Southern California Photography by Alan Pavlik, editor and publisher of Just Above Sunset
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Photos and text, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2006 - Alan M. Pavlik

If you use any of these photos for commercial purposes I assume you'll discuss that with me

These were shot with a Nikon D70 - using lens (1) AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm 1:35-4.5G ED, or (2) AF Nikkor 70-300mm telephoto, or after 5 June 2006, (3) AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor, 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G ED. They were modified for web posting using Adobe Photoshop 7.0

The original large-format raw files are available upon request.

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Visitors from February 28, 2006, 10:00 am Pacific Time to date -


Saturday, 25 November 2006
Mixed Messages
Topic: Oddities

Mixed Messages

Sometimes it is hard to decide what to attend to, giving the visuals out here. It's enough to confuse those of us who smoke a pipe - La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, looking north to the Hollywood Hills, Saturday morning, November 25, 2006. Belgian surrealism meets Japanese fusion at the Hollywood strip club? So it would seem…

Signs on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood, looking north to the Hollywood Hills, Saturday morning, November 25, 2006


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Friday, 24 November 2006
Nightmare Fish
Topic: Oddities

Nightmare Fish

Koi, as in an odd dream - The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California -

Koi, The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koi, The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koi, The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note:

Koi are ornamental domesticated varieties of the common carp, Cyprinus carpio, that originated from China and widely spread in Japan. They are very closely related to goldfish, and in fact the style of breeding and ornamentation has become very similar, probably through the efforts of Japanese breeders to emulate goldfish, but they are not goldfish. Koi and tattoos of Koi are traditionally considered lucky. The word "koi" comes from Japanese. The original Japanese word koi simply means "carp," including both the dull grey fish and the brightly colored varieties. Nishikigoi is a more specific term for the ornamental carp. While a Chinese book of the Western Jin Dynasty (4th century) mentions carp with various colors, Koi breeding become popular in the 19th century in the Niigata prefecture of Japan. Farmers working the rice fields would notice that some carp would be more brightly colored than others, capture them, and raise them (when normally the brighter colors would doom the fish to be more likely eaten by birds and other predators). By the twentieth century, a number of color patterns had been established, most notably the red-and-white Kohaku. The outside world did not become aware of the degree of development until 1914, when the Niigata Koi were exhibited in the annual exposition in Tokyo. Some of them were also presented to Crown Prince Hirohito. At that point, interest in Koi exploded throughout Japan. The Hobby of keeping Koi spread worldwide after plastic bags and shipping of Koi became both fast and safe for the fish. These factors enabled Koi to be shipped worldwide with low mortality rates. Koi are now commonly sold in most pet stores, with higher-quality fish available from specialist dealers. Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning, and scalation. Ghost Koi, developed in the 1980s are metallic hybrids of wild carp and Ogon Koi and are not considered true Nishikigoi. Butterfly Koi, Longfin Koi, or Dragon Carp were also developed in the 1980s and are notable for their long and flowing fins. They are actually hybrids with Asian carp, and, like Ghost Koi, are not considered true Nishikigoi. The major named varieties include:

  • Kohaku - a white-skinned Koi, with a red pattern
  • Taisho Sanshoku (Sanke) - a white-skinned Koi with a red and black pattern
  • Showa Sanshoku (Showa) - a black-skinned Koi with a red and white pattern
  • Asagi - a Koi with light blue scales on its top and red scales on its bottom
  • Shusui - the partially scaled version of an Asagi
  • Bekko - a white, red, or yellow-skinned Koi with a black pattern
  • Utsurimono - a black Koi with a red, white, or yellow pattern
  • Goshiki - a mostly black Koi with red, white, brown, and blue accents
  • Ogon - a Koi that is one solid color, can be regular or metallic; known colors - red, orange, platinum, yellow and cream
  • KinGinRin - Koi with shiny scales "Gold Silver Scales"
  • Kawarimono - Miscellaneous types of Koi
  • Doitsu-goi - German Carp
  • Koromo - Koi with areas of blue-edged scales (align neatly)
  • Hikari-Moyomono - Koi with coloured patterns over a metallic base, and koi in two metallic colours
  • Tancho - White koi with Red single patch on head
  • Ghost koi - "Hybrid" of Ogon and wild carp. Not Nishikigoi.
  • Butterfly koi - Long-finned version of all others. Not Nishikigoi.
There's more here, including this illustrated table.


Posted by Alan at 5:57 PM PST | Post Comment | Permalink
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Thursday, 23 November 2006
Thanksgiving
Topic: Botanical Studies

Thanksgiving

Bougainvillea in bloom - off to Thanksgiving with the family.


Posted by Alan at 8:10 AM PST | Post Comment | Permalink
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Wednesday, 22 November 2006
Just Waiting
Topic: Birds

Just Waiting

The bird of the day…

Mottled pigeon on tree branch

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date - 21 November 2006
Location - The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California
Time - 15:23 Pacific
JPEG (8-bit) Fine
Image Size: Large (2000 x 3008)
Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5 G
Focal Length: 70mm
Digital Vari-Program: Sports
Metering Mode: Multi-Pattern
1/80 sec - F/4.5
Exposure Comp.: 0 EV
Sensitivity: ISO 200
White Balance: Auto
Color Mode: Mode Ia (sRGB)
Tone Comp.: Auto
Hue Adjustment: 0°
Saturation: Normal
Sharpening: Auto
Long Exposure NR: Off


Posted by Alan at 3:11 PM PST | Post Comment | Permalink
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Updated: Friday, 24 November 2006 5:37 PM PST
Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Swans
Topic: Birds

Swans

Swans at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California, just up the hill from Pacific Coast Highway, at the edge of Malibu. It was established by Paramahansa Yogananda and opened on August 20, 1950 - a ten-acre site, with gardens and natural spring-fed lake, with swans, ducks, koi, and lotus flowers everywhere.

Swan, Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan, Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan, Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swan, Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, 17190 Sunset Boulevard, Pacific Palisades, California


Posted by Alan at 10:30 PM PST | Post Comment | Permalink
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