Snowy Egret in flight at Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. More than 280 species of birds have been sighted here. It was a good opportunity to give my Nikon 200-500 lens a workout.
Blog
Mare Island
Rusting equipment, abandoned buildings and a California sunset make for great photo opportunities. I shot this image, and many others, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo. The U.S.'s first naval base established on the Pacific Ocean it started operations in 1854 and closed in 1996.
Black Diamonds
From the 1860s to the turn of last century nearly 4 millions tons of coal, or "black diamonds," were removed from the earth across the bay from San Francisco. The Black Diamond area was California's largest coal mining region. The miners, coal and buildings are long gone. Remaining today are a pioneer cemetery and classic Northern California landscapes.
Ghost Ranch
After a healthy 2 1/2 mile hike from Redwood Rd. you come upon Mendonca dairy ranch in the East Bay hills outside of Castro Valley. No clear records on when it started operations but the owner's name, J.B. Mendonca, first appears on land records in 1915. Of course long since abandoned it no longer produces milk but does provide interesting images.
Seeing the Light
I had an opportunity to photograph the Cathedral of Christ the Light next to Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland. The cathedral is composed of a 1,350-seat sanctuary with side chapels, a baptistery and a mausoleum. With a building form based on an inner wooden vessel contained within a veil of glass - both of which are anchored on architectural concrete base - the design is, according to the architects, intended to convey an inclusive statement of welcome and openness.
Movo On
My newest toy is a Movo Photo motorized tripod head. It can be programmed to rotate up to 360 degrees in as long as one hour. Tons of fun for time lapse photography. Below is my pan of San Francisco's Union Square (360 degrees in 30 minutes).
In Search of the Crescent Moon
I found it on a chilly Bay Area morning at sunrise over Lake Chabot here in Castro Valley. As an added bonus Venus also showed up.
Oakland's Art Deco Beauty
I had an opportunity to photograph Oakland's Paramount Theater. Built in 1931 it was one of the first Depression-era buildings to incorporate and integrate the work of numerous creative artists into its architecture. The Paramount was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is one the best remaining examples of Art Deco design in the U.S.
Big Sur Dreaming
After 7 years living in the Bay Area I finally made it down to Big Sur for some photography and exploration. Also made a visit to the Carmel Mission. Gray, rainy skies yielded some nice, moody images.
Shooting the Fort
One of San Francisco's less well known attractions is Ft. Point National Historic Site. Though you've probably seen it thousands of times as it sits under the southern span of the Golden Gate Bridge. Actually, the chief engineer redesigned construction of the bridge to preserve the fortress. Fort Point was completed just before the Civil War to defend San Francisco Bay against hostile warships, though no military action ever occurred there. Worth the time if you ever visit the Bay Area and of course, take a camera.
What the Dickens!?!?!
Got to do a promotional video for the annual Great Dickens Christmas Fair held in San Francisco. Had a blast spending a day shooting on the streets of 19th century London, even saw the Queen and Charles Dickens himself. Special shout outs to Don Karl Davis for organizing this and David Hakim for all his help that day.
Go GoPro, Go
First day out with my GoPro Hero4. Stuck it on the windshield of my car and went for a drive around San Francisco. 4K video at 30 frames per second in a camera that fits in my hand. What a world we live in. Here's a snippet of my drive across the Golden Gate Bridge:
"I'm Shooting in the Rain ..."
Because of the drought in California rain is now a major news event and merits stock footage. I headed over to San Francisco to participate in the precipitation. Below is a vignette of some of the footage I shot.
Ready, Steadi, Go.
First day out with my new steadicam. Took it to the Embarcadero around the Ferry Building and to Powell St. to get footage. I can tell that this is going to be something that will take some time to master. They make it look so easy in the videos. I've seen footage of people running with these things holding them with one hand while the camera remains motionless. Hope I can get to that point. Regardless though, even rookies like myself can get decent shots. Above is my walk down Powell Street.