Santa Margarita Ranch, Part 2

I had another opportunity to photograph the "back country" at Santa Margarita Ranch this past weekend.  My photos focused on the vineyards this time, and I have several nice grape photos.

Unfortunately, my camera was in the bag when we came upon the bear next to the road, and he (or she) was gone up the hillside before I could get the camera and long lens ready to go.  I've got to learn to leave that wildlife lens in my lap when driving out on the back roads.

Here are a few photos from the day - including my first ever IR photo (converted to black and white).  I used the (unmodified) Pentax K-5 with a 720 IR filter and an exposure of about 45 seconds.  It is something that I will have to experiment with.

You can learn more about photo tours of the ranch at

http://www.margarita-adventures.com/photo-tours-of-santa-margarita-ranch/