A Morning in San Francisco

Click on a photo to enlarge it.I saw a picture online of the TransAmerica Building in San Francisco that was taken from Pier 7. I thought the pier itself looked charming, with its wooden planks, tall lamp lights and curved iron railings. I decided I had to check it out for myself. After two weeks of clear, gorgeous weather, a storm was forecast for Monday, so I took off for the City early Sunday morning, thinking it might be the last chance to catch some blue sky for awhile. I went early hoping to get a parking space close-by and to have the pier to myself. I didn't want tourists in my shots. I got the parking space and the pier, but fog was still hanging over the City. In the first few shots I took, the spire disappeared into the mist. I waited. Eventually the fog thinned a bit, but not enough for the shots I had envisioned. Sometimes you just have to make do. In this hot, I like the way fog hangs over Coit Tower in the distance.

I walked back to my car and continued up the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf. Most of the charm of the wharf has morphed into an overcrowded, tacky, tourist trap that attracts visitors and repels locals. I was only going to drive through, but it was still early enough and cold enough that the hoards had not yet arrived. I found a parking space on the street and pulled in. On one side of the street are colorful, kitschy souvenir stores, crowded so close together that merchandise spills out onto the sidewalk. Interspersed among the tee shirt, postcard, and sea shell shops are the museums (wax and otherwise), plus many Kodak yellow camera shops. Just in case you are not lured in by the gaudy displays of valuable merchandise, many stores also have a barker to let you know he has the perfect lens for your camera.

You can see more of this side of Fishrman's Wharf on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/
On the bay side of the street are all the restaurants,
including the sidewalk seafood bars.

The wharf is not all tourist attractions.
It is also the home of many working fishing boats.

By the time I had my fill of the wharf, the fog had lifted. I headed back to Pier 7. Can you believe it? The same parking space was available. I had my blue sky, and although people were now walking and jogging on the pier, I got the shots I had come for.

I set my camera on the bench to get this last perspective.

I love San Francisco. It has so many photo worthy sectors. The problem is that it is always crowded. Trips to the City have to be well timed to avoid commuter traffic on weekdays and tourists on weekends. I shall return.

Creative Endeavors

I didn't take many photographs in January. I was feeling a bit burned out and stale, so I let photography go for awhile. My day at the beach (previous post) helped, but I still couldn't get the creative juices flowing. So instead of taking new photos, I imported a few I already had into Photoshop Elements to explore how I could creatively morph them into a new artistic reality. This was tons of fun. You may see more of these in the future. I've included both the original and the transformed. Click on a photo to see it enlarged.

This is new for me.
I would love to know your thoughts on how I altered reality.

Winter Sun

While the people in the northeast were suffering bitter cold,
I went to the beach.

We have had 10 days with no rain and although the sunny days and summertime temperatures seem wonderful, they are not good for us. We need rain to fill the reservoirs and snow to pack the mountains. We need winter! But if the sun is going to shine, let's take advantage of it by going to the beach where we can get a good dose of vitamin D. Many people must have been thinking this same way because Santa Cruz was packed. Are we in the midst of a baby boom? I have never seen so many toddlers; hundreds of them digging holes, shoveling sand into pails, and squealing with delight as they danced in the cold surf. I read my Kindle, watched the parade of sailboats leave the harbor, and took a few photographs.

I saw people walking on the jetty out to the lighthouse, so before heading home, I drove across the river to the west side of the yacht harbor.

The path that leads out to the jetty meanders by
Seabright State Beach.

A high surf advisory was in effect. People have been swept right off these rocks by high breaking waves, so as I approached the lighthouse, I kept an eye on the ocean for the rogue wave that would put me in the 11 o'clock news.
Despite the warning sign, it seemed calm enough, so I watched the sailboats return to the harbor. I have sailed into this harbor myself. I knew how these returning sailors felt after a day of sun, wind and undulating ocean.

I have included this last photo because it was the final one I took that day, and I was able to get a star effect from the sun, a technique I learned from Gary Hart during a photography workshop.

BTW: to those people who are having a cold, wet winter:

it is not all fun and games for us in California.
In a 7 day period this month, we had 10 earthquakes.

Natural Bridges

The photography club held a shoot-out at Natural Bridges State Beach. There is a Monarch Butterfly reserve at the park (a stand of Eucalyptus trees where the butterflies can hang out & rest during their long migration), but alas, there were no butterflies. High tide was in so photos of the tide pools were out. Sometimes you have to give up on preconceived ideas and go with what's available. The white Egrets in the white surf were engaging...

and the surf bubbles over the sand made appealing patterns.

And then I saw this little flower, all by itself.

If interested, you can see photos of the Monarchs I took at the
Pismo Beach Reserve in December 2009:
http://visual-journey.blogspot.com/2009/12/pismo-beach_31.html

Playing in the Snow

I was inspired by some photos I saw online.
"Buzz & Woody in a Snowball Fight"

"Oops"

"Some Gifts May Not Be Delivered"
(no one was hurt)

My brother took this photo. Click on it to enlarge
If you look closely, you will see the camera pointed at Buzz & Woody

Merry Christmas

Holiday Lights

Click on a photo to enlarge it.

Have you taken a drive around your neighborhood to look at the holiday lights? If not, you are invited to scroll down through this neighborblog to see what I saw. Hope you enjoy.

San Francisco Holiday Skyline

I planned a photography club shoot-out on Treasure Island for the first Sunday in December. As often happens in the winter, it rained and the shoot-out was postponed. The following Saturday, three club members and I made the long haul (70 miles) up to San Francisco hoping for better weather. Traffic was heavy for the last 10 miles of the approach to the Bay Bridge, so it took some time to get there. As we inched our way up the incline of the bridge, we could see that the city was shrouded in fog, but we were hopeful because we could still see the tops of the buildings. When we exited the bridge and drove down onto the island, we were a bit dismayed to find ourselves in the fog, with both the bridge and the city completely hidden. All that way and we couldn't see a thing.

We considered driving back up toward the bridge to find a vantage point above the fog, but sunset was only 25 minutes away so we didn't have much time to explore other options. We stayed put. I learned from Gary Hart that sometimes when the weather is difficult, be patient and wait. It was a good lesson to learn. First we spotted the top of one of the bridge towers, then the top of the Transamerica spire. As we unloaded our gear and set up our tripods, the fog thinned and the city gradually came into view. This was just the beginning. Wait til you see what happened next.

The fog cleared, the sun set, and we were rewarded with the most spectacular sky I have ever seen. Words cannot do it justice, so I will let the photographs tell the story. Please note that these colors are real. I did not increase saturation in the computer. Click on this panorama to get an idea of what we had the privilege of experiencing. Even this photo doesn't show the whole picture. We were quite literally surrounded by a display of color. At one point I stopped looking through my camera so I could just soak in this extraordinary light, go beyond being a witness, and become part of the experience.

As the sky darkened, the city lights began to shine. This is what we came to photograph: the holiday skyline. Only during this season are the buildings along the Embarcadero outlined in lights.

This is the shot I wanted to get and
it is my holiday gift to you.

I wish each one of you who take the time to read/view my blog, the very merriest of days, and may you have many extraordinary experiences in 2011. You can see more photos from this shoot on my Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/