Author: Alik Griffin

The Last Sunset of 2012

My wife and I decided to spend New Year’s in Tucson, Arizona, visiting some friends. I love southern Arizona, except in the summer—the weather is nice, the sunsets are beautiful, and the landscapes are stunning. Unfortunately, our plans didn’t go as expected. We were going to hike at Sabino Canyon but ended up in a…
Downtown San Diego From Coronado Island

The other night, I think it was Christmas Eve, my brother and our wives drove down to Corona Island to scope out the views. Around this time of year, it is great to drive around San Diego or Los Angeles since there is hardly any traffic. Going down to Coronado from Del Mar during rush…
Walt Disney Concert Hall

Designed by Frank Gehry, the Walt Disney Concert Hall was built in 1999 in downtown Los Angeles. I always thought it was near Disneyland, so I was surprised to find it downtown. Last night, during Christmas, my wife and I drove there and took some photos. It’s best to avoid downtown on regular workdays, especially…
Bali Rice Farmer

On the way to Tanah Lot Bali, you’ll drive through miles of rice fields. We pulled over to the side of the road to get a few photos. This old guy was working away on the rice terraces. In Bali they can harvest rice three times a year so there are almost always active fields…
Kecak Dancers of Bali

The Kecak Dance, or Ramayana Monkey Chant, is a dramatic Balinese performance where over 50 male dancers chant “chak” and wave their hands to symbolize fire, reenacting a battle from the Ramayana. Capturing this event with my Canon 5D Mark II and 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II lens was challenging due to low light, but I…
Kintai-Kyo Bridge of Iwakuni Japan

The Kintai-Kyo bridge is a magnificent sight that I captured in this photo. It is situated in the city of Iwakuni, in the Yamaguchi Prefecture of Japan. The bridge is a wooden masterpiece that crosses the Nishiki River. It dates back to 1673, when the third lord of Iwakuni, Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, built it after reading…
Double Rainbow All The Way

This photo of the double rainbow was taken in Miyajima, Japan. It was one of those amazing lucky shots where the Photography Gods were with me. This shrine was built around 400 years ago in the water because the people believed the Island itself was a God. After seeing this double rainbow connect the island…
My Post-Processing Photo Editing Techniques

People looking for more advanced photography tips often ask me what sort of post-processing techniques I use. It’s a tough question to answer because I use many different programs and techniques and am always learning new ones. One of the main pieces of software I now use on almost all my landscapes is Color Efex…
Into The Rain in Shanghai

One day, I was in Shanghai, and it was pouring rain. I was standing in this spot next to Sephora for some shelter when I looked up and saw the light shining onto the rain that was coming down the building. I thought it looked pretty cool, so I tried to see if I could…
Yosemite North Dome

Here’s a shot of North Dome in Yosemite I’ve always liked but never posted. I processed it back when I started with Color Efex Pro 4, which changed a lot for my photography.