The Streets of Laguna - Night Lights

Another early morning excursion to the beachside village of Laguna Beach, CA. On this morning I was out the door at 245AM and made my first photograph at 317AM. It was a pleasant enough morning to be out at this early hour. There was a bit of moisture hanging in the air which was occasionally visible around the street and traffic lights which I thought added an interesting touch to the streetscape.

I came down here with a few ideas in my mind as to what I wanted to photograph. Car "light trails" were at the top of the list.

I cannot tell you how many times I have photographed down here (especially in the early morning hours.) But, I find it fascinating that I always seem to come away with a few new, fresh and unique photographs.

432AM - I was set up in a pretty cool spot where I had my choice of two different curves in the road. One to my left and one to my right. Here, I was set up looking to the right. Sipping some strong black coffee and waiting for vehicles to approach.

The photograph above is the result of four different things coming together. One, I had my camera pointing in the right direction. Two, a street sweeper passed by at such a close range I could have reached out and touched it from where I stood. Three, a second vehicle passed through the frame from left to right (tail lights) which added more depth and interest. Four, and probably the most important, I had selected a long enough exposure to capture all this action!

Photographing early morning light trails requires some patience. It can be several minutes between opportunities. Here, an 18-wheeler rounds the bend and passes by my position. Also note, I got all three phases of the traffic lights! Kind of cool.

A little later in the morning (the blue hour.) I could both smell and hear the ocean from my vantage point. I thought the cloud deck added an interesting texture to the sky. Looking forward to my next light trails shoot...

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