The island of Oahu, as many visitors know, is the most visited of the Hawaiian islands, and home to 75% of the state’s population. Of the 1.4 million residents of the state, 1 million of them live in Honolulu County. You all know Honolulu, even if you haven’t been there. Big city, high rises, Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head. You may have heard of the North Shore, home to mammoth winter waves, or the small towns of Kailua and Haleiwa. How about joining me on a #Photowalk tour to t

The summer is long over and the crowds should be gone, but they’re not. There’s always a party, and a huge smorgasbord of street performers, vendors selling everything from your name on a piece of rice and miniature skulls to little painted surfboards and bawdy swimsuits and throngs of tourists. More than 10 million people yearly come to visit this only-in-LA attraction, according to the local Chamber of Commerce, which says Venice is the No. 2 tourist draw in Southern Califo

The crowd at Philippe the Original in downtown Los Angeles on a Sunday afternoon. One of the oldest restaurants in L.A., Philippe still draws a hefty collection of customers. Philippe the Original is said to be where the French Dip sandwich was first seen back in 1908. Some 110 years later, it’s still thriving, as you can tell from the crowd shot above. Yes, it’s that way often. Behind the counter at Philippe the Original in downtown Los Angeles. Part of the DTLA Photowalks s

The most popular spot in San Pedro, California is also the toughest ticket in town. It’s closed off, behind a gated fence, and clearly marked with “no trespassing” signs. So how did the “Sunken City” become an online phenomenon? Take away the access, and this collection of hiking trails that overlook the Pacific Ocean, with Catalina Island some 22 miles away directly across, is now a must-see ticket. There’s several Sunken City Facebook fan pages,  over 50,000 #SunkenCity has

How do you top Monday’s 12/07/2020 Manhattan Beach sunset? With clouds and more red! I could tell in the afternoon once those puffy clouds started appearing in the skies that we’d have something special and Mother Nature didn’t disappoint! I arrived to the beach around 4 p.m., and while there was a nice pre-show, the real action didn’t get under way until 4:55, ten minutes after the posted sunset time, when the streaks of red started appearing in the sky. They were there for

Many people have asked me what the trick is to getting awesome sunset shots. It’s a basic combination of things: timing, composition and standing in the right place. I also happen to know of the best smartphone app for capturing sunset shots, Adobe Lightroom Mobile. I’m not a big believer in altering reality. I don’t want to add colors that weren’t there. I don’t want to Instagram/Filter my shot at all into a colorful piece of art. I’m taking a photo. But I don’t mind accentu

I got so disappointed when I arrived to Malibu Saturday and saw the sun start to set behind the mountain. Wait a minute! What about my sunset over the Pier shot? I’ve been on a tear to exploit the amazing November light show we’ve talked about the past weeks. The game plan: to photograph as many of the 8 Los Angeles County #SoCal Piers as I can, with the sun and/or colors behind her, as part of my November Piers Photowalks project. (I’m 6 for 8, but there are 8 more days to g

After three months of quarantine, I was ready to flee, get back out on the open road and see new sights. You’ve probably had the same feeling and have probably wondered, what’s it like out there? Well, I’m there now. In majestic, lush green and cloud filled Oregon. So let me fill you in. The short answer: it’s definitely worth it to get out there. But the further you get from urban environments, the more likely it is to see social distancing ignored. Small business is hurting

Hello hello During this COVID crisis and hibernation, are you having travel dreams? I went down this rabbit hole this week when I took a look at my screen saver on my old iMac and saw my 2017 photos of Santa Fe, Taos, Rio Gorge and Ojo Caliente pop up. And I do mean pop. New Mexico clearly has a magic landscape that’s a photographer magnet. If you’ve ever seen at least 1 episode of “Breaking Bad” or “Better Call Saul,” you get it, right? I decided to put a #Photowalk video to

During a time of lockdown, quarantine and social distancing, we brought the #Photowalk cameras out to iconic Los Angeles locations to see if the city was as deserted as had been advertised. The pictures tell the story. Thursday, 6:30, the TCL Chinese Theater at the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where there are usually throngs of tourists, and costumed characters looking to pose with them for tips. Cars usually zoom up and down Hollywood Blvd. and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Imagine

As you’ve heard me say several times, one of the great things about a Photowalk is getting out, meeting people and seeing new things. Especially when they want to take you somewhere you had no idea existed. Like the San Francisco Bay Trail, described by officials as a “500 mile trail around the Bay.” It covers a lot of ground (The trail goes from the city of San Francisco and then some, through Brisbane, Oakland, San Leandro, and for the purposes of today’s Photowalk, Palo Al

There’s a great, little hidden find of a cafe you need to check out on your next trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. That is, if you like the idea of a charming little hideaway with just three or four tables (depending upon the time of the day,) one that serves fresh, island food, the likes of which you’ve probably never seen. It’s called Paul’s Place Cafe, and it’s a quirky little eatery, tucked in the front lobby of the Pakalana Inn in Hilo and directly behind the Hilo Farmer

The Big Island of Hawaii is by far the largest of any of the islands, representing some 63% of the state. You could combine all the other Hawaiian islands into this one island, and still have room for more. It’s also the most diverse, in terms of climates and size. Sun, rain, desert, snow–you name it, the Big Island, the island of Hawaii, has it. And need I note that it’s a photographer’s paradise? Welcome to Part 1 of the Big Island Photowalk, beginning in Hilo Town and endi

We’ve been talking here about the amazing winter sunsets in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, which produce colors against the clouds that are to die for –and photograph! So how’d we do on the first day of 2020? I set out to find out, in Redondo Beach, California, just down the way from the historic Redondo Beach Pier on 1/1, at just before 5 p.m. The result? Standard, yellow sun falling into orange sky. Cool, but wait, there’s more. Just about ten minutes after the sun fell

We had a wonderful 2019 Photowalking, mostly in the #SoCal area–but we also made it to Madrid, Seville, Lisbon and Porto, Oahu, Newport, Oregon and Kobe, Japan. And our most popular video was from the Central Coast of California, Morro Bay. (And last year’s was from next door neighbor Pismo Beach. Do we sense a trend?) Jefferson Graham and Ginger DiNunzio photograph each other on a Photowalk of Morro Bay for the Photowalk video series. The Morro Bay video was by far the most

We returned back to Fiesta Parade Floats for one more look at some 2020 Tournament of Roses floats, before they take off for Colorado Blvd. and the big New Year’s Day parade. When we first visited, the roses had yet to be added to the floats. What a difference a few days make? A #Photowalk sneak peek. A float for the 2020 Tournament of Roses parade has many a rose going up the neck of this animal. A volunteer assembles roses for the Chipotle float, Pasadena Tournament of Rose

The Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena is one of the premiere photo spots in the Los Angeles suburb, a symbol of the city, an icon and a jewel to photograph. I discovered on my recent #Photowalk of the city that there are 2 fantastic spots to nab the bridge for photos. That would be above ground, underneath it and as a bonus, the other side too. The bridge itself was built in 1913, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981, and a Pasadena Cultural

The Tournament of Roses parade is right around the corner, January 1 to be exact, and thousands of people will invade Pasadena, California to check it out, along with the Rose Bowl game. So of course you’re wondering about what it’s like to visit Pasadena, where to go, what to see, where to get your best shots, right? Good news: Your Photowalks guy to the rescue! I recently spent two days in the L.A. suburb (10 miles from DTLA) with my pal Dave Basulto from @iographer, doing

Some of my favorite moments from the Photowalk video series. From the Catalina Island Photowalk: Jefferson Graham photographs in front of the Catalina Island Yacht Club, a historic building that’s open to members only. What’s in his pocket? A map of the island. Photographed on the Samsung Galaxy S10 https://youtu.be/hTah6lD2heg Photographing Jan Schrieber in downtown Old Towne Orange, for Jefferson Graham’s Photowalk video. https://youtu.be/WyHOGj_OrEA Posing for a selfie wit

Place: Kobe, part of the Kansai region, best known for its Kobe Beef and a fabulous waterfront. Kobe has a lot of advantages over mega Japan cities like Tokyo and Osaka in that it is just more normal. Kobe beef is said to be better tasting, because the cows are treated nicely, even massaged, we’re told. Where: On the other side of the country from Tokyo, a 30-minute train ride from Osaka, Japan's second largest city, or about 45 minutes from the picturesque town of Kyoto. Pos