Four Hour Tour of Anza Borrego

Canon 5D, natural light and hand metered.

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia Hunts Wildflowers in Anza Borrego

Every few years when conditions are right, the Anza Borrego desert will get a nice bloom of wildflowers in the spring. I love the Anza Borrego desert and I seem to miss this spectacle every time I hear about it... "it's blooming... it's blooming!" Before I can arrange a trip, weather heats up and all the wildflowers are gone.

This year with all the recent rain, I figured this would be the year to catch it. Well, as scheduling would have it, once again, my trip kept getting bumped back. I didn't want to miss it again so knowing that I had a shoot scheduled on Saturday afternoon, I called a couple buddies that were game, grabbed my dog Paige and we headed out friday evening.

We arrived in Ocotillo Wells 10 or 11pm on Friday night after a bad KFC experience and witnessing an overturned vehicle on the winding road outside Banner. (My last three trips down this road held witness to incident. Be cautious folks.) Obviously too late and too dark to see any kind of flora, we built a fire and set up for the night. The weather was comfortably warm with a slight breeze which cleared the skies for an awesome view of the stars. It was a peaceful desert night. Only the sound of the fire and jokes cracking could be heard until a lone rider on a dirt bike seemed to be lost and circling our camp for hours well past 2am.... which lead to more jokes, but eventually, we crashed out for the night.

7am. Up and at 'em! We packed up camp and headed over to the Blu Inn for breakfast. This place has been there for as long as I can remember. It's probably changed hand a few times since I've visited but this is by far the nicest "version" of the Blu Inn. It's got an Old School Diner motif with all the typical fixin's and pretty bad ass Breakfast Burrito from what I witnessed. They have added a nice patio for outdoor seating and service as well. I didn't inquire but it looks like they are expanding to an RV Park and Quad Rentals too.

After we grubbed it was time to hit the trail. The Wildflower Report claimed the bloom had moved to the upper desert around Culp Valley and Hell Hole Canyon. I'm not to familiar with that area and being on a limited schedule, we chose some familiar trails and hoped for the best.

We headed out to Split Mountain and started up Fish Wash. I could see scattered color from flowers on the side of the road as we drove up Split Mountain Road. We stopped at Split Mountain, the Wind Caves and Fossil Reef to view the "Elephant Knees" but didn't hike to the Wind Caves due to time. We continued all the way down Fish Wash and entered Sand Stone Canyon. We were able to get passed the Narrows but we were not able to get much farther on the trail. Apparently from the recent earthquake on Easter, quite sizeable boulders had fallen and blocked the path. (To see images, follow the link below or click here.) At that point we turned around and headed back up Fish Wash and turn on to Arroyo Seco del Diablo Trail. We negotiated the small rock field and climbed to the plateau above Diablo Drop Off. That's when we viewed the Ocotillo and Cholla in bloom and took most of the days pictures you see above.

Next, we raced to the Tapiado Mud Caves for some quick exploration. The day was starting to heat up and coolness of the Mud Caves were inviting. (There are pictures from the Mud Caves in my online gallery as well.) Running short on time, we rushed out Arroyo Tapiado to Vallecito Wash and headed for pavement through Canyon Sin Nombre. Here, we stopped for a minute or two and captured some more images of purple and yellow flora before hitting pavement.

This was a fun and interesting short trip. I titled this blog a Four Hour Tour because, rubber hit the dirt for only about four hours and we were able to cover a lot of ground and see a lot. It was very rushed and I almost felt like Chevy Chase in National Lampoons Vacation..." there it is... OK, Let's go..." but it was well worth it. Even with traffic backed up on the 5FWY because of a van on fire, I made it home with enough time to shower before my shoot. I love it when a plan comes together. I'm going to try and sneak in another trip before all the flowers are gone... That'll be my excuse any way... I love it out there.

To see more images from this trip, please follow this link:
http://greggarciaphotography.com/online/borrego/

Dallas

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia shoots Dallas in Jimmy Camp's Back Yard!

These images are from the Maid Rite shoot that was posted earlier.  The shot with the bubbles was shot a little later in the day and our daylight is just about gone.  Dallas was just having some fun with the bubbles when I snapped this shot.

Seaman Christmas Open House

This is a spanish Colonial Revival built in 1927 located in the Banning Wrigley Historical District. This was shot with the Canon 5D. Other images from this event were shot with the Canon 5d and the Canon Speedlite 580EX.

Lucky for me, the photographer for this event had to cancel out at the last minute. This was the Seaman’s 25th Annual Christmas Party and Open House. There was plenty of great food and good cheer. The Seaman’s and every one of their guests were welcoming, friendly and amazing people. Their home was another character unto it’s own. The Seaman’s home is a Spanish Colonial Revival built in 1927 and is absolutely gorgeous. They’ve also completely furnished and decorated in this same period. They are located in the Banning Wrigley Historical District in Wilmington. I suggest to anyone even remotely interested in Historical Architecture or Old California to do yourself a favor and visit this neighborhood and museum.

Group tours of the interior of the private homes in this neighborhood can be arranged through Simie Seaman.

310-835-8177.

Naughty or Nice

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia shoots Kymree and Lyndsey  for a Christmas Card set.

This is Kymree and Lyndsey. I will probably post a few from this shoot. We had a great time shooting this and it cracks me up every time I look at these shots. These girls really worked it for these shots and managed to have a good time even though we were in less than desirable conditions. But then again, what kind of shoot would it be otherwise? This was shot in a warehouse in Long Beach shortly before Christmas. Of course it was freezing and the last thing you would want to do is run around in your underwear but here they are... What started out as a Christmas pin-up shoot evolved into a number of scenerios as we found various props in this warehouse, collaborated on ideas and thought of ways to keep the girls warm...

Canon 5D, Strobe and Halogen Lights for warmth... literally!

Gear Head - Mobile

Orange County Photographer Greg Garcia's Equipment
This is a follow up to Gear Head - AC Powered. Most of the content will be the same. So, the reason for this entry? This will answer the inquiry for an environmental location shoot without any access to electricity.
I have organized my gear so with a couple swaps in lighting, I'm still good to go. The primary DSLRs I use are the Canon 5D and the Canon 5D Mark II. My lens arsenal consists of a Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8, Canon EF 70-200 2.8 IS, and a Canon EF 85mm 1.8. I find I get most of my work done with those three lenses. For metering I still use my Sekonic handheld and I use a Calibration Target for Custom White Balance. This is probably the absolute bare minimum I would take to any shoot.

For Lighting on a "Mobile" shoot, I use JTL MobilLights with battery packs. I have a Quantum Q Flash with a Turbo Battery pack and the Canon 580EX that I can mount to a stand with a shoe mount trigger, that plugs into my wireless receiver for off camera lighting. I'll use the Q Flash or 580EX to lighten the load if we are hiking the gear to a remote location or if I need a quick accent light to pick up some detail. I find this works really well for me even in a multiple light set up.

Keeping with the same JTL Lighting mounts enables me to use the same light modifiers as I would with the VersaLights. Depending on what is needed for the job, I have a large 60" Convertable Umbrella and a number of smaller umbrellas that are Silver, Translucent and White Reflective. I have a 21" Beauty dish that I have enjoyed using as well as a number of soft boxes including the Photoflex Platinum Series Strip Dome Q39, for controlled light placement. With those tools, I've been able to satisfy the needs to get about any job done.

Ashlee

Ashlee and I have worked together before and she is a joy to work with. This was no exception. She had been wanting to update her images but had been carrying a busy schedule and not able to book a session. Finally, she had a clearing in her schedule, and contacted me the evening before, to shoot. We both had a small window in the afternoon so we scheduled a shoot in a near by park. We wanted to capture a loose outdoor feel for her shots. I knew of an area with high grass that would make a great location for her images but it was a little bit of a hike. Between our window of opportunity and also coordinating hair and makeup last minute, we found ourselves chasing daylight. The sun was low on the horizon and I knew we would never make it to the area I had intended for the shoot to get the results that I wanted. Ashlee being gracious said not to worry we can reschedule for another time. I agreed but why let this go to waste. Lets shoot! So we did. These images were taken on the side of the road on Parker St. in Orange. They were shot with the Canon 5D at 400 ASA f2.8 @ 1/30, hand held. The top image was one of the first frames shot. That warm edge of sunlight on her cheek was only there for a moment. That was the last kiss of sunlight before it was gone.

At this point, it was literally getting darker by the minute. I turned Ashlee around in the second image and got her out from under the trees to get more light on her. I was already shooting wide open and at 1/30 of a second hand held. I didn't want to shift my ASA any more because I didn't want to pick up anymore noise. With my Sekonic hand held light meter I moved out toward the street until I got my exposure back to 1/30. With the sun behind her and below the horizon, we got a really nice wrap around light and because the light still had direction, it gave her hair separation from that background. Placing Ashlee in front of the treeline gave me a nice edge in the shine of her hair. If she was placed with sky behind her, that highlight would've bled right into the sky. We shot until it was too dark and we couldn't take the mosquito attacks anymore, which didn't take long. It was a short and fun shoot and we were happy with the results.

Ashlee is great to work with and if you're interested in working with her you can contact her via:
http://www.modelmayhem.com/ashleenicolem 

The King Mixers

The King Mixers at the Fox and Hounds English Pub in studio City. I believe they play there every friday night. I recommend having a few pints and checking them out if you’re ever in the area.

The King Mixers

After our Crafter Guitar shoot, I called up some friends in the area and we ended up at the Fox & Hounds. The Fox and Hounds English pub is a Studio City, California landmark where British Ex-pats join the young locals (and wayward visitors who stumble upon it) for pints, darts and sports from around the world. This evening, The King Mixers were playing. This band took their time getting started but when they did, I was really glad we stumbled in. These guys play Beatles, Cars, Queen and an amazing version of Baba O’ Riley by the Who. When they play, they do not merely “cover” the songs, they interpret the songs with their own piss and vinegar. I thoroughly enjoyed these guys and I would recommend checking them out if you’re ever in the area.

METAVENGE

Orange County Band Photographer Greg Garcia Shoots Metavenge
Metavenge shot in San Pedro with a Canon 5D, Strobe and Brolly.

Metavenge from Houston Texas. I got the opportunity to see these guys perform after the shoot and they are heavy, hard and shove their music right down your throat. You’ll definitely be hearing about these guys in the future.

We shot in San Pedro and in typical fashion, not free of incident. We arrived, late afternoon, scoped out the area, and set up to shoot. Within minutes, not even ten frames into the shoot, security stopped the shoot. I was escorted by security to see the Regional Director or something like that. By the time we got to the office, there wasn’t anyone to talk to and the Security officer kinda shrugged his shoulders and said I couldn’t shoot there. Meanwhile, the band’s manager called me on the cell phone and in code, we were able to communicate to move the equipment around the hill and behind a wall where security won’t be able to see us. Security escorted me back to where we were originally shooting and I kinda dismissed it like they had to get going to their show. Once security was out of sight, I bolted over to the guys and finished the shoot. As you can see, we were racing daylight. This was one of the last shots of the day. The guys were great and we got some great shots. Of course I had to harass them for not warning me about Security. “How could you guys not see him...? He had to cross a parking lot and a grass field to get to us!” I guess they were just too into the staring down the camera.