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 1.6mm (0.5× or 13mm equivalent) camera at f/1.8 at 1/166 at Auto ISO 32 (LV 10.7), Snapseed, flipped horizontally to make it read properly from left to right. bigger or fit-to-screen.

I love the vivid Snapseed version above, while others with more reasonable taste prefer it as it came directly from my iPhone:

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

As shot. bigger.

I prefer the colors in the iPhone/ Snapseed version above, but for fun here's the shot from my Z9. I tried fill-flash for the shot below, but Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) did an even better job without flash, from just my one JPG file:

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California, 11:04 A.M. Nikon Z9, Oben CT-2491 Carbon-Fibre Tripod and matching Oben BC-139 Ball Head so I could get a precise composition, Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 at 15mm at f/8 at 1/25 at ISO 64 (LV 11.3), Skylum Aurora HDR (now part of Luminar Neo) to bring out all the detail in the shadows and control the highlights, all from my one JPG file, then flipped horizontally to read properly from left to right. bigger or full 45 MP resolution (not flipped).

Here's how boring was the original file before I used any crazy HDR software to make it explode with life:

Oak Preserve, Los Osos, California

As shot. bigger.

We checked out of our hotel, said goodbye to the group and headed south. Next stop: Los Olivos.

Holy cow! Look what we found in the middle of town:

Santa Maria Tri Tip, Los Olivos, California

Santa Maria Tri Tip, Los Olivos, California, 1:12 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/2,123 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 13.2), Perfectly Clear. bigger or fit-to-screen.

The real thing!

We ate under a red umbrella:

UNder a Red Umbrella, Los Olivos, California

Red Umbrella, Los Olivos, California, 1:33 P.M. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 5.7mm (1× or 26mm equivalent) camera at f/1.5 at 1/1,645 at Auto ISO 50 (LV 12.8), as shot. bigger or fit-to-screen.

And that's it! We drove back to LA, I dropped Dave at 4:33 P.M., and I headed home as well.

Another awesome trip!

 

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