HDR Photography
This shot comes from a maintenance building over the Caldecott tunnel through the Berkeley Hills. The whole building is sort of interesting looking in a really drab way and will surely be featured further but for now I thought that the way that the NFPA diamond in all of its colorful glory contrasted with the lack of the color in this stairwell which is an access way to one of the bores of the tunnel.
I know I’ve posted close up shots of these roses before but here I’ve processed the shot as a single exposure HDR (so manually adjusted the exposure of a single image in post and then combining them) and I’m happy with the result.
Here’s a shot I took a while back of one of the Bay Area’s most infamous landmarks. It was sort of a gray, hazy day but with a little judicious tweaking I feel like the island really pops.
This is another example of how Berkeley’s campus can fool you into thinking its not in an urban/suburban setting. The wooded groves on the banks of Strawberry creek are some of the most picturesque places on campus. This a Eucalyptus grove on the northwest side of campus with Strawberry creek in the foreground.
While I’ve posted a few close up shots of flowers on the blog so far this is my first attempt at a multishot HDR shot of flowers. I’m really impressed with the results.
With a few exceptions UC Berkeley has a very pretty campus architecturally. In particular I am a fan of the older buildings because, well, they just look so academic. Stephens Hall in particular looks like I imagine a building on an old university looks. On the south eastern side of the building, where this photo was shot, there is a particularly peaceful little grove with a creek running through it (which was previously featured). The effect is that you are removed from the hustle and bustle of the bay area.
Not all of Berkeley’s water ways are quite so picturesque as my previous post. I think this picture really captures the essence of Berkeley: a mixture of urban and natural elements. The contrast of the graffiti and cement tunnel with the overgrown ivy and the creek, just outside the Berkeley Faculty club, really sums this up.
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.
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.
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.
There’s something about close-up shots of flowers.
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.
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.
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.
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 