HDR Photography
Another one of those hidden spaces, the engineering library in Bechtel hall on Berkeley’s campus is surprisingly off the beaten path. This portal into the depths is located off one of the main routes onto campus from the north, and the sides are about chest height and so it’s easy to miss the hanging sculpture which hangs above the entrance to the library.
It’s amazing how quickly Campbell hall (previously featured in various stages of its deconstruction here and here) has been reduced to a pile or rubble. Just this past week they have completed the demolition but I was able to capture this shot, with the Campanile in the background, just before it stopped looking like a building and started looking like a pile of rubble.
One of my favorite places on campus (or it used to be before the flurry of construction activity around it) is the Hearst Mining Circle, just opposite the chemistry quad on U. C. Berkeley’s campus. In particular the reflecting pool and lawn in front the historic (and fascinating — there used to be a tunnel to the Hayward fault from there) Hearst Mining Building make a great combination, especially on a sunny day such as the day this shot was taken.
It’s great to be able to head to a beach like this, without the hustle and bustle of more accessible beaches, just to hang out and read a book to the soundtrack of the crashing waves.
The Berkeley Public Libraries recently remodeled their north branch, nestled at the bottom of the Berkeley hills in North Berkeley. It’s actually quite attractive, in stark contrast to a lot of the public buildings in the east bay.
What I really liked about this shot taken on the California coast (you may recognize the creek from previous postings) is the contrast of the reds in the rock with the green of the shrubs hanging on for dear life. The erosion of the rocks is also particularly pleasing.
During a brief jaunt through Berkeley Marina on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon I was able to catch this shot of an intrepid crew setting sail out into the San Francisco Bay and beyond.
On a recent trip up to Sonoma I was lead into this valley just off of Sonoma Plaza.We didn’t taste here but I couldn’t help grabbing a shot or two while I was there.
Beaches are wonderful, no? The surf is so majestic.
This fire station is right across the street from the beach down in Half Moon Bay. It really adds to the small town vibe, and makes you forget for a second that this place is a destination.
Another shot from our recent excursion to the beach at Half Moon Bay. We were hardly the only folks around but it was still peaceful. Sometimes you just have to enjoy the view.
Say what you will, but I do sort of like the urban jungles that folks around Berkeley tend to plant around their houses. Some, like these folks, even attempt to groom the foliage which results in this, a sort of idealized representation of a small corner of forest.
In Pillar Point harbor there were a couple of lonely boats anchored here and there, and not moored to a pier. As the sunset I grabbed a shot of this one silhouetted against the setting sun.
Just north of the hotel featured earlier this week is the Pillar Point Air Force Station on the north side of Pillar Point Harbor, itself just north of Half Moon Bay State Beach. This is home to a radar installation (the dome pictured in the background) which looks particularly impressive in the early evening on days like the day this photo was taken.
This past weekend we shot some photos down in Half Moon Bay on the beach, but as compelling as the beach and bay were, I really thought one of the hotels overlooking the ocean was great. Seated behind a small dune, this place reminds me of places my family used to stay as a kid on the Washington and Oregon coasts.
Decaseconds 