I was there too
More than a decade ago, I spent some time in Santa Cruz along with the rest of Automattic for the Grand Meetup that year. I’ve already posted a few sunrise photos on the beach, but these photos of surfers riding the waves have been in my TODO folder for a long time.
| Aperture | ƒ/4 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 6D |
| Focal length | 105mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/2000s |
Chicago in 2005 was a city in flux, and nowhere was that more obvious than at the Trump Tower construction site, right on the banks of the Chicago River. I was walking at the edge of the site and took a bunch of photos, some of which I’ve posted over the years.
What you see in front of you appears to be the open area next to the “new” tower. Over to the left is the Wrigley Building and looking at Google Street View gives a good view of what it looks like now, from across the river.
I haven’t been back to Chicago in twenty years. I’d love to see it again.
| Aperture | ƒ/6.3 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 18mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/100s |
I last visited Chicago in 2005, when I took this photo of the Wrigley Building, and this “We’re glad you’re here!” banner.
Did you know the clock faces of the Wrigley Building are each almost 6m in diameter? The two towers of the building were completed just over 100 years ago!
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 20D |
| Focal length | 53mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/160s |
In 2019, Lulu was this beautiful blue VW bus and was a photo studio on the final night of the Automattic Grand Meetup in Florida that year.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 16mm |
| ISO | 250 |
| Shutter speed | 13s |
The setting sun caught between the supports of Ventura Pier in California.
| Aperture | ƒ/11 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 240mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1250s |
Visiting the Mural Room in the Courthouse of Santa Barbara was a treat I was not expecting. The murals depict the history of the region, sometimes inaccurately, as they include Peter Pan, Robin Hood and Errol Flynn!
| Aperture | ƒ/2.2 |
| Camera | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Focal length | 2.2mm |
| ISO | 500 |
| Shutter speed | 1/30s |
Santa Monica Pier stretches out into the sea, but halfway out is a funfair including a roller coaster and ferris wheel, of all things. On a sunny day it’s a sight to behold. The place is thronged with people too!
| Aperture | ƒ/9 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
When I walked past this little dog and snapped a photo of him with my phone, I didn’t realise I was photographing a celebrity dog.
Thanks to Google Images, I found out the dog is Ali the Rasta Dog on Instagram. I’m not a fan of dressing dogs up in clothes, unless it’s cold out, but it’s obvious Donald, his owner, loves Ali and takes great care of him.
Some links about Donald and Ali:
His new little furry friend has made all the difference, he says. He calls him Ali the “Rasta pup.” Donald says his newfound faith in God has also helped relieve his anger and he says he now has a reason to live, and a friend to share that life with.
Steve Breen
| Aperture | ƒ/1.7 |
| Camera | Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| Focal length | 6.3mm |
| ISO | 40 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1500s |
The waves roll in on the beach at Ventura Beach while the pier extends out into the sea. The pier was damaged in storms and closed in early 2023, but still made for a great subject at sunset.
I have so many photos of this pier from that night. I’ll be posting photos of it again over the next year or two.
| Aperture | ƒ/11 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 41mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/6s |
This is something you won’t see often in The Truman Show, it’s an empty street.
It’s not the same road as the one with the traffic jam in the movie, but it’s similar. It’s surreal walking around the town of Seaside in Florida after seeing The Truman Show.
| Aperture | ƒ/13 |
| Camera | Canon EOS 40D |
| Focal length | 106mm |
| ISO | 400 |
| Shutter speed | 1/640s |
A mural on a wall in Santa Barbara shows George Floyd, and his words, “PLEASE, I CAN’T BREATHE”.
The mural was painted by Griffin Lounsbury and Chad (Chadillac Green) Westmoreland. Here’s an article about the mural by a local newspaper.
| Aperture | ƒ/8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 32mm |
| ISO | 1600 |
| Shutter speed | 1/500s |
I had no idea what make this car was when it drove past, but Google Images says it’s probably a Cadillac of some sort from the 1960s. It looked beautiful, whatever it was, and the guy driving knew it too.
| Aperture | ƒ/2.8 |
| Camera | ILCE-7M3 |
| Focal length | 24mm |
| ISO | 100 |
| Shutter speed | 1/1600s |
