HDR Photography
There are some truly spectacular spots on UC Berkeley’s campus including this spot just outside Stephens hall, a quiet place beside a babbling brook to escape from all of the undergrads shuffling between classes. I took this shot around sun down and captured this shot which makes it look like the creek is on fire.
Today’s photograph comes from the same forrest preserve where I photographed the creek and frozen pond. The setting sun was eclipsed by the trees to my back such that only the branches far away from me picked up that lovely, golden hue. I really liked the way that contrasted with the dull trees and textured grass closer to me.
Another sunset shot of Puget Sound shot just south of Seattle looking west toward Vashon. I really liked the low cloud cover on the horizon with the blue skies. The only bummer for me is the power line. This photo looks like home for me.
Walking residential streets at dusk transforms the most mundane environment into a magical place. The incandescent lighting tumbles from the houses along with the smells of dinner. I found this particular house, with its gorgeous jungle of a front yard and perfect proportions, to be the most welcoming.
While out shooting the Golden Gate Bridge I found some of the nearby rock formations fascinating with so many little facets. Here I found some patches of lichen growing on the rocks, which looks to me like some sort of alien life form.
Some buildings really have a face of their own. This image is from the northern part of Berkeley; I love how obviously the street is slanted. Still, the lobby looks quite warm and inviting (particularly on the night I took this image; the drizzle was a bit unpleasant.)
There’s something about close-up shots of flowers.
I’ve previously posted a handful of images from UC Berkeley’s student machine shop. (I even did a recent post for the Berkeley Science Review, where I talk a bit more about why I love this place.)
Today’s photograph is of the wall of that shop with its endless array of bits and blades for the plethora of machines that require them. Clicking through to view the full-sized image is particularly rewarding; each of those little strips of color is a label, put in place decades ago, describing the bit type and size, along with taped-up charts of conversion factors and tiny tutorials on how to use it all. Even a single drill bit is patterned with a mosaic of dents, dings, and damages that tell a story of the countless times it has been used; to see so many together, in one place, tells a story of generations of scientists working their damnedest to convince their experimental apparatuses to cooperate. More than plaques on a wall or papers in a file somewhere, this is the real testament to scientific achievement.
One more shot of this iconic structure, I found this shot compelling because you can see not only the Golden Gate bridge but also its cousin, the Bay Bridge as well as the SF skyline in the background there. If the shot were only a bit wider you’d be able to see Alcatraz and you’d be close to fitting almost all of the Bay Area’s most famous landmarks in one shot.
Continuing the Marin Headlands bombardment, today’s photograph shows the northern approach to the Golden Gate Bridge with Angel Island in the background. This was also my first attempt at post-processing to simulate the use of a tilt-shift lens, which produces the illusion of a miniature reality. I think it works quite nicely here to give the bridge a feeling of being part of a model railroad set.
If I hadn’t taken this picture myself I probably would have guessed this picture was captured on the coast of the PNW. I really enjoy this type of terrain, found in the Marin Headlands north of San Francisco, with evergreen trees on rocky cliffs rising above the sea. The looming rain clouds really make the shot for me, giving this that real maritime feeling.
On Monday, Brendan showed you his view of the Golden Gate Bridge; today, it’s my turn. I was lucky enough to capture the moment an enormous container ship passed under the bridge on its way into the Pacific Ocean. The scale of both the bridge, and these behemoths of the ocean, shocked me when I first thought of it. I had been watching this ship for almost an hour as it maneuvered its way through the bay from the Port of Oakland, and as it passed Alcatraz, I realized that the island and the ship were nearly the same length! To then see the ship pass trivially under the Golden Gate was astonishing.
By this point in the evening it had started to rain, and keeping the lens clear was becoming increasingly difficult. I didn’t dare risk missing the moment the ship passed under the bridge, so I dried the lens, put the cover on, and waited patiently for just the right moment.
I found this rock formation interesting, especially in this light, with the red colors of the rocks contrasting with the green plants surviving on the otherwise barren rocks. In the low light the rocks almost look shiny.
Last month, I had a chance to shoot Brighton Boast a Bit (a.k.a. Posey the pony) and Piper J. Klemm (the rider) as they practiced a bit at Show Park Del Mar. Capturing motion is a very different experience for me, given that I’m usually shooting some pretty static landscapes, but I particularly liked this shot of Posey looking a bit unhappy as Piper asks her to pick up the gallop. The swooshing tail really tells the story.
How could a SF based photoblog not contain several shots of this iconic Bay Area landmark? This was taken at the overlook in the Marin Headlands just west of the bridge.
Decaseconds 