Image ID# Whalen-120507-3052 | Hollywood SeriesThe Hollywood sign is visible on a clear day in Los Angeles, CA.

The Hollywood sign is visible on a clear day in Los Angeles, CA.

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Whalen-120828-4998 I responded with a pessimistic, "Yes, but, what are the chances?  We could stand here all day waiting for that."  We then walked two blocks, turned left, had a quick chat with a jewelry maker and continued down the street.  We turned to cross that street and I saw the local below out of the corner of my eye.  It took a few seconds to register that he was wearing a pink shirt and yellow shorts and walking directly toward a pink and yellow wall.   It took another second for the vision of this composite to pop into my head and I must admit that I was a second too late when I finally started shooting.  I stopped in the middle of the street and clicked away, but he was already crossing the doorway.  

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Luckily, William has more courage than I do when it comes to asking strangers for permission to take their photograph.  William asked the young man to stop and walk past the door again which allowed me to get all the images needed to complete the composite above.

The takeaways from this experience for me are:

1.  When it comes to street photography, and possibly life in general, the question should not be "What are the chances that what I want will present itself to me if I simply stand here and wait long enough?"  The question that we should ask ourselves is "What might present itself if I keep moving forward, stay focused and keep my eyes open?"

2.  It does not hurt to ask, in fact, great things can happen when we ask.  Personally though, this fact does not make it any easier.  I know that there are plenty of photographers out there, like William, that do not have any inhibitions about asking someone for permission to take their photograph.  I also know that there are a lot of us out there that are not comfortable with it at all.  Photographers, please share your thoughts on this in the comments.  

Finally, here are a couple of additional images taken shortly after the images above.  We were on a roll when it came to the people photos at this point!  The first image; a purple shirt in front of a purple wall?! The serendipity continued... 

Whalen-120828-5057 A expatriate from Florida sits in front of a cafe in Granada, Nicaragua.

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If you have an feedback on these photographs, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the images, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

This time last year I had the great pleasure of working on a conservation project on behalf of the Sheep Mountain Alliance based in Telluride, Colorado.  The images from this project were featured the NewsWatch section of National Geographic's website.  I was then approached by the Colorado Foundation For Water Education's staff who requested to license one of my images for use in the 2012 Summer edition of their Headwater's Magazine.

Here are a few additional images from the project:

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If you have an feedback on these photographs, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the images, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A sweeping panoramic view of Rodeo Drive and Beverly Hills from the roof of a tall building on Wilshire Boulevard.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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View of the Dolores River and Paradox Valley, CO looking northwest at sunset.

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Horseshoe bend in the Dolores River near the infamous uranium mining town of Uravan, CO.

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The Third Avenue bridge crosses the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls with downtown as the backdrop in Minneapolis, MN.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The morning traffic blurrs past as the sun rises over the Minneapolis skyline.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A beautiful reflection at sunrise along the banks of the Canal Du Midi in southwestern France.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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For those of us in and around San Diego, the Cuyamaca wilderness is just a quick and beautiful one hour drive from town.  I was fortunate enough to head out there on a family camping trip under crystal clear skies and was able to capture the timelapse video above and images below.   Please take a look and let me now what you think in the comments. 

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You can also view a map, including the locations where these photographs were taken, by using the map below.  Click the link below it for an enlarged and more detailed version.  Enjoy!

View Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in a larger map

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The Monument Valley sits on the Navajo Nation and provides endless oportunities to view rare geological formations such as this during sunrise on a clear morning.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The Upper Antelope Canyon glows in the late morning light just outside of Page, Arizona.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The Colorado River makes a sharp turn at the Horshoe Bend just outside of Page, Arizona.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The annual Tulip Festival at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, Oregon presents a wide selection of photo opportunities.

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A sweeping view of the Columbia River as it flows through the Gorge on a cloudy spring day.

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A sailboat cruises along San Diego Bay on a very clear summer day in San Diego CA.

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A freshly paved road cuts through Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park on a clear afternoon just outside of Las Vegas.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The skyscrapers of San Diego's skyline rise up over the city arcoss the bay from Coronado Island at sunset on a sunny day in Southern California.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The sun sets behind a beautiful blue, pink and orange sky during low tide at the Crystal Pier in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, CA.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A dolphin gracefully swims and jumps off the bow of the fifty foot wooden sailboat Tusa Tala near the coast of Santa Barbara, CA.

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The sun sets off of the bow of a fifty foot wooden sailboat, the Tusa Tala, off the coast of California north of Catalina Island.

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A view of the sparkling blue and green Pacific Ocean at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur, CA.

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A view of the sunset from the edge of the Treebones Resort in Big Sur, CA. 

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A view of Morro Bay from Highway 46 outside of Paso Robles, CA.

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The sun warms the Manhattan Beach Pier pylons as it rises on a calm and clear morning.

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The sun rises behind the 26th Street lifeguard tower on a partly cloudy morning in Hermosa Beach CA.

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A close up shot of the Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River gorge near Portland Oregon viewed from the walking bridge.

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An early moring shot of Haystack Rock at low tide near Cannon Beach, Oregon.

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A panoramic view of boats and sailing masts in Santa Barbara harbor at sunset.

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The Alaska railroad winds through the beatiful countryside south of Denali National Park. 

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Mount McKinley, known locally as Denali, or "The High One", soars above the clouds in Denali National Park, Alaska. 

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Sea otters relax on their backs and look on curiously in the waters near Sitka, Alaska.

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Humpback whales engage in bubble net feeding in Young Bay near Juneau, Alaska.

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A huge chunk of ice the size of an apartment building falls from the South Sawyer glacier in Alaska's Tracy Arm Fjord as a small group watches from their RHIB.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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Small icebergs float in Alaska's Tracy Arm fjord after having recently calved from the Sawyer Glacier.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A mother brown bear with her cub on the shore of Prince Wales Island in Alaska.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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Beautiful lily pads and pink flowers found in the Butchart Gardens near Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A palm tree forms a shadow at the edge of the lapping waves and crystal clear water of Avalon Harbor on the island of Catalina in Southern California.

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A silhouetted Joshua Tree stands in the foreground of star trails forming a circle around Polaris, aka the North Star on a clear night in Joshua Tree National Park.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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Traffic cruises along the I10 freeway in Los Angeles with the snow capped San Bernardino Mountains in the background.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The skyline of downtonw San Diego, CA provides a beautiful backdrop for an afternoon sailing trip in San Diego Bay.

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The sun sets behind the beach hut at Windansea on a calm day in La Jolla, CA as a couple walks by and a surfer floats patiently, waiting for a ride in before dark.

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The sun breaks through the clouds for a brief moment to shine on Tower 3 near the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego, CA on a cloudy and windy afternoon.

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Water droplets slide down the green leaves of a plant during the early morning.

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Six pelicans gracefully glide in formation over Birdrock in La Jolla, CA.

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The sun sets over the rocky Pacific Ocean shore in Playa Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

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A group of seals making themselves at home aboard the shipwrecked SS Catalina at the entrance of the harbor in Ensenada, Mexico.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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The sun sets with the a surfer and the Ocean Beach Pier in the background at Berumuda Avenue along Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, CA.

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The sun rises behind the skyline of downtown San Diego with the bay in the foreground and mountains visible in the background.

If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A dock lined with sailboats cast long reflections on the calm water of Mission Bay at dusk in San Diego CA.

The beautiful reflections that occur in Mission Bay when the wind is still are some of my favorite sights in San Diego.  This image was taken just after sunset on a clear and windless evening.  If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A lone man walks along the beach during the early monring hour in Bundoran, Ireland.

During my stay in Ireland, I traveled to the town of Bundoran on the west coast with a few friends.  We were hoping to go surfing at this famous spot.  It is known for having some of the best waves in Western Europe on the right swell. Unfortunately, none of us could seem to get motivated upon arrival as it was quite cold.  My consolation prize was having the time to get up at sunrise and take this photograph.   It is my favorite image from the entire five month trip as it captures exactly what I imagined Ireland to be like in all of my previous years of longing to go there.  If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!

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A bus passes by the General Post Office at night in the city center of Dublin, Ireland.

This photograph was taken on one of my first evenings after having moved to Ireland upon graduating from college in 2004.  I was fortunate enough to have received a work permit and was able to stay in Ireland for nearly five months.  If you have an feedback on this photograph, positive or negative, or would like to hear how I took the image, please leave a comment.  Thank you for reading!