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.

San Francisco - An Experiment In Color - Part 1

Its funny how we can see color every single day, and fail to really examine it in our environments. Color as shape, as mood or emotion, in motion, and color as it interacts with neutral colors and complimentary colors. I've never done this more than now, but my teachers at De Anza College have really opened my eyes to this through various projects and helped me to take further notice on a daily basis. I am much more aware of color than I've ever been.

Fleet Week In SF - 2010

This year's Fleet Week in San Francisco was considered the largest in 20 years, thanks to a new Fleet Week committee :) I was fortunate enough to attend this past Saturday. The event draws in over one million visitors. I'd love to find out what the actual attendance was. I've rarely seen San Francisco so crowded. Not to mention, the day was absolutely gorgeous!

I set out to capture the aerial show with friends and fellow photographers Kevin Ash, Michael Duarte, and Justin Chase. Thanks to Kevin, we were all able to shoot from the "Friends and family" section for the Blue Angels. Though everyone had fantastic seating. We chose to sit up front and along the water in order to get the best possible view. Its been years since I've had the opportunity to see the Blue Angels. They certainly did not disappoint. I had a great time. I also enjoyed viewing The Patriots, and Sean Tucker! These pilots all put on a stellar performance!

I rented a Canon 100 - 400mm f/4.5-5.6L from BorrowLenses since this would be my first time photographing an event like this. I wanted extra reach. Awesome lens! Great subject matter. There is so much to concentrate on. I have heightened respect for people that shoot these kind of events regularly. Kevin was able to give a lot of great advice on how to capture the aircraft as he has attended several shows (including multiple days from this year's event)! So I have to plug his work. He got some amazing captures. As for me, I managed to get a few decent images! I would have liked to have captured more scenes that depicted how low these planes fly, but sadly the shots weren't very clear. I can't wait to take another crack at an event like this in the future!

"The Mighty Task is Done" - Golden Gate Bridge

Joseph Strauss, chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge, wrote a poem that is now on the Golden Gate Bridge entitled "The Mighty Task is Done." The bridge opened on May 27, 1937. Celebrations lasted a full week. The day before vehicle traffic was allowed, 200,000 people crossed by foot and roller skate. Sounds like a fun event!

I have always been fascinated by this Modern Wonder of the world. There is no single thing that represents San Francisco, or California more effectively, in my opinion. I suppose that I have always felt this way, but that became even more true for me while living abroad. Movies, photography, commercials, and print ads featuring the bridge all reminded me of home and consistently brought a smile to my face.

Although I've taken photos of the Golden Gate Bridge many times, I never tire of it. Recently, I found occasion to take additional photos after returning to Marshall's Beach for the first time in over 20 years. This is another local treasure that seems to be constantly disrespected by locals and tourists alike who leave without cleaning up after themselves. I find this to be totally unacceptable! Some people don't seem to realize how lucky we are to have such beautiful sites so close to our doorstep. Despite all of this, it was such a great feeling to rediscover this little hidden gem.

Over the course of two days, I also shot from Battery Spencer, Fort Point, Crissy Field, and Fort Baker.

The Rock: Alcatraz Island

It has been some time since I've visited Alcatraz. I haven't been very many times though. As a native of San Francisco, most people are surprised that I haven't visited repeatedly (in my defense, prison is usually the last among my thoughts. lol). Typically, my visits take place when I show visiting family & friends around San Francisco. I'd never actually taken any photos on the island. That fact kept the idea in my mind for several weeks. So when my friend Thomas Barclay suggested we go shoot on the island, I just laughed and agreed right away. Great timing. Its always interesting to shoot something new. New for me anyway. Visiting with my camera was like seeing it for the first time. Overall, it was a great day. I got to take several photos, hang out with a great friend, and eat at Blondie's Pizza!

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!

Night on the Embarcadero

Earlier this week, my friend Minh & I set out to get some photographs of San Francisco by night. We shot near the Golden Gate bridge, and on Embarcadero. Though I had a few issues with one of my lenses earlier in the evening near Fort Point, my shots along the Embarcadero near the Bay Bridge and Pier 14 came out quite nice! We shot until 2am, and enjoyed the shoot so much that we went back out in time to catch the sunrise. We only managed to get 3 hours sleep, but its a small price to pay for a good time.