San Simeon, California / May 16, 2019 by John Lazo

Last Sunday I drove up to San Simeon, California for sunset and stopped at a pullout along the PCH a little south of Hearst Castle. I was excited to get a colorful sunset since the last four or five times I’d gone out to photograph had been incredibly overcast.

Anyway, here’s a few of my favorite images from the evening. They were all made using a Canon 5D Mark IV and a 16-35mm lens. I used Adobe Lightroom and either Nik Color Efex Pro or OnOne Photo Raw to edit them.

The Sun Sets Along San Simeon Coast

Low Shadow | Almost Cross-Processed

White Delta

San Simeon Stick

Porous

Blue and Violet, Mossy Rocks

Warm San Simeon Bluffs

Rockin' Stick

Simply San Simeon

Tomorrow's Monday

Montaña de Oro State Park, Los Osos, California / November 8, 2018 by John Lazo

I finally got a chance to photograph my first sunset in the San Luis Obispo area. This was one of the most spectacular sunset I’ve ever seen. Minutes before, it was a relatively cloudy evening with mediocre color. Quickly, the sky lit up with beautiful blues, pinks, and oranges. It’s a sunset I won’t forget.

Understanding ISO / October 19, 2018 by John Lazo

The final piece of the photographic triangle is ISO. ISO refers to how sensitive the camera’s sensor is to entering light. Creative, interesting photographs are a result of the careful combination of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Yosemite National Park / August 12, 2018 by John Lazo

A couple weeks ago, I went on a road trip to Yosemite National Park with two friends. We camped for three nights, did several hikes, watched sunrises, and captured some beautiful photographs. Below are some of my personal favorites from the trip.

Understanding Shutter Speed / July 3, 2018 by John Lazo

Understanding shutter speed is an important concept to comprehend in order to create creative and interesting photographs. Specific shutter speeds are often effective in certain circumstances to create a desired effect. Almost all present day cameras, including point-and-shoot cameras, offer several different shutter speed choices. The function of the shutter speed is to admit light onto the camera’s sensor for a specified duration of time in order to create a properly exposed image.

Understanding Aperture / June 11, 2018 by John Lazo

Aperture is one of the vital components used to construct creative and compelling photographs. Often times, specific apertures can be used for certain situations or subjects. Aperture is defined as the space in the lens that allows light to enter the camera and hit the sensor. In order to alter the aperture you typically turn a dial or press a button on the camera body. In turn, the hole letting in the light increases or decreases in size. Consequently, more or less light will hit the camera’s sensor.