La Costa Coffee Roasting Co.

Starting later this week I will have a gallery of photos on display and for sale at La Costa Coffee Roasting in Carlsbad. To celebrate this, I invite anyone in the area to to stop by this Saturday, January 14 from 9am to 10am. I will be there during those times. However, if you can’t make it this Saturday, you can view my photos there until March 8. The address is:
La Costa Coffee Roasting Co.
6955 El Camina Real
Carlsbad CA 92009
The forecast calls for another rainy day, a nice day for a cup of hot coffee or hot chocolate! I hope to see you there!

Natural Landscape Photography Awards

I have been honored with several of my photos doing very well in contests over the past year. One photo in particular , Dancers in the Meadow, has gotten accolades in several contests and did exceptionally well in the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. The image didn’t win, but made it to the final round of judging with 26 images out of over 8,000. This image will be published in their upcoming book.

One of the contest organizers, Tim Parkin, wrote an elegant description of this photo in On Landscape magazine,

“In a stunning example of complex composition, Lawrence has recognized the potential of the scene and found the perfect position that allows all of its elements to play a part in a coherent, if complex, whole. The two key trees in the center lean over the central smaller tree as if in a dance. The two smaller trees on the left bow in their presence. All of this would still appear off balance if it weren’t for the reaching arms of the maple on the far left. Even the right side is ‘closed’ nicely by the spiraling trunk of the last tree. And we haven’t even mentioned that glorious color of sandstone, desert varnish and maple. A textbook example of resolving complexity.”

International Landscape Photographer of the Year

Another one of my photos did very well in a different contest, the International Landscape Photographer of the Year, The photo titled “Snowy Pines” scored in the top 101 and will be printed in their 2022 competition book. You can view an online version of the book here. Scroll to the bottom of the webpage to view the book. My photo is on page 93.

Prints for Sale

Finally, any of my photos are available as prints for sale. I can print ready-to-hang on metal, canvas, or acrylic with professional print labs. I can print professional quality unframed on paper at home up to 18″ x 12″ Check out my website for more information and to see my images.

One of the things I am learning to appreciate as a photographer is finding interesting photos close to home. When I stay local, I can explore places in depth and return to the comfort of my home. I would like to give a shout out to Alexander Kunz, who does this often, finding interesting scenes around San Diego. However, I also went on several road trips over the year to revisit places and explore some new ones.

Here are twelve of my favorite photos and memories of 2021.

These first two shots are from a place I hike often, though rarely at 5am. In early January I visited twice at sunrise. On both days, we had a layer of clouds with a break on the horizon which allowed the sun to light-up the underside of the clouds. On the first visit, I was shooting with a wide zoom lens. I decided to come back two days later with a mid-range zoom. What a great start to the year!

In March I saw a cold storm system was heading for San Diego with a forecast for snow in the local mountains. I went out each of the three days looking for photos. On the first day, I drove the Sunrise Highway in the Laguna Mountains while the storm blew through. I captured this scene of a bent Yucca with the snow blowing.

In May I took a three-week road trip to the Pacific Northwest. My first stop was Olympic National Park, where I spent five days as part of a photography workshop with Eric Bennett and TJ Thorne. What I loved about this workshop is that we camped in the rainforest and spent time finding our own compositions with help and feedback. One evening we went to an area of the forest beside the river. Even though the river was not visible, it created a break, letting the evening light filter into the forest.

Below is another photo from a different evening. I love how the trees in the forest often grow out of decaying logs and the new tree’s roots reach around the fallen giant.

My next stop were the Redwoods on the northern California Coast. Every day I went out hiking in the morning and evening. After a few days we started getting a mystical fog with rays of light penetrating the forest. The moment of the photo below was stunning and I knew so immediately.

One day we had a rainbow in the fog which we called a fogbow.

The redwoods of northern California are very close to Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor on the southern Oregon coast, so I ventured up there several times. I came to one particular location at sunset exploring and looking for better light each time. I wasn’t planning to stay past sunset even though I knew this was a great spot to shoot the Milky Way. However, on my third visit I ran into another photographer who convinced me to stay. We waited in the chilly darkness for the Milky Way to rise and get into the position. I was tempted to get up and go several times. In the end I stayed until 1:30 am and was happy I did.

I didn’t take many photos or travel much again until October when I went to Utah looking for fall color in the desert. Some of my favorite photos, however, were in the barren badlands.

On the way home from Utah I stopped for a few days in Zion National Park. I love the teardrop shape of the pool of water in this one.

I had one more trip in December of 2021 to Death Valley National Park. Here is my current favorite from this trip, taken as the sun rose over the sand dunes.

To see a complete Best of 2021 collection, click here.