Adding Mystery to an Industrial Scene with Lensbaby

These enormous cranes at the Port of Oakland have fascinated me for years. They can be seen clearly from San Francisco. However,the closest I'd ever been was on the Bay Bridge. I assumed you couldn't get much closer, so never thought seriously about making pictures of them.

Yesterday I was in Alameda with a friend doing some test shooting with the Lensbaby, a special-purpose lens that allows selective focus more precisely and interestingly than relying on depth-of-field alone. We started out at Bay Farm Island.Great views, but everything too far away. So my friend, who lives in Alameda, drove us to the Naval Air Station. Well, guess what's right on the way--this very scene! Sweet!

Thanks to Lensbaby, the white loading cranes pop right out of the scene. Awesome!

Adding Mystery to an Industrial Scene with Lensbaby - Example 2

In this picture I wanted to convey the menacing, StarWars-like aspect of these enormous cranes. Luckily the weather cooperated with ominous clouds in the background.
Sometimes the constraints of this format really bother me. This picture needs to be seen much larger to appreciate the nuances in the selective focus.