Malibu, California

I didn't get a chance to do nearly as much shooting as I would have liked while we were in California over the holidays (the weather didn't cooperate too much, which cut into my shooting time, too), but we did take a drive up to Malibu one very nice afternoon. We intended to go to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, but my first nasty exposure to Southern California traffic prevented that.

Anyway, the trip wasn't a total loss - it was a beautiful day, and the following shots are the best of the group. All pictures were taken with my Canon EOS 50D and my 24-105L lens, unless otherwise noted.

Okay, it's cliché, but we couldn't resist; after all, it was my first time in Malibu.

We went to Paradise Cove, which evidently is pretty well-known, for some great food and views, and we were treated to plenty of both. If you're ever in Malibu, stop by - it's right off the Pacific Coast Highway, and you can't miss the signs. (The mojitos are excellent - we had the strawberry and peach [above].)

We walked along the beach, and my wife Vandra explored the tide pools. I didn't dip my toes in - the Pacific Ocean is unfortunately very cold this far up the coast - much colder than I'm used to on the East Coast in the summer.

Of course, I left my neutral density filters back in Philly (Grr!), so my options were limited in getting a decent image above and the next few below, but these are the best ones.

I really liked the way the sun outlined this couple walking down the beach.

Paradise Cove, from high up on a set of stairs behind the restaurant.

The pier in front of Paradise Cove. This was taken in late afternoon. At the top of the picture on the far right is Santa Monica - note the clearly visible haze and smog - I found it strangely photogenic. Okay, so air pollution is good for one thing - making interesting pictures. (This message brought to you by ExxonMobile. Kidding!)

This ATM just cracked me up. I live in Philadelphia, and I've never seen an ATM with bars in front of it. I don't know what look or motif that Paradise Cove was going for, but it's confusing at best. Anyway, I thought it was worth a few clicks.

These hills are behind the restaurant - I couldn't quite get the view that I wanted, but this is the best one.

I like this as much for the birds as I do the view of Malibu in the background.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the trip - the sign that greets beach visitors just outside the restaurant. I liked the light and chairs in the background - I had to wait about five minutes for people to clear out, but it was worth the wait.

I wish I could have gotten the surfer in the sunset photo below, but it was impossible from the Pacific Coast highway where we were, and the sun was setting - fast. But, I do like the color the sunset threw onto the water in these shots. I captured these with my Canon 100-400L lens on my EOS 50D.

These ladies were feeding the birds right before sunset, and I wanted to wait until a few were in flight. I didn't have much light or time to work with - I wish I could have gotten more shots, but this is the best one.

I was firing away as the light was fading, and this is probably the best sunset shot I've taken to date. I know, I know, another cliché shot, but I'm a sucker for sunsets and always will be. If for no other reason, I like them because they always take me back to where I was when I took them, and a nice sunset shot serves as a photogenic reminder of the moment. I also captured this shot with my Canon 100-400L zoom on my EOS 50D.