Blood Alley

I had to travel to San Luis Obispo (SLO) on March 4, to coordinate some computer and telephone projects with the local vendors.  In addition to meeting with vendors, I was asked to take some photos of the new office space we are leasing in downtown SLO.  Working in the Healthcare industry, our company is growing pretty steadily and the number of members we serve in the SLO County has almost reached the same number of members we serve in Kern County.

The drive to SLO takes about two and a half hours and goes from the Central Valley to the Central Coast, which means you drive from an arid climate to a semi-tropical climate.  The weather in California has been unseasonably wet and the forecast called for partly cloudy skies.  On the drive to SLO, I told my co-worker that we should stop and get some stock sky photos to superimpose on our typically brown Bakersfield skies.

These images were taken at 9:30 AM and around 3:30 PM while driving to and from the coast along Highway 46, also known as Blood Alley and between 1992 and 1995, there were a total of 976 collisions on the corridor, including 48 fatalities.

Was I nervous pulling over and getting out of my vehicle to take pictures?  You bet, but I would make sure that no one was behind me and when I did get out, I would move far away from my car and down the embankments.

It's been awhile since I've shot landscapes, but it was such a beautiful day, I figured I needed a break from the usual portrait stuff I've been doing.

What did I learn?

• Break it up and add a little variety to my photography.  Shooting Landscapes is definitely challenging, which I know.  It's all about patience
• Leave a tripod in my vehicle, even a cheap one.  There were some shots I wanted, but I couldn't stop down enough without getting camera shake.

It was nice to be outside, breathe some fresh air and shoot something other than people.  In fact, it was so refreshing, I'm contemplating on canceling the rest of my shoots for March.

That's A Wrap!!!