Before the Fallout…

Forgive that heading for sounding so dramatic, but it fits. My adding of pages to this website is usually out of chronological order and in 2020 that habit seems quite at home. These words are being typed in late September and the images below will celebrate the month of February; a point in time where the world was…different.

Like almost everyone (some knew it was coming) I was engaging in “normal” life activities with rising concerns about the Coronavirus starting to fill the headlines. I hiked, enjoyed the beaches, and captured little moments as I always did. This is my joy, my creative exercising, to make sure to photograph something every couple of days. These images, the ones not on a paid gig or with a very direct narrative, end up in pages like this and I label them as “extras.” No set of extras has been more impactful to me than these from February 2020. They have the energy of a completely different universe, one before Stay At Home orders, masks and social distancing. To me, they are equally enjoyable and painful for their ability to induce yearning for both the taken-for-granted freedoms of the past and hope for a “solution” to the virus.

Here’s some LA County in February:

2.11 - El Monte, CA

The looming Cornonavirus really is the story that surrounds these images, but also worth mentioning is that all of the images shown here were captured on a new Nikon D7200 and Sigma 18-250mm Macro. Starting in 2017, I pined and pined for a new DX format camera and lens combination that could be my new all around travel and photojournalism gear. Way back in 2010, I was addicted to my D90 paired with an 18-200mm. That duo worked well for walking around, and event work. Somewhere along the way, I traded in the 18-200mm and had been lacking the ability to have a “do it all” zoom lens. Also, after traveling internationally a few times, I saw the need to have a good shooting combo that could capture much without the worry of stopping to switch lenses, also something that could be lighter than the D800E. The D7200 fits and is a wonderful upgrade from the D90. The Sigma 18-250 is a great gift as well. I didn’t realize how much I missed shooting close details with a macro lens. The images below are from the first day of shooting with the combo, and you can see that I have been happy with them ever since:

2.12 Glendale, CA

2.12 - Ernest E. Debs Regional Park

2.13

Unknown location, but nice view…and a cat.

2.13 - Alhambra, CA

2.14 - PAsadena, CA

2.14

Another unknown location, somewhere on the east side of Los Angeles. This sunset ended up showcasing the new combo’s (D7200 + Sigma 18-250) quality. The last two images of the rolling landscape in particular felt like it had nice depth and HDR:

2.15 - Mt. Washington, Los Angeles

2.17 + 2.18 - Dockweiler State Beach

2.18 - El Segundo, CA

2.19

One shot from South Pasadena, CA, and then I really enjoyed grabbing some shots of the foliage on Collins Ave. in Monterey Hills:

2.21

A mix between Alhambra, CA and Koreatown in Los Angeles:

2.24 - Venice Beach

Yes, I thought the light inside the public restroom was cool.

2.28 - Sunset Beach - Huntington BEach, CA

Sandpipers and a sandcastle:

2.28 - El Monte, CA

As more time passes, I keep thinking this sunrise sky might be the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in California. After almost seven years in California that’s a grand thing to say, but it just might be true. I’ve never seen cloud formations like this and the light was hitting them just right: