Category Archives: Photo Collections

First Friday Exhibit Opening- “Bloom”

Every year when the winter rains come I get excited about spring. It is my favorite time of year when the hillsides turn green and then burst with color. Mostly I notice the bright colored mustard flowers that brighten up my drive along the 101 freeway. This year they were especially abundant where there had been a fire in December. Such a bright reminder of the renewal that comes in spring. The hill had been charred to black and now was something of exquisite beauty.
I also love to spend many days in search of other wildflowers like poppies and lupines. It is a beautiful time of year!! Come by the gallery this month to see images from our new collection-“Bloom” Friday, May 6th is First Friday in Downtown Ventura, which means there will be lots of new exhibits at all the galleries and everyone will be staying open a little later and enjoying the festivities- be sure to get a map and check everything out:
http://firstfridaysventura.com/

Latitudes Fine Art Gallery
401 E. Main ST
Ventura, CA 93001
805-642-5257
“Bloom” Opening Reception
6pm-9pm May 6, 2016

Super Bloom in Death Valley

I have lived in California for almost 30 years and somehow never made my way out to Death Valley. So this year, with all the buzz about the Super Bloom and the Centennial Celebration for our beloved National Parks, I thought it was the perfect time to go. I only had one day which was definitely not enough…it is a very very big place! Being early March, the temperature was manageable but got a little toasty by mid day. We brought our golden doodle, Cali, but if I were to go back I would have to leave her at home, the trails and hikes are definitely not dog friendly. We saw quite a bit of the main sights, though I would love to come back and spend a few sunrises and sunsets…and the stars at night have got to be insane! We checked out Mesquite Dunes, Zabriske Point, Artists Drive, Badwater Basin, Devil’s Cornfield and lots more along the drive. It was beautiful to see the fields of golden flowers among all rugged terrain. We were in awe of all its majesty and beauty. We will definitely be back.

Feeling Lucky

Every day we are grateful. We feel lucky to live in such a beautiful community full of amazing people and breathtaking surroundings. We are certainly spoiled! We are reminded how incredible our city is, every time visitors come in and gasp at the images on our walls. We are lucky enough to be like a little “Best of Ventura” exhibit, and are honored when residents bring out of town guests to our gallery first, before taking them around town. We have the best Latitudes Family! They stop by to just say “Hi” and walk through regularly to soak in a bit of the mellow Latitudes energy. We love being a favorite hot spot and to top it off, we get to do what we love!

This month we will be focusing on gratitude and highlighting some of our favorite “Lucky Shots” and green color palette images. First Friday, March 4^th, marks the start of our exhibit and it will continue to be on display all month long.

As an added bonus, we will be holding a “Favorite Lucky Shot” contest! Our collection of Lucky Latitudes images will be posted on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17^th. Simply share your favorite from the collection, say why it is your favorite, and tag us in the share, for a chance to win a 13”x19” matted print (a $65 value). It is that simple. Winner will be selected randomly on March 31^st. Are you feeling lucky?

Big Waves at Ventura Pier…El Nino’s Arrival

In one of the biggest El Ninos the California coast has seen in years, large waves have done severe damage to the Ventura Pier. With an early start on Friday, December 11, 2015 the waves started pounding and continued all day. Many pilings were torn off and washed up down the beach in the Pierpont area. We will have to wait and see how long it takes to get it repaired so we can all enjoy strolling on it again.

Ventura Pier Gets Pounded by Heavy Surf

Big waves in Ventura, CA on Friday, Jan. 24th. Seems that about once or twice each winter, the waves get big and put on a show. Today the conditions were right for making a beautiful sight at “C” Street in Ventura.

Ventura Pier Monster Wave

Wave Photography

After receiving a new water housing from Sean at SPL Water Housings last month a whole new world has opened up, shooting wave photography is beyond challenging 🙂 Photographing anything at a Gallery quality level is extremely difficult, having that composition disappear in the blink of an eye is mind boggling :0 I am learning to see and react to scenes that have not yet materialized and maybe never will 🙁
But when they do it’s a thing of magic. Here are a few Images from my attempts at understanding this difficult but extremely rewarding new path!

Enjoy!!

Coastal Lifestyle Images

Since moving back to my old stomping grounds in Hollywood Beach, I have made it a point to be up and out of the house before day break, walking the beach and capturing the incredibly diverse wildlife and ever changing shoreline. Here are a few of my recent images.

Willets trying to stay warm in the pre dawn cold.
High Surf and Tides created large foam formations.
Offshore winds and large waves create perfect wind surfing conditions for this California Brown Pelican.
Early morning Surf Session silhouette.
Sanderlings racing in and out with the tides in search of food.

Enjoy!

Surfing Dolphins

Another great day on Hollywood Beach. The day included a Nursery Pod of Common Dolphins where mothers were teaching their babies the fine art of surfing.

Panoramics

Steve and Stephanie often photograph with film in the traditional style. Several of their cameras are panoramic formats which offer a unique perspective. These images make beautiful wall prints.

Dolphin Photos

Here are a few highlights from our dolphin photography collection that is on display in our gallery– Latitudes Fine Art Gallery– in the Ventura Harbor Village. We spend a lot of time out in the Channel Islands National Park, photographing all the beautiful scenics and wildlife. Everyday is always so different and we never know what we will find but we are never disappointed.