California – Page 53

The Span

2012-Feb-022012-Feb-02 adohertyh3 Comments

The Bay Bridge connecting Oakland and San Francisco is actually a pair of bridges, resting for a moment on the island of Yerba Buena. Attached to Yerba Buena is the ironically-named Treasure Island, a man-made island composed entirely of fill. From there, photographing either the East Bay or San Francisco itself works out quite nicely. Today’s shot of the western span of the bridge has a bit of the unlit Yerba Buena outcropping on the left and the hyperintense lights of AT&T Park (home of the SF Giants) under the bridge. On this particularly clear night, I was thrilled to be able to capture it all without a thick slathering of fog.

Lemons

2012-Feb-012013-Aug-16 emceehammrLeave a comment

Berkeley is completely filled with lemon trees bearing fruit which largely goes to waste. But what is a shame for the tree owners is a great thing for photographers because the texture and color of the fruit really pops against a beautiful blue sky on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

The Milling Machine’s Altar

2012-Jan-31 adohertyh5 Comments

Berkeley has a Student Machine Shop, and my scientific experiments would never get off the group without it. I’ve lost track of the number of times that I’ve needed a part that has never before been made–I can only imagine in my mind what I need. I make some preliminary drawings, and I head up to the shop to machine this fantasy part from aluminum or, more rarely, steel. To see that form from my imagination slowly becoming reality is one of the most exciting experiences I’ve ever had. (It’s probably worth noting that I started as a sculptor before transitioning to photography.)

This particular photograph is of a milling machine, used to make planes, grooves, and holes in metal. In many ways, it’s a lot more flexible than a lathe (the other ubiquitous machine shop tool), but also a bit more threatening looking.

Lizard Sunning itself on a Rock

2012-Jan-302013-Aug-16 emceehammrLeave a comment

I found this little guy sunning himself near the Imagery Winery in Glen Ellen. Here the lighting was good enough to put together a single shot pseudo-HDR shot, really bringing out all of the interesting details in the rock and the scales of our little lizard friend here.

Calla Lilies

2012-Jan-28 emceehammrLeave a comment

A very popular plant in Berkeley, the Calla lily also makes a pretty respectable photography subject.

Oxford Research

2012-Jan-28 adohertyhLeave a comment

Today, I’m posting another photograph of UC Berkeley’s greenhouses at their Oxford Research station. This area has a bizarre mix of well-maintained, modern facilities along with others that look as though they haven’t been touched since the 1960’s. The vibe reminds me a bit of certain levels in Portal 2. More than anything, it’s amazing that I was able to stand around in the parking lot of this fascinating place for 20 minutes taking photos.

The Neighbors

2012-Jan-262012-Jan-26 adohertyhLeave a comment

I’ve always loved the little details of a gorgeous house–the tiny trim pieces, or the leaded glass windows. This particular shot reminded me of playing in the yard as a child. In the winter time, the sun set before dinner, so when the time came to head in, the house had this unearthly blue glow that made the warm light from inside so much more inviting.

Golden Gate Bridge in the Haze

2012-Jan-25 emceehammrLeave a comment

Normally I’d have thrown a shot like this away as its no good for HDR (there are no details to enhance, only shadows) but looking at it and playing with the white balance and composition a bit I think I like the effect. There’s a sense of grand scale here with the top of the bridge emerging from the haze and with the infamous Alcatraz in the foreground.

Hey, Surfer Girl!

2012-Jan-24 adohertyh1 Comment

This shot of a surfer in La Jolla, CA is another from near the Scripps pier that I featured previously here. The contrast between the reflection on the sand and the rough, concrete pier turned out pretty well, by my favorite part is also the one over which I had the least control: the surfer (and her brightly-colored board) just happened to be walking by. The whole scene just felt so classically “Californian.”

Arnaldo Pomodoro’s Rotante dal Foro Centrale

2012-Jan-23 emceehammrLeave a comment

This sculpture is frequently photographed (as a quick search of Flickr will reveal) but with all of the recesses and light and dark it’s a natural subject for some HDR photography. There will almost certainly be more to come of this one in future posts.

Curving Sky Matches Earth

2012-Jan-212016-Jul-15 adohertyhLeave a comment

The clouds finally cooperated while I was driving past a beach outside San Diego. I was chuffed at the degree to which the clouds matched the curvature of the hillside. The blue sky also makes a pretty stark contrast with the dull browns of winter-time southern California.

New Brighton State Beach

2012-Jan-202012-Jan-20 emceehammrLeave a comment

From the same set as my last post, this is a photo taken at New Brighton State Beach, this time a single shot HDR, again, showing the beauty of California’s central coast. That is, aside from the lens flare.

The Palo Alto

2012-Jan-182012-Apr-25 emceehammrLeave a comment

This is an old one of mine that I thought would be nice to put up on the blog. Pictured is the Palo Alto, a concrete ship sunk off of Seacliff State Beach, as shot from New Brighton State Beach. I would highly recommend a drive down California’s Central Coast for anyone looking for some great photo ops!

The Glowing Greenhouse

2012-Jan-172016-Jul-15 adohertyhLeave a comment

UC Berkeley has an enormous number of greenhouses just to the west of their main campus. The glow from inside them at night fit nicely with the streetlights reflecting off the low cloud cover on this particular night.

Scripps Sky

2012-Jan-162012-Jan-16 adohertyhLeave a comment

A recent trip to San Diego gave me a chance to wander around the gorgeous La Jolla Shores neighborhood, home of UC San Diego and the Scripps institute. The salty air on the beach really speeds the degradation of structures; when you take that in combination with the minimalist concrete structures favored by UCSD, you can get some really dystopian looks. When you combine this with the traditionally “idyllic” beach, it makes for a disturbing contrast.