Soleil Flowers: Traditional and Old World Charm

"Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration."

-David Herbert Lawrence 

Soleil Flowers is the mother and daughter flower arrangement team consisting of my oldest daughter Sarah, and her mom, Laurie. This dynamic duo of creative talent, coupled with their love of flowers, manifest themselves in the stunning flower arrangements these two conceive and construct.

Please visit their web site provided at the link below and take a look around. They primarily serve the San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County areas. I am extremely proud of the work Laurie and Sarah do and the high standards of business ethics and professionalism they adhere to.

Soleil Flowers

This group of arrangements were designed and produced for a wedding held in Orange County. The bride wanted an old fashioned wedding  that incorporated a sense of traditional and Old World charm and beauty.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains, Opus III

"The mountains are calling and I must go."

-John Muir

 I visited and set up three times on three separate days in order to photograph this aspen grove. Every time, I was thwarted capturing the scene without having the aspens quake due to windy conditions. On the third day I hunkered down for over two hours attempting to get just one photo without them constantly moving.

After the second hour, just standing there staring at the trees, the winds began to diminish, although not completely stop. Finally, it degraded to mild breezes, I took several photos and was happy to at least salvage one acceptable frame. Oh well, this gives me an excuse to revisit this area again - in a heartbeat - and try to bag these aspens sans movement.

 
 Middle Fork, Bishop Creek. On the way up to Lake Sabrina, and a little ways past the aspens featured in the previous photograph.

 South Lake has got to be one of the more picturesque lakes in the eastern Sierra Nevada that is easily accessible by car. This is the area where I stumbled upon the miniature grove of natural bonsai trees growing tenaciously in the cracks of a granite escarpment overlooking the lake, allowing the opportunity to photograph Sierra Bonsai in black and white.

Shot near the ski slopes of Mammoth Mountain. An early October snowfall dusted the Sierras with several inches of snow. Trekking around off of a ski slope maintenance road looking for camera fodder, I spied this scene rendered in miniature. Not more than four inches in height, when I saw it, it reminded me of a robust, Christmas tree-like pine, growing along side a huge boulder tucked away in some remote and desolate Sierra Nevada wilderness area.

That wraps up The Sierra Mountains. Next time we'll take a look-see and a gander at some of the creations Soleil Flowers has produced.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains, Opus II.

“Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.” 
-Sir Edmund Hillary

Well above the town of Bishop, which is bisected by Hwy. 395 (my favorite road!) that runs north/south through California, is an easily accessible by car, sub-alpine to mid-alpine area of the eastern Sierra Nevada range.

A paved road will take one way up to Lake Sabrina and South Lake. These photos were taken along the North, Middle, and South forks of Bishop Creek. On a good fall color year, this area is aflame with wonderful shades of yellows, oranges, and reds. Fall color the year I took these photos was good, although not spectacular. Predominant color comes from Quaking Aspen trees. There are some Western Maples which lend rich, deep oranges and reds, but they are not common in these parts as the aspen.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains, Opus I.

"Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering."

-Saint Augustine

Sand Tufas, found freestanding along the shores of Mono Lake. Although technically not part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, nevertheless, the lake is inexorably tied to it. Waters cascading down from the eastern face of the Sierras are the life blood of this unique body of water.

These sand tufas record where the lake surface once was by the flattened heads topping the towers. As bubbling and rising minerals from beneath the lake bottom coalesced and flared out at the lake's surface, these sand tufa columns and heads formed.

Hilton Creek area along the eastern edge. 180° from this point sits the Owens Valley and Lake Crowley.

Lundy Lake. Also found in the eastern flank of the range above Owens Valley. Next visit, we travel a bit farther up the mountains in elevation to visit the higher altitudes outside of Bishop, California.

Point Loma Lighthouse. San Diego, California

"As I have practiced it, photography produces pleasure by simplicity. I see something special and show it to the camera. A picture is produced. The moment is held until someone sees it. Then it is theirs."

-Sam Abell

Up the Down Staircase. View from inside of the lighthouse. Peering up the spiral staircase which accesses the large Fresnel lens beacon above.

Lighthouse keeper's desk. Actual period pieces representing the 1850's. The lighthouse was built in 1855.

Next, we venture into the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California.

People: Family

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”
-Mother Teresa



Dear Lord, thank you for my children. I've learned more about life through raising them than ever they learned from me.

The last in the series of People highlight some photos taken of my kids.

 This is at my daughter Anna's wedding where she's getting her hair styled by sister Sarah. This is the photo right out of the camera. Below is the same photo after processing in Photoshop.

Processed in Photoshop to mimic the look and feel of the Renaissance Great Masters such as Rembrandt and Titian. There is much more dark space in the rendered photo, plus the contrast and saturation were goosed.

Below are two before and after photos taken on Father's Day, 2011.

The kids came over to celebrate. Sarah (in the middle), of course, decided we should do some fun shots. Always the instigator that girl, she had us do a series of "model shoots". Eric is on the left and Anna is to the right. This is the plain vanilla photo. 

After. Dubbed "Blue Steel", from Ben Stiller's trademark model look in the movie, "Zoolander". I cut out the kids and pasted in the clouds as the background. I don't much care for the overly tanned look of the skin, but Sarah insisted she likes the look. Sigh.

Princess and the Frog

POOF! Her prince has arrived. This is Caitlin, Eric's girlfriend at the time. Caitlin is now happily married to her handsome prince, overly tanned Photoshopped skin and all.

 

This ends People. The next post will feature the Pt. Loma lighthouse in San Diego.

Soleil Flowers, Falkner Winery.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love."

-Max Muller

A couple of Saturdays ago, I shot some photos for my oldest daughter Sarah and her mom Laurie, known for their business as Soleil Flowers, a flower arrangement service that caters to just about any venue or occasion that needs flowers and floral arrangements. .

This was a wedding venue at Falkner Winery in Temecula, California. It's one of the nicer wedding venues I've been to in this area. Sitting atop a knoll, one can see rolling hills of vineyards all around, plus the wedding grounds are scenic and the reception area has a commanding view of the surrounding landscape.

The Groom's boutonnière.

Best Man

Inside of the Reception Hall at Falkner Winery. Centerpieces created by Soleil Flowers.

Next time, we finish up People.

 

People: Along the Harbor and Down by the Beach

“Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.”
– Bruno Barbey


Wow, did I catch a bunch of flack regarding the last post!!! It was just in fun. After all, I did include myself in it, and it's not the way we normally look. My dears, there is indeed a difference between fantasy, surrealism, and distortion vs. reality. One prime example of reality vs. fantasy and distortion is our politicians.

Does one really believe they look like the person staring back at them when staring into a glass Christmas ornament? Me thinks not! I'm sorry if I offended anyone for taking such artistic license, but I still like them and even treasure them, for they are photos of friends I've become fond of.

So, next time I'm around and have a fisheye lens attached to the end of a camera... BEWARE!

The Reader. I found this gentleman sitting beside the promenade along the San Diego harbor. He was so engrossed in his Tom Clancy novel that he didn't notice me circling around his table taking numerous photos of him with my fairly large 70-200mm. piece of glass attached to the end of a camera.

Sashay. I was sitting on the edge of the boardwalk in Laguna Beach one sunny summer afternoon wishing to capture people-oriented photographs. I saw this sweet little girl standing with her bucket and shovel, contemplating where on the beach she should fill her bucket with sand. After a moment's reflection, she decided to head on down to the water's edge.

As she proceeded to her spot, she sashayed, mind you, not walked. I instantly fell in love with her. Be still my beating heart! I raised two girls of my own, and there is nothing like the sweet and playful natural coquettishness and femininity a little girl exhibits around her daddy. For those who insist that the only difference between a male and a female is the plumbing, need to optimize their powers of cognizance and observation!

As for my son, he would run up to me with his little co-ninja friend Luis, yell out "Ching-chong!" kick me in the shins, and then run away. Never could catch those little %#*@!$, 'cuz by the time I finished rubbing out my shin, they were long gone.

Feeding Frenzy. There go I, but for the grace of God.

Spike!. Also shot along the boardwalk in Laguna Beach. Took quite a few shots of this athlete before getting one that was acceptable to me.

People: Fun with a Fisheye Lens


"The camera cannot lie, but it can be an accessory to untruth."
-Harold Evans


These were shot with a fisheye lens at a gathering of folks I periodically meet with over coffee in the village area of Laguna Beach, California. 

Self Portrait. Moi

Les

"Big Dave"

Beck

Helga

Please: no threatening emails from those showcased above.