« February 2006 | Main | April 2006 »
This is another from my visit out to Sunol earlier in the week. It is funny how you go out with plans for what you are going to shoot but nature makes up its own mind. I was going to try some macro of the rocks. However, Alameda creek was up several feet from Christmas and all the area that I was planning on exploring was under water.
Another infrared from my adventures out in Sunol. When the sun broke through, I started shooting.
I have taken other pictures of the Oak out in Sunol. I love its roots and 'magical' feeling. This is my first infrared of the tree.
This morning, I went out to Sunol for a quick visit before the weather turned nasty again. It is amazing to me how being out in the sunshine lifts my mood. I decided to shoot infrared today. I felt very rusty with the camera and it was not until I was leaving that I started to feel any groove.
Another from my recent visit to Hakone Gardens. Given the drab light, I played with blending modes. I converted the image to black & white emphasizing the red channel. Then I blended the B&W layer back into the original image with Soft Light. Just to add some glow, I blurred the B&W layer.
This Friday, 3/31, I have a (4) photos exhibited at PhotoCentral Spring Exhibition. The excitement starts at 6:30pm and all the photographers involved are bringing munchies, desert and drinks. If you make the opening, look for me and say 'hi'. I selected (4) infrared images and had to deal with the very confusing directive that I should select images that 'flow together'. I hope that I succeeded.
I am unsure of this grungy composite but I will post it. It is funny but posting helps me decide.
Another from Hakone Gardens, this was heavily fiddled to keep the shadow and highlight detail.
On Friday nite, Chip and I went to reception for Monte Hartman's new book, America's 100th Meridian: A Plains Journey. Monte taught the recent photo composition class. I learned a lot and took many different types of images. The show was gorgeous with many wonderful prints.
Today, C and I went for a long delayed lunch and caught up. It was a great day and we went out to Hakone
Gardens for a short visit. When we arrived, the light was very flat and gray. So, this has a the Nik Midnight Green filter applied for a little more mood.
Have not been out shooting this week so I raided my archives. This is the main entrance of the San Francisco de Young museum. I have been to the museum about 3 times and they always have a different beautiful display of flowers.
Another grungy flower using yesterday's abstract from the sailing yard and a chrysanthemum shot from earlier this year.
Another of my many abstracts from the Berkeley Sailing Club.
Another from our aborted hike along Coyote Creek, cut short by a sudden rainstorm.
I put this one in the surreal category. Funny that I was stuck next to a freeway when these beautiful rainbows appeared. Somehow the shed and the telephone poles add to the mystery feel. The blurring is because it was raining hard.
My interpretation of this one is probably going to very hard for someone else to see so here goes. This reminds me of our fat little dog, Cho-Cho. When we watch tv in the family room, Cho-Cho likes to lay in the kitchen with her head hanging over the step. She peers through her tangle of hair with what we call her laser-beams (actually she is older has bad cataract in one eye). Behind her head rises her overly large rump. If you cannot see it, you are probably the vast majority. Hopefully, you can appreciate it as an abstract.
Another detail shot from the Sailing Club. I think this one was from the underside of a boat sitting like a lawn decoration at the entrance.
This is a small detail of a wooden boat that is being worked on. After walking around the Saling Club, I can really understand why people say boats are so much work!
Today, Aphra and I went to the Berkeley Sailing club to take abstract shots of the ship hulls that are being worked on in drydock (?). We were inspired after hearing about the recent photo expedition led by Klaus Lange. For me, I felt a little visually overloaded but it is fun to keep trying my hands at abstract images.
For all my high tech equipment, I always need another outlet.
This week has been a long trying week. First, I have been feeling bad and my laptop was dying. Fortunately, I feel better today and Chip resurrected the laptop. Looks like I picked up a nasty trojan horse that slipped past my anti-virus software.
After dinner on Friday evening, I noticed the beautiful light and dramatic skies. I convinced Chip that it would not rain on us. So we stopped and strolled along Coyote Creek trail. Sure enough, a gorgeous complete rainbow appeared right when it started raining on us.
So, what does a photographer do when they have golden light, dramatic skies, and rainbows? Click continue reading to see...
I have not felt up to going out recently so I dug into the archives from earlier this week. This is the not-so-successful adventure into Maguire Creek but it is the best that I have at the moment. Maybe, tomorrow my energy and photo-mojo will return.
Another take on a grungy flower. Recycled my rippled water photo along with an earlier orchid shot.
Yesterday, I went out to Sunol along Welch Creek Road. Welch Creek road is a one-lane very winding road along the edge of a canyon. There is a creek running along the road but 20-30 below the level of the road. I went down the edge of the embankment and had a heck of a time getting back up. It seems that someone did not make the turn and crashed their car at the top of this waterfall. It may be a little hard to see in infrared. The rectangle of the windshield's frame can be seen at the top of the waterfall toward the right-hand side. Below the windshield is the crushed car body. From the look of it, the car has been there quite a while. I could see that the posts along the shoulder had been torn out. Hopefully, no one was seriously injured.
I went out today to Sunol and ended up slipping and sliding down a very steep hill. I took a lot of infrared shots but nothing good. So, I raided the archives for the bottle shot.
Another take on the Rippled Chrysanthemum. A different shot of ripples and a different shot of a chrysanthemum.
Another taken out in Sunol along Alameda creek. Turns out that I was only able to get out once tihs entire week! Hopefully next week will be more productive.
Today for the first time in several weeks, I went out to take infrared landscapes. Funny but somehow I was not inspired even though I visited Sunol (my favorite landscape location). Maybe, all this color work for my class has switched my preferences. This is the best of the infrared shots for the day.
Another shot taken for my photo class assignment of surreal. Found at the de Young Museum in the native American section.
A composite of a chrysanthemum and concrete wall shots.
Today, dropped Mother off at the airport. Had to immediately go out and finish my asignment for my photo class. We were supposed to take a set of 5 images of the same object with different viewpoints. I decided on this sculpture at the entrance of our local shopping center. Obviously, the day was very gray but this one has some nice drama with the sun. I did some dodging on the right-hand upper figure to try and separate it from the palm tree.
I do not know why some of the orchids are caged and some not. This was an experiment with a mid-range telephoto lens and shallow depth of field.
This is a reflection of the dome of the Conservatory of Flowers in their waterlily pool. The glass is white-washed for historical accuracy and I think temperature control.
PHOTOSJLC is another blog of note that I forgot to mention the first time around.
Took a quick trip to Santana Row very late on Saturday nite. I liked how the vines mimicked the tree branches. This is a night shot and a high-dynamic range image.
This piece is in the main lobby of the de Young Museum. In person, the circles look a little out-of-focus but in a photo it looks like it is much further.
Another from our recent visit to the de Young Museum. Mother was getting tired and her expression mirrored the self-portrait of Chuck Close.
Another from my visit to Baylands. This is a better shot than my earlier Adobe creekimage.
These shots represent a day in Baylands park. It has been quite an adventure. These were taken at 5 times of day (dawn, mid-morning, mid-afternoon, sunset and twilight) over a stormy week here in the bay area.
Today, Mother and I visited the Conservatory of Flowers and the de Young Museum. I wanted to take some abstract shots for my photo class. I was not inspired about abstracts but think I might be able to try the "mysterious" assignment instead.
I have been shooting a series at Baylands for my photo class. I decided to show the marshes under different lighting conditions. I will be posting that sequence soon. This is Adobe creek that runs along the edge of the marshes. I had to climb around a locked gate to get this vantage point. Of course, it is easier to go down the embankment rather than back up!
