Finally seeing the monarch butterflies in Pacific Grove in their sanctuary
One of the symbols of the town of Pacific Grove, California is the monarch butterfly. I lived here over two years, with never seeing one so I was long wondering, how can it be the symbol but yet I have never seen a single one?? Well, I learned they only go to a very specific area, a sanctuary, and it is not in an area I regularly pass by nor can you see from any main thoroughfare. So I finally took my camera to this monarch butterfly sanctuary, and once again, my expectations were really different than reality! There were no clusters of butterflies, they were not flying right by people’s eyes, there were a scattered few, and they were high up in flowering tree branches. I brought my preferred lens for photographing insects, a Sony 90mm f/2.8 G Macro lens, which was not nearly long enough to get photos of the butterflies without a lot of cropping in to get the photos you see here. Luckily my Sony a7R V camera has the resolution to allow for that. So I recommend if you are going to photograph the butterflies, bring at least a 200mm lens, and be prepared to look up, maybe even high up, to see them! At least now I know what to expect and can be better prepared to photograph them next year.
Sunny Saturday for the 2025 Pacific Grove Butterfly Parade
This annual parade featuring mostly local school kids welcomes the visiting monarch butterflies to Pacific Grove who are on their own annual parade of sorts, or rather migration! The parade closed with some high school classes of 50+ years ago carrying their banners. I wonder if some of those class of 1975 and later people as kids walked in this same parade?
Capturing Dreamscape Ocean Photos with a ND Filter in Pacific Grove California
What is a neutral density (ND) filter and why am I so excited to finally own one?? Well, it is a piece of glass that screws onto the front of a camera lens that is like a very, very dark pair of sunglasses. The ND filter greatly restricts how much light comes through the lens, onto the camera sensor. Using typical daylight or twilight camera shooting settings, the ND filter would result in just a black rectangle, totally underexposed! However, this then allows the photographer to keep the shutter open for a long time, for a long exposure photo which means, the moving ocean water becomes like cotton candy. Clouds get spread out across the sky. That is how I was able to make these photos you see here, by leaving the shutter open for 30 seconds. Without the ND filter on, the photos would just be white rectangles, totally overexposed. So I call these types of photos not merely landscape photography, but I think more descriptively, dreamscape photography. Then again, I am a daydreamer!
Pacific Grove annual The Little Car Show brings a big crowd in 2025
One of the benefits of living in downtown Pacific Grove is that many very cool events are just walking distance away. Such was the case today with The Little Car Show taking place just two blocks from both my photo studio and apartment. I really enjoyed this car show because it was not the usual kinds of cars you see at the average car show. Many cars I had never even heard of before, let alone have seen before. So many of the car owners started talking to me about their cars with such interesting stories and history with their cars. One person with a VW van took his now wife out on their first date in it. All these years later, he just finished restoring it with his daughter. What an amazing story it was! Thank you to all the car owners who came to Pacific Grove today!
There are often weather alerts for “sneaker waves” for the Monterey Bay coast where I live. Pacific Grove is a quiet small town, right on the coast that is often full of drama. Such was the case on a recent afternoon, so I took my camera with 70-200mm lens (medium telephoto) to see what wave splashes I could capture. When I took the above shot, about 100 shots into the time I was shooting, I knew immediately it was the shot I had been looking for, and that was even before I noticed the birds in it, which just added to the shot. I took a few more photos after that, but I knew I had gotten what I envisioned before even leaving the house. This is something very satisfying and recommended for any photographer, envision what photo you want to get before going out, and then when you get it, you will know.
Candid Event Photography for Ribbon Cuttings in Pacific Grove
This was a very high energy ribbon cutting because the owner of I heart You Candles, Sherry, is a very high energy and enthusiastic person! As an ambassador for the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce I regularly attend events like this and of course always bring my camera. This time I was also a customer purchasing a candle to bring home to my girlfriend. Thank you Sherry for your help in picking out the best candle and good luck with your new business here in Pacific Grove!
Venue Event Photography at Asilomar Conference Grounds Street Fare in Pacific Grove California
This was night two of three photographing different venues at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California that each had a very different theme. The first night was a rustic theme, while this night went in a totally opposite direction, and underground at that, with a street fare style and DJ vibe. Asilomar Conference Grounds was the client, and wanted me to focus not on the guests, which is the usual for photographing an event, but rather the venue itself and the experiences that could be had at this street fare style setup they created. It was a striking venue to photograph and I am sure it will be something many other guests will see and request for when they book with the conference grounds! Thank you to Alex, Crystal, and the whole team for a fun evening of photography in a dynamic setting.
