Brian Smith's Photos

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Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.

  • A Western Bluebird's head in profile, its dark eye and beak set against a clear blue sky.

    Favourite Birds of the Second Half of 2025

    A selection of bird photos from Marin County and beyond, captured in the second half of 2025. Many regulars, but the young terns and bluebirds some of the new ones to me.

  • A golden oak and a tall pine stand on a grassy hillside above a sea of clouds, with blue forested ridges rising into misty distance.

    North Peak Trail, Mt Diablo

    A trail we hadn’t walked before at Mt Diablo – and when leaving home the weather didn’t look too hopeful. Low cloud all the way, until we burst through into the sunshine just short of the trailhead, as we gained height. A great trail, and the low cloud hid some of the less pleasant views…

  • A man in a black wetsuit rides a surfboard along the face of a breaking wave, spraying water as he carves through the ocean.

    Monterey Waterfront and Pescadero Beach

    Late check-out gave us a chance for a long walk along the front at Monterey, before heading North up Highway 1, with a stop at Pescadero beach. Plenty of wildlife about!

  • An Acorn Woodpecker with a red crown and white face perches on a broken tree stump, looking to the right.

    Santa Barbara, Monet and Santa Ynez Wine Country

    Two days down south — a full day working between the Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Barbara, then a quieter morning on the trail before heading home. Santa Ynez, First Thing Started out in the valley with a Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, and the hills still holding a bit of haze. From Monet to Matisse…

  • Still water pools between granite boulders at Pinnacles National Park, mirroring the jagged rock spires and shrub-covered hills under a cloudy sky.

    Pinnacles National Park and Los Olivos

    Back to Pinnacles, this time for the Bear Gulch, Rim and High Peaks loop — the proper circuit rather than the shorter walks I’ve done here before. An early start, up and round through the morning, then south to Los Olivos in the afternoon. Bear Gulch and the High Peaks Out not long after the…

  • A close-up of a tree knot hole filled with green moss, pine needles, and two small mushrooms, set in a weathered gray log.

    Castle Rock, Solis Winery and San Juan Bautista

    A single Sunday that turned into three quite different places — a morning up at Castle Rock, an afternoon at a winery down in Gilroy, and then San Juan Bautista after dark. The 18mm f/1.4 was on the X-T5 all morning, and the phone did the rest once the light went. Castle Rock State Park…

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