Queen Mary in Long Beach, California

A wealth of history surrounds you as you walk the decks of the historic Queen Mary. Now a permanent fixture in Long Beach, California the famous ocean liner echoes with stories from her hundreds of transatlantic voyages between 1936 to 1967. Showing some understandable wear and tear, much of the ship still feels authentic to the golden age of luxury ocean travel.
  

Queen Mary nearing completion in Scotland in 1936.

Queen Mary arriving in New York.

Queen Mary maiden voyage in 1936.

Queen Mary transporting troops in World War II.

Queen Mary maiden voyage in 1936.

Long Beach, California.

Lounging on the deck of the Queen Mary.

California Photo Book

Of all the photo books I've created since my introduction to Blurb.com last year, I have to say that my California coffee table book is my best one yet! Featuring over 700 original high quality images (cut down from nearly 1500) this 280 page book chronicles the 12 day road trip that my friend Dave and I took from Canada to Southern California and up the coast.

With a story told entirely in images, I took full advantage of the wide array of details I captured to really paint a picture of the locations we found ourselves in. This photo book was also given an added level of variety in that it wasn't competing with my usual videography. Since I wasn't juggling both mediums I had a lot more time to focus on the quality and creativity of my stills.

Highlights of the road trip (and of the new book) include Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Indio, the Coachella and Imperial Valleys, Palm Springs, Salton Sea, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Long Beach, RMS Queen Mary, Sunset Beach, Joshua Tree National Park, the Pacific Coast Highway, Big Sur, the Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Reno, and all the odds and ends that sprung up in between.

I'm really proud of how this all came together, and as the most expensive memento I purchased/created for this memorable road trip I know it's something I'll be sharing for years. And even though I paid a pretty penny, you can preview the entire book for FREE simply by clicking on the badge below. You can also click the following links to preview some of my other photo books, including: Indio 2009, Singapore 2010, Rushmore Snapshots, Vegas Snapshots, and L.A. Snapshots. 

California 2010 by Luke Fandrich | Make Your Own Book

Alcatraz Island: Part One

I can only imagine what it would've been like to be trapped on this island overlooking San Francisco. So close yet so far away everyone kept saying. Alcatraz itself is a fortress of concrete and steel on a windy island in the bay. The paint is peeling, the walls chipped, and the harshness of the environment is only softened by those other explorers equally as happy to temporarily try a prison cell on for size.