Check out our OC photographers’ favorite images from August 2023

Women embrace outside Saddleback Church before a prayer service for the victims of the Cook’s Corner shooting in Lake Forest on Friday, August 25, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man is overcome with emotion during a prayer service for the victims of the Cook’s Corner shooting at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest on Friday, August 25, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Santa Ana’s Chicano Heritage Festival at El Salvador Park celebrates Chicano culture with a car show, pictured, live music, food trucks and amusement rides for kids on Sunday, August 27, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Police investigate a shooting at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon, CA, on Thursday, August 24, 2023. Gunfire at the popular Southern California biker bar killed three people Wednesday evening., The gunman — believed to be retired former Ventura police officer John Snowling — was fatally shot by deputies, authorities said. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Tristen Tierney, Disneyland Resort Enhancement Holiday Services Lead, with some of the 300 hand-carved pumpkins that are on display at the Disneyland Resort during Halloweentime in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 31, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A man armed with a handgun, wrapped to his hand with a green bandana scarf, stands across from Santa Ana Police SWAT midway through a 10-hour standoff outside a Hobby Lobby store in the 1900 block of East 17th Street in Santa Ana on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. The man surrendered and was arrested just past 3 a.m. after hours of work by a crisis negotiation team and SWAT, Santa Ana police Cmdr. Roland Andrade said. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)(Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Violet Lee, 9, concentrates as she paddles her boat across the pool as the city of Mission Viejo hosts the Cardboard Boat Derby at the Marguerite Aquatics Complex in Mission Viejo on Saturday, August 26, 2023. The teams had one hour to build a boat of cardboard and duct tape and then one person paddled the boat the length of a pool in a race with the fastest time winning. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Under clear skies and with cooler morning temperatures, runners make their way past the trees at Yorba Regional Park along the Santa Ana River Trail in Anaheim early on Tuesday morning, August 22, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Erwin Ramos, left, and Denise Ponce of Lawndale, have their photo taken with Toby, who they adopted during OC Animal Care’s Littles on the Lawn adoption event on Wednesday afternoon, August 23, 2023, in Tustin. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Madison Clark loads sand bags into the back of a van at Columbus Tustin Park in Tustin on Saturday afternoon, August 19, 2023, in preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Hilary. According to the National Weather Service, there has not been a tropical storm making landfall in Southern California since September 1939. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The day after Tropical Storm Hilary a couple enjoys the sunny weather near the San Clemente Pier at San Clemente Beach in San Clemente on Monday, August 21, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bowing their heads during a moment of silence for the victims of a shooting Wednesday night Cook’s Corner, a bar and restaurant in Trabuco Canyon, that killed four people, including the shooter, and injured six others are from left: Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes; Providence Mission Hospital Medical Director Dr. Tetsuya Takeuchi; Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer; Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner and Orange County Fire Authority Division Chief Cheyne Maule, at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Santa Ana on Thursday, August 24, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Longtime patrons of Cook’s Corner, Shelley Pagliarulo, left, and Payten Futch share an emotional embrace before a prayer service for the victims of the Cook’s Corner shooting at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest on Friday, August 25, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A surfer goes horizontal while catching a wave at Aliso Beach, a popular site for skimboarders, in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A boat sits under water off the coast of Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach, CA, on Friday, August 18, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Theresa Crockett holds a set of Funko Pop figurines of her favorite band, New Kids on the Block, at her home in Huntington Beach on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Crockett, superfan of the band New Kids on the Block went to their May 22 concert at the Honda Center with a sign saying that she was in need of a kidney transplant. Singer Donnie Wahlberg saw it, took the poster from her, and then helped publicize her story to all of the group’s fans on social media which lead that led to a NKOTB fan in Wisconsin offering to donate one of her kidneys to Crockett. The surgery takes place on Aug. 31. Crockett’s sister is also in need of a kidney transplant but has not found a suitable donor. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
An egret takes flight near a set of rapids in the Santa Ana River, which is filled with muddy water runoff from Tropical Storm Hilary, in Anaheim on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. The riverbed which would normally be dry this time of year has attracted various kinds of birds to the area following the storm. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Pre-k students line up outside their classroom and bid farewell to their parents during the first day of school at Linda Vista Elementary School in Orange on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Andrew Atkinson rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach, CA on Friday, August 18, 2023. Cities along the coast were preparing for potential high surf as the effects of Hurricane Hilary move north. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A worker helps dismantle the Crazy Coaster after the OC Fair ended its run in Costa Mesa, CA, on Monday, August 14, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A person watches large waves, caused by Tropical Storm Hilary, crash into the surf south of the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach on Sunday, August 20, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Baron Myers waves good-bye to his mom with the help of his transitional kindergarten teacher Kristyn Day on the first day of class at Andersen Elementary School in Newport Beach, CA on Monday, August 21, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Five-year-old Lexi Mercer gets a goodbye hug and a kiss from her mom, Greta Barbone, on the first day of kindergarten at Valencia Elementary School inLaguna Hills on Monday, August 14, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Post-Tropical Storm Hilary trash sits on the northern most part the beach near the mouth of the San Gabriel River in Seal Beach, CA, on Monday, August 21, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Ruslana Smyth poses for her mother outside her pre-k classroom as she gets ready to start her first day at Linda Vista Elementary School in Orange on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jose Vitor Leme of the Austin Gamblers rides the bull Brusta in extra outs to win the event title against the Oklahoma Freedom in the finals of the Professional Bull Riders team event at Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman stands above erosion where Aliso Creek empties into the ocean at Aliso Beach Park in Laguna Beach, CA on Monday, August 21, 2023. The effects of Hurricane Hilary were felt along the coast. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Workers built a sand berm to protect homes from the approaching tropical storm Hilary in Seal Beach, CA, on Friday, August 18, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A woman climbs the 118-step stairway up to Lantern Bay Park with artist Mia Tavonatti’s mosaic piece titled, “Stairwave” in Dana Point on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A surfer rides a wave at the Wedge in Newport Beach, CA on Friday, August 18, 2023. Cities along the coast were preparing for potential high surf as the effects of Hurricane Hilary move north. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A boy reacts as he watches the finals of the Professional Bull Riders team event at Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Spectators are backdropped by a screaming red tent during the Red Bull Foam Wreckers surfing competition in San Clemente on Saturday, August 12, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kindergarten student David Felizola gives a thumbs up as he heads to the first day of class at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA on Thursday, August 10, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Siblings Wes Phillips, left, Coco Phillips, center, and Luci Phillips, watch as their dad, Brandon Phillips rides the street course during Ramps and Wheels in Dana Point, CA, on Friday, August 11, 2023. The event brings two days of skate and BMX to Doheny Village, with demos and movie showings, and live music. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Children ride the Dumbo ride in Kid Land at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Thursday, August 10, 2023. Kid Land is one of the Top 10 things visitors should do before the end of the OC Fair on Sunday, Aug. 13. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
LA Chargers’ running back Austin Ekeler signs an autograph for Heir and Royal Hatcher following the teams practice in Costa Mesa, CA on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Orange Lutheran and Marina girls flag football teams play a scrimmage game at Marina High School in Huntington Beach on Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Girls flag football is an official CIF sport this coming school year. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The team “DC Gorilla Oarfare” joins other divisional winners as they take a victory lap during the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. They won the Fastest on the River award. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cast members MaryAnn DiPietro (Madame), center, and Kristen Daniels (Charlotte), right, laugh as they review photos taken backstage before a dress rehearsal for The Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts 2023 Broadway in the Park production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” at Peppertree Park in Tustin on Monday, August 7, 2023. “Cinderella” runs from Tuesday, August 8, through Saturday, August 12, in Peppertree Park in Old Town Tustin. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kalani Robb, left, and Harvey Nelson cross paths and collide during the Red Bull Foam Wreckers light-hearted surfing competition in San Clemente on Saturday, August 12, 2023. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Taking advantage of the acoustics in the tunnel, Mark Rosenberg of Huntington Beach sings and plays his guitar in an underpass along a trail at The Bosque at the Great Park in Irvine on Saturday, August 12, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Leonardo Castro Ferreira of the Kansas City Outlaw celebrates on the center stage after his ride at the finals of the Professional Bull Riders team event at Honda Center in Anaheim on Sunday, August 13, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Abraham Perez, 16, has a laugh on the Rocky Mountain Trucking Co. ride at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA on Monday, August 7, 2023. A Kid Again treated 300 kids with life-threatening conditions and their families to a day of fun at Knott’s Berry Farm. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Supporters raise up an exuberant Eli Hanneman after he won the Men’s US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Sunday, August 6, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
As the summer comes to an end and many school districts getting ready for the first day of school, beach goers take a few photos as clouds create a colorful sky during sunset at the Newport Beach Pier in Newport Beach on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Carly Schwulst, a Disney mechanical engineer, celebrates as her team “Rivers of FAMerica” wins their division during the Disneyland Resort Canoe Races in the Rivers of America inside Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Thursday, August 10, 2023. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Student Aryana Nathan greets her first grade teacher Julie Smith on the first day of class at Roosevelt Elementary School in Anaheim, CA on Thursday, August 10, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The golden glow of the sunset fills the air as beach goers play in the waves while the high tide pushes onshore just north of the Balboa Pier in Newport Beach on Wednesday, August 2, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sadie, 8-months, left, and her brother Beau, 2, enjoy a bubble machine during the National Night Out in Seal Beach on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Laylan Connelly, writer for The Orange County Register, who has written about surfing over the past two decades, smiles as she places her hands in concrete during her induction into the 2023 Surfers’ Hall of Fame on Friday, August 4, 2023, in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Investigators remove firearms from a house in the 8500 block of E. Canyon Vista Dr. in Anaheim, CA on Friday, August 4, 2023. Orange County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ferguson was arrested late Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 after police received reports of a shooting in an Anaheim home and found the judge’s wife, Sheryl Ferguson, dead inside, Anaheim Police said. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sawyer Lindblad celebrates after winning the Women’s US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Sunday, August 6, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kirra Pinkerton surfs in the Round of 32 at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA on Thursday, August 3, 2023. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cal Haney, 3, climbs up on the fence with a goat in a petting zoo provided by the Mobile Zoo of Southern California during the National Night Out in Seal Beach on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The sun goes down at Dog Beach on Friday, July 28, 2023, where the water beckons playful pups in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

We asked our photographers to pick their favorite images from August 2023, and here are some they selected.

Besides a rare tropical storm, August weather was almost great. Cool mornings and warm days were the norm for most of the month.

In Costa Mesa, the OC Fair ended its annual run, while around the county kids headed back to school.

The Register’s own beach reporter, Laylan Connelly, who has written about surfing over the past two decades, earned a place in the 2023 Surfers’ Hall of Fame, placing her hands in cement on the corner of PCH and Main Street in Huntington Beach.

Connelly wasn’t the only excitement in Huntington Beach – the US Open of Surfing drew big crowds for the week-long competition.

Water is always welcome in Orange County, and while Tropical Storm Hilary didn’t do much damage, it did deliver a lot of water. Coastal cities prepared with berms and the canyons and burn areas prepped with sandbags.

Over in Anaheim, Disneyland employees took to the Rivers of America before sunrise to compete in the annual Disneyland Resort Canoe Races. Team “DC Gorilla Oarfare” won the Fastest on the River award.

A few miles fro Disneyland, bull riders from across the country came to the Honda Center to compete during a stop on the Professional Bull Riders tour. The PBR is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every year in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia.

At the end of the month, tragedy struck in Trabuco Canyon when three people were killed and six more injured in a mass shooting at the family friendly biker bar Cook’s Corner.

Longtime patrons of Cook’s Corner held a prayer service for the victims of the shooting at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest a few days later.

Check out the photos and follow The Orange County Register on Facebook and Instagram. Here are our staff photographers’ individual pages: Paul Bersebach, Jeff Gritchen, Leonard Ortiz, Mark Rightmire, and Mindy Schauer.

Stay safe and stay healthy!