New year, new hikes

With a new year of hikes ahead I headed out to Morgan Territory to to get back on the trail.  I was greeted with one of the coldest hikes I can remember.

Blowing fog and a cold wind whipped over the park as I headed out rom the staging area.  I was hiking solo today taking a short 6-mile loop and it was going to be a chilly time.

The lack of rain left the trail rock hard and it felt like I was hiking on cement.  The hills were brown instead of a lush green from winter rains.  Winds whipped the trails sending dirt and leaves everywhere.

I made my way along the trails shivering in the winds as it whipped across the grasslands and open spaces of the park's valley.  Clouds and layers of fog raced across the sky above me as the sunlight filtered through the gray mist to the trail.

Hopefully the rains will come this week and I can look forward to returning to the waterfalls sometime soon.  It was cold today but a good time back on the trail.

Pretzel logic

It's hard shooting wrestling sometimes.  The match can end at any moment with a pin and it can be a struggle to get a photo with a face in it.  Mostly  I end up with these bodies twisted into pretzel shapes.

The last two wrestling matches I shot I came up with some pretty unique views as the wrestlers vied for better position and a pin.

After a while all I see are feet and elbows, go figure.

Don't think, feel

This is another quick iPhone photo I grabbed on the way to another assignment.  I parked next to the old jail on Seventh Street and the first thing I noticed was the red brick contrasting with the sky and wispy clouds.  I grabbed a quick shot and played with the lighting effect in the Dynamic Lighting app for the phone.  I am starting to like this idea of random photos, I should try and do a series.  Don't think about what to shoot- just do it as they say.

The road

It's a long way to nowhere.

1st dog of the year

A new year brings a slew of new assignments and today was the first Pet of the Week for 2012.  Lucky me I drew a pit bull with an attitude.  He really didn't want to sit still for a photo and wanted to put his best side toward the camera.  This bodes well for 2012.

Leaves

A lonely little leaf and some filter work courtesy my iPhone.  I have to do this more often it's kind of fun.

Winter colors

The last few leaves cling to the branches in winter.

Shooting from the hip

For my last hike of 2011 I took a solo trek up the rugged slopes of Eagle Peak in Mount Diablo State Park on New Year's Eve day.  I decided to travel light and would rely on just my iPhone's built in camera for whatever pictures I would take.

This has to be the fewest pictures I have taken on a hike, but that's ok, this was more about getting out and getting my mind right.  Just for fun I decide to shoot the pictures with the the Hipsmatic app or process photos with the special effects filter in the Snapseed app.

It's kind of gimmicky looking but for the occasional shoot I like the effect.