Any discussion of extreme weather photography surely includes Jim Reed.  I’ve long admired the drama and tension of his images.  Interestingly, I also find an odd calmness among the chaos and threatening nature of his photographs.  While I certainly tend to stay clear of significantly threatening weather (vs. Reed who chases such conditions), his work none-the-less has an influence on how I photograph landscapes.  I follow the “weather” closely here in Southern California, always on the look-out for the prosect of cloud-filled skies or heavy ocean swells.

Reed’s book, Storm Chaser, has garnered the attention of the national press (with recent coverage on Good Morning America, Fox News, The New York Times, among others).  I’m especially excited to check-out his appearance on tonight’s (12/28) broadcast of 20/20 - which will include footage of Reed’s adventure capturing Kansas’ recent blizzard.  

We spent Christmas evening at the beach watching the sunset. I brought the camera along.

From our family to yours – wishing you the happiest of holidays, and an awesome New Year!

Since no blog post is complete without an image or two…here are some out-takes from our Holiday Card photo session.

And the winning selection (before black & white conversion)…

Both the Temptations and Bob Seger’s renditions of the Little Drummer Boy are among my favorites. We jam to them around the house this time of year…bringing a bit of Motown to SoCal. Found these gold nuggets on YouTube:

Give Ethan a football or basketball and he’ll dig it for a few minutes. But give him the ocean or a mountain hike and he’s in his element – ready to go for hours, and never losing interest! This is one of the benefits of living where we do, as both are nearby. Today we ventured 5 blocks to a hike that I’ve been excited to take Ethan on for some time. Today he was ready, and said, “Take me to the top of the world Daddy.” How could I resist? These types of adventures with my son are precious, and I treasure them dearly.

A contemplative moment, combined with some bright mid-day sun and lens flare.

Ethan celebrates making it to the top ledge after a challenging ascent. (left image = bottom of the trail; right image = top)

The prospect of encountering rattle snakes and mountain lions made the hike especially gratifying