WhaleFest Photos

Posted on November 9, 2014 by Tom Clifton

Two of my photos were selected for an exhibit at the Museum of Monterey from November 15 to December 31, 2014. The photos will be raffled off on January 25, 2015 during WhaleFest 2015, with the proceeds benefiting both the Museum and WhaleFest.

The two photos are a couple of my recent favorites. The first is a harbor sea and pup in a distinctly “hallmark” moment.

Harbor Seal and Pup, Point Lobos State Reserve – April 2010

The second photo is from last year when some anchovies got trapped at Monastery Beach. Gulls, cormorants and pelicans descended in droves. The shot has 4 pelicans at various stages of their dives.

Pelicans diving, Carmel River State Beach – October 2013

So if your in the area in from Thanksgiving through December, check out the WhaleFest exhibit.

Once in a lifetime

Posted on September 22, 2012 by Tom Clifton

I’ve taken a number of shots that you might call “once in a lifetime” shots, where you just don’t expect to ever capture an image like that again.

And then there are true “once in a lifetime” shots where you know you will never see this again.

Endeavour flies over Monterey, 2012

Today I had the privilege to witness and shoot such an event.

I was weaned on the Gemini space shots and this is the closest I have ever been to a spacecraft. I wasn’t going to miss it.

Two birds, two waves, and a cat

Posted on September 20, 2012 by Tom Clifton

That’s my submission to the Carmel Art Institute’s “The Magic of Point Lobos” competition and exhibition. All five were accepted and will be on display from September 28 to October 18.

Let’s start with the birds. They are similar shots, a Black-crowned Night Heron and a Snowy Egret, both are tense and searching for food.

The primary difference is that the night heron is on a rock and the egret is on floating kelp. That and the egret is a striking white.

The wave shots capture the magnitude of a big wave day at the Reserve. These are days when you feel and smell the waves as you drive in. The first stop is Sea Lion Point, where a few young sea lions missed the memo about getting off the rocks.

Down at Bird Island the waves can get so big that they climb up to join the clouds and generate water falls where they don’t exist.

And we finish with the cat. A bobcat in Mound Meadow to be exact, looking very regal like his cousins in Kenya.

A happy photo credit

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Tom Clifton

One of my photos is going to grace the walls of the Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Texas. The shot is one of limpet scars on the rocks at Point Lobos.

Limpet Scars, Point Lobos State Reserve, 2010

The image will be used in the “Ocean Life in Dallas” section as an example of modern limpet scars. Limpet scars are one hypothesis for the holes found in sea turtle shells from the Mesozoic.

The other hypothesis is that the holes are the result of the bite of a mosasaur, a large, carnivorous sea-reptile.

If I were a gambling man, I would bet on the mosasaur.

Anyway, it is going to be a “permanent exhibit” and should be around for a few years. So, if you are in Dallas, as Joe Bob would say, “check it out”.

It’s a wrap

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Tom Clifton

I just put the finishing touches on my Miniatures entry and will deliver it tomorrow. For those who know me, this is several days before the deadline (it can be done)!

I am quite pleased with the entry.

If you want to know which picture I chose, come to Monterey and check out the exhibit. It runs from November 17 to December 31 at the Monterey Museum of Art’s Pacific Street Gallery. It is in an impressive collection of miniature art from 300 local artists.

If you let me know beforehand, we can schedule a birding excursion to Point Lobos or head down the Big Sur coast to look for Condors.

And then there were three

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Tom Clifton

With all due apologies to Genesis, I have narrowed down my selection for the 2011 Miniatures Exhibit to one of three photos:

Western Scrub-Jay – Monterey, 2008

Peregrine Falcon – Point Lobos, 2011

Osprey – Point Lobos, 2011

I have got to admit, that I am leaning towards the Osprey. It took me over a year of looking before I even saw it. And to catch it with lunch in hand (talon) was special.

Please feel free to express your views in the comments.

Miniatures 2011

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Tom Clifton

Inside and Out, Miniatures 2009

I have signed up again to show a photo in the Monterey Museum of Art’s Miniatures exhibit. The exhibit is a fundraiser for the Museum, where 300 local artists donate small works for the Museum to raffle off.

The show runs from November 17 to December 31, 2011. If you are in the area, check it out.

For me, it means that I need to come up with a suitable 5×7 image before the end of October. I have started the process, by creating a set of possibilities on Flickr. I started out with about 47 images and have culled it down to 6.

This year’s submission will almost certainly be a bird shot. In fact I only have one non-bird photo in the current set. Though that may change because I have been known to change my mind and there is always a chance that I could take the perfect photo between now and the end of October.

If you would like to help in the process, feel free to make comments here, on Facebook, or on the photo’s Flickr page.

Tom Clifton Photography

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