San Francisco - Municipal Pier & Aquatic Park

Whenever I decide to walk around San Francisco and take photos, I often find that some of my more interesting shots of the day come from unintended subjects. My friend and colleague, Edward Chuck, and I decided to shoot in the area around Fisherman's Wharf this past weekend. We only planned to hang out in the area until just before the lights turn on in the city. We had hoped to capture the orange light illuminating City Hall in support of the San Francisco Giants. Neither of us seemed to be paying much attention to the time. We decided that we would just continue walking towards Aquatic Park, and the Municipal Pier. That decision was rewarded with gorgeous light. The bay was lit with orange, pink, and touches of yellow and purple. I can't imagine there being too many areas in the region that got such spectacular light.

Pfeiffer Beach

Yesterday, I went to Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, CA., along with my friend and colleague, Edward Chuck. We hoped to get a break in the rain. Once we hit Castroville, things really started to look up. The clouds started to peel back just enough to let the sun through on occasion. Of course, the weather can change on a dime, but we were optimistic. Although we were both prepared to be disappointed, the weather turned in our favor.

Point Lobos

Landscape artist Francis McComas called Point Lobos “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.” Anyone would have a difficult time disproving this statement. I will say that Point Lobos is certainly one of the most beautiful places on the planet! I had the pleasure of spending the entire day at Point Lobos today. I've been to Point Lobos on several occasions. However, its never been for more than a couple of hours. It was great to just sit back and take in all of the beauty. Of course, I got a chance to shoot a bit. The sunset was pretty amazing. As always, the window for great light was short, but I still managed to walk away with some photos that I really liked :) I will add that I am quite grateful to have spent this great day amongst friends and fellow photographers, Edward Chuck, and Michael Duarte. I also got a chance to hang out with another amazingly talented photographer by the name of James W. Baker. Thanks for the invite fellas!

San Francisco - Part 2 (Alamo Square)

These images were taken by Alamo Square this past Saturday while hanging out with fellow photogs, Mike Duarte, Edward Chuck, and Kevin Ash. Our initial plan was to shoot the "Painted Ladies". As soon as we parked, a cool guy named Peter started talking shop and asking about Mike's Nikon D90. After speaking for a little while, he asked us if we wanted to shoot from his roof. Of course, we jumped at the chance. Its not every day that you get an opportunity to shoot from someone's roof. We all got a few very interesting shots. Although, I think Ed might not have gotten all the shots he wanted since he got yelled at by some lady in a neighboring building. Lol. Apparently, she thought he was taking images of her apartment. Never mind the fact that he was not shooting anywhere near her direction. Its always the people that no one is paying attention to that seem to have a problem in situations like these. After we finished shooting, we thanked Peter, and made our way over to the "Painted Ladies"!

San Francisco Pt. 1

Throughout the course of three days, I've found myself moving around all over the place. I got a chance to see Iron Man 2, which was quite entertaining (Yes, I'm a bit of a comic lover). I also went to a wide variety of locations across San Francisco and shot with many different photographers. Its always a pleasure to venture out with folks that are motivated by the same passions. People that you can learn from and share technique with. Photographers will not only tolerate, but spend endless periods of time waiting for the right light in a certain location (and actually enjoy it), and will do their absolute best to create their own luck with the same determination as you. I had a great time shooting with photographers, John Maruoka, Kristin Munday, Andrew Munday, Mike Duarte, Edward Chuck, Thomas Barclay, and Kevin Ash. I met some really warm and genuine people, saw someone get arrested, and spotted a police officer texting while driving! Overall, a very busy, yet extremely fun week. Here are a few recent images. More to follow!