Thinking About Photography

Ultimate Africa - July 2011

2011-07-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Ultimate Africa - July 2011

Full Moon Rising over the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge

2010-09-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last night was one of those magical nights when sunset and moonrise balance almost perfectly for great shots. Here the beautiful light is enhanced by the brilliant lights on the Oakland shore and shimmering reflections on the water of San Francisco Bay. And it was warm to boot. What a miracle!

San Francisco Ferry Building

2010-09-24T10:28:00.001-07:00

It's been bitterly cold all summer in San Francisco, but last night was warm and gorgeous, enabling me to get out and take some night shots I've been thinking about. My 28mm wide angle lens allowed me to capture the TransAmerica Pyramid, Ferry Building and Coit Tower in one shot. Sweet! It't the reflections on the water that bring the shot to life.

Zhang Huan's "Three Heads/Six Arms" at Civic Center Plaza

2010-09-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

On a picture-perfect day I went over to Civic Center to check out the massive new copper sculpture, Zhang Huan's "Three Heads/Six Arms." It's 26 feet high and weighs 15 tons. I was more interested in the details of this beautiful piece rather than trying to capture the entire work. Shanghai artist Zhang Huan found spiritual meaning and inspiration in Tibet.The sculpture symbolizes the shattered history of Buddhism in China. Shanghai is San Francisco's sister city and Zhang Huan created the sculpture to bring good luck to San Francisco. In viewing this shot, I like the way the sculpture itself frames one of the three heads and draws the eye to the face. And the face is placed in a "sweet" spot in the rule of thirds.

A Study in Forms

2010-09-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

When framing up this shot what interested me was the juxtaposition of forms. In the center, Three Heads/Six Arms. On the right,the ultra-modern angular Federal Building. On the left the old-fashioned, stogy "Manifest Destiny" monument. Oddly, the oldest-looking piece, "Three Heads" is actually the newest.

Wicked

2010-09-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

This picture was just for fun. I liked the juxtaposition of the solemn statue and the whispering witches in the background. A shout out to Photoshop's new "Content Aware" retouch brush for easy (undetectable) removal of a light pole blocking the Wicked Witch of the West.

Capitol Dome/Serene Face

2010-09-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

I like how the forms of the statue and dome echo each other. Both the face and the dome radiate power, confidence, serenity, permanence.

Modern Girl

2010-09-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

OK,ok I cheated on this picture and dropped Courtney in to show scale. My philosophy is "all's fair in love and photography." Whatever it takes to realize the artist's vision is fair game. For example, this series of pictures looks (I think) non-manipulated. In fact, I worked with dodging, burning & coloring in Lightroom and Photoshop to achieve the look I wanted on every single one of these pictures.

Guitarist on Market Street

2010-08-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

Never mind the fog--it's really summer when you find free concerts at noon in downtown San Francisco. A guitarist from the Larry Walker Band rocks out to the great joy of passers-by. He "pops" out of the background because of the Bokeh qualities of the 18-200mm telephoto lens. I also like how the white hat and white piece on the guitar appear to be pointing at each other, drawing the eye into the composition.

When Bad Lenses Go Good

2010-06-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

Some users have faulted the Nikon 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED IF AF-S DX VR lens for softness. I think they must have been thinking about the amount of bokeh (blur in out-of-focus areas of an image)in the lens. Well, that's what I like best about this lens. The flowers are tack-sharp and the background is so blurred it takes on a painterly effect. I'm crazy about this lens. I wouldn't use it for every image, of course. But when I want a lot of bokeh, this is my go-to lens for sure.

The Camera in the Window

2010-03-31T16:58:00.001-07:00

This is a test shot from my new Nikon D5000. What a sweet little camera! Nice subject--a classic Kodak embedded in a stained glass window at 4th Street Studios in San Francisco.

Slam Dunk in SOMA Garage

2010-03-04T09:36:00.001-08:00

So I'm poking around inside this cool brick building on Townsend Street, formerly the mighty California Electric Station, now a parking garage. As I was leaving the light fell just perfectly on the basketball hoop suspended over a row of cars. Fabulous composition and light!

Moonrise in the Park

2010-02-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Getting a shot of the moon rising/setting over the California Academy of Science has become a minor obsession of mine. Four conditions must be ideal to the the shots I have in mind: time of day, season of the year, trajectory of the moon and the weather. Amazing how few times a year they all combine to get that perfect shot. I like this one but it's not the shot I'm dreaming of.

Beautiful Surprise

2010-01-19T16:50:00.001-08:00

While downloading new files from the Nikon this morning I found this ravishing image shot December 6th I had totally forgotten. Don't know even where it was shot. What a pleasant surprise.

Circles & Staples

2009-12-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

A telephone pole on Zoe Street in SOMA, San Francisco.

Peeling Wall

2009-12-17T16:11:00.000-08:00

An aging door in South Park is beautiful up close.

Blue-Blooded Fire Hydrant

2009-12-17T15:57:00.000-08:00

San Francisco fire hydrants are color-coded by where their water comes from. A water tank atop Nob Hill is the source for blue hydrants, according to Barnard Winn's "San Francisco Underfoot."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/11/30/BAVB1AO2PJ.DTL

Graffiti - is it art?

2009-12-17T15:23:00.001-08:00

Not a big fan of graffiti, actually, but I like the hypnotic quality of this close-up view.

Solitary Splendor

2009-12-01T20:58:00.001-08:00

Magic hour in San Francisco. I'm shooting from a 12th floor SOMA penthouse, looking down at the semi-industrial part of town. Amidst the graffiti d warehouses, storage units & anonymous high-rise buildings St. Joseph's Cathedral glows like a beacon. But at ground level, St. Joseph's is empty and abandoned. Surrounded by a chain-link fence with ferocious No Trespassing warnings. Broken windows. The exact opposite of the original glory you see from the sky.

Inspired by the movie 2012

2009-11-25T20:05:00.000-08:00

A very mysterious and futuristic image--calling to mind the arks in the movie 2012. Can you guess where it was taken?

Abstract Art in Real Life

2009-10-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is a wall in the latrine at Headlands Center for the Arts in the Marin Headlands. The art center is housed in former US Army barracks. This wall has aged wonderfully. Put it in a frame & you'd swear it was a work of art.

Little Red House on the Mountain

2009-05-21T10:40:00.001-07:00

I spent the first weekend in April on a mountain top in Utah. It snowed for 24 hours straight and when it stopped snowing, Oh. My. what a beautiful world. This shot was taken just before dawn. The sun is illuminating the sky in the west, but hasn't hit ground level yet. Notice how the trees lead up to and embrace the little red "house," in a very satisfying composition.

Aspens 1

2009-05-14T17:38:00.001-07:00

Adobe's Lightroom is the most amazing tool. I used its "cold tone" preset as a starting point to make this image look as wintery as possible. By contrast, the next picture has no manipulation at all. The file is pretty much just how it came out of the camera.

Aspens 2

2009-05-14T17:37:00.001-07:00

This is how the aspen grove looked in real life.

Winter Scene 1

2009-05-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Another "cold tone" treatment. I love how the tops of the trees pop against the shadowed hillside behind them.

Winter Scene 2

2009-05-14T17:03:00.001-07:00

This is the scene as it actually looked. It's beautiful, but it doesn't evoke winter as strongly as the toned picture. In fact, to my eye, the toned picture almost looks more realistic!

Sunshine and Shadows

2009-05-03T21:04:00.001-07:00

The valley floor is bathed in late afternoon sunlight. Rapidly moving clouds shroud the mountains. A red tractor casts a long shadow in the pasture. Springtime in Cache Valley, Utah.

Primary Colors

2009-04-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

No, this picture was not staged! It's exactly what I saw--a yellow bike with red tires parked in front of a blue building in late afternoon light. This is exactly why you should never go anywhere without your camera. You can never predict when a picture like this will appear and be your only chance to capture it. I've never seen that bicycle again.

Mysterious Statues

2009-04-10T14:49:00.001-07:00

These amazing statues from Burning Man lived on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building for about three years. Entitled "Passage," the work was created by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito. "Crouching Spider" by Louise Bourgeois has since replaced them.
I used a wide-angle lens for this shot for two reasons. First, to fit the entire scene in the frame. Second, to use the distorted perspective to add mystery. Backlighting amplifies the mood. Is the figure embracing the city or attacking it?
The statues lend themselves to many interpretations. Their sheer scale alone makes them impressive. From the front, they can be seen as warm and welcoming. At other angles they can seem cold and cruel.
I hoped they would stay there forever and was sad to see them leave.

Adding Mystery to an Industrial Scene with Lensbaby

2009-02-13T15:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T14:40:00.000-08:00

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.

Seize the Moment

2008-07-30T16:47:00.001-07:00

Unlike most of my work, this is a totally unretouched photo. I loved the way the morning sun shone through the bay window on the right. The starburst inside the silhouette of a funnel-shaped vent on an adjoining roof was pure serendipity.

San Quentin Sunrise

2008-07-30T16:45:00.001-07:00

The vapor trail in the background is actually footsteps in the snow.

Morning Practice

2008-07-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Rowing into the sunrise, 6:30 AM February 28, 2008. The curvy background is a shot of sand at Ocean Beach. I've been working with textured backgrounds for several years now and really like the extra depth they bring to a picture.

Sailboats at Chrissy Field

2008-03-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Just one of the millions of reasons why living in San Francisco is so great.

Smiling Jessica

2007-04-23T15:08:00.000-07:00

What does this woman have to do with that background? Don't ask.

Serious Jessica

2007-04-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

More fooling around with textured backgrounds, my new obsession.

Across the Street from the Free Clinic, San Diego

2007-04-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

I Don't Think We're in San Francisco Anymore, Dorothy

2005-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Following is a series of pictures I took in Salt Lake Valley, Utah in October.

Storm Coming

2005-11-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

Bright sunlight in the foreground accentuates the menace of the coming storm.

Thistles

2005-11-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Sunset on Nob Hill

2005-11-15T22:17:00.000-08:00

Yellow Truck Blue Wall

2005-10-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

At Fringales

2005-10-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Fringale restaurant is two doors away from where I work. I saw this woman as I was leaving work and was so taken with how she looked against Fringale's yellow wall that I actually asked permission to take her picture. This is unusual for me because normally I prefer the candidness of stealth photography. As you see, she consented. Fringale's wall will appear again. It's very photogenic.

Self Portrait SOMA

2005-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Bryant between Third and Fourth streets.

The Loneliness of the Street Preacher

2005-10-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

Reliable Drugs

2005-10-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

In what sense? Hmmmm.

The Street Where I Live

2005-10-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

Carl is a short street running from Clayton to Arguello. My place is on the top floor of the condos on the left. It faces north across Golden Gate Park to that bridge to Wolfback Ridge and the Marin Headlands in the distance.

The Street Where I Wish I Lived

2005-10-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

One of San Francisco's gorgeous hidden neighborhoods.

There Is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World

2005-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

In November of 2004 artist Chris Cobb persuaded the owners of Adobe Bookshop in the Mission to let him arrange all the books in the store by color. He called his exhibit There Is Nothing Wrong in This Whole Wide World. A customer seems to be quite at home in this colorful environment.

Inner Sunset from Strawberry Hill in Golden Gate Park

2005-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hearts of San Francisco

2005-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

"These hearts were part of a project aimed at nurturing artistic expression in San Francisco while also helping to raise money for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. The goal was to raise one million dollars for the Foundation whose purpose is to fund projects that will enhance patient care and comfort at San Francisco General Hospital.
The first two hearts were unveiled on Valentine's Day, 2004, and since then 130 artists have transformed 5-foot heart sculptures into unique works of art. When completed they were seen in various public locales throughout San Francisco, including parks, sidewalks, street corners, and businesses. Each heart was supported by a sponsor. Selected hearts were be auctioned off in early November at an event benefiting San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center." ...Martha Bakerjian, About.com
It's too bad they didn't leave the hearts on site throughout the city. They were wonderful.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

2005-10-01T12:59:00.000-07:00