Archive for the ‘California’ Category
A Day in Point Reyes National Seashore
March 7th, 2010 | Author: albert
Linda and I visited Point Reyes today. It was one of these weekends where weather forecasts first predicted 80% chance on rain, then 30% and the day turning out to be beautiful! The whole area is beautiful and scenic views vary from rolling green hills, Eucalypt groves, rugged coastline and sandy beaches with roaring surf. We’ll be returning here in April when the place is awash with spring flowers.
Today’s trip included a stop at the wreck of the Point Reyes, a fishing vessel run aground at Inverness on Tomales Bay. As you can see from the picture below, the tide was out. The light was pretty much perfect. While this shot is not an HDR, I did come back with several bracketed shots and an HDR will follow soon.
The next stop was Drakes Beach. We wanted to to go to the lighthouse, but on weekends the state closes off the road and one has to take a shuttle bus. As we did not have the time, we decided to check out some of the beaches and ended up at Drakes Beach.
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Valentine’s Day Sunset
February 17th, 2010 | Author: albert
Spent Valentine’s Day with Linda up at Lake Tahoe. We of course did what photographers like to do and sought out a romantic sunset 
This hot is taken from the Eastern shores of Lake Tahoe. Not quite as much color as we would have liked, but still nice.
Blended two shots here, one exposed for the sky, one for foreground. The long exposures also softened the water as it was quite choppy.
I loved these rocks in the foreground and took quite some shots, all with different compositions. I liked this a lot, but will post more in due course.
Another Fort Point HDR
February 10th, 2010 | Author: albert
You gotta love this place! I know do – probably because I love the HDR results one can get from shooting these brick walled corridors. I find the way that HDR can pull out the details just wonderful. Subjects like brick walls, cobblestone streets and wood grain textures just come alive when given the HDR treatment. Add to that the multiple exposures which lets you capture that wide dynamic range and not hard to conclude that HDR photography can be a real treat for indoor scenes.
So here is another HDR of Fort Point for your enjoyment. It looks like the place was deserted, it wasn’t. It’s all about patience, just waiting for people to pass and quickly make your shots. Sometimes I get lucky.
Master Brick Masonry of Fort Point
February 3rd, 2010 | Author: albert
The magnificent Fort Point is located right under the Golden Gate Bridge, on the South side. It was built to protect San Francisco harbor from Confederate and foreign attach during the and after the US Civil War.
While its many arched walkways are considered to be a great showcase for the art of master brick masonry, it is also great for some powerful photography.
Here is a great example of the “feel” of this place. I just LOVE these corridors that disappear into the distance, no distractions or decorations other than the brickwork, arches, faded colors and those wonderful lines. This is agreat place for a weekend visit (the place is only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). There are superb views of the Golden Gate Bridge from the rooftop, which is easily accessible.
This is a 3-shot HDR, each shot is 2 stops apart.
Visiting the CIA
February 2nd, 2010 | Author: albert
The CIA, in this case, stands for Culinary Institute of America, which has a campus in Napa Valley (St Helena to be more precise). Linda and I visited there this last weekend and this place has some great opportunities for HDR photography.
This front view of the institute for example, shows up really well with the dramatic clouds above it. Gives it a bit of a spooky look.
Inside was great for HDR shots. The lobby (I assume that is what it is called) has this staircase that leads up and forms a great contrast with the brick walls, both in color as well as in look. The stone giving an old and majestic feel while the steel staircase is modern and utilitarian.
There were some renovations going on and they were putting up these really interesting wall designs, two contrasting colored wood panels. A great subject for some abstract shots.
Yosemite – In-between Seasons
December 19th, 2009 | Author: albert
Early December in Yosemite – color was well past it peak, but no snow yet. Clear skies, soft, even light, but cold. Those were the conditions we found in Yosemite. Disappointingly, Glacier Point road had been closed for the season, but we were determined to take advantage of all that Yosemite Valley could offer us.
Old City Cemetery of Sacramento
November 22nd, 2009 | Author: albert
Visited the Old City Cemetery recently for a photoshoot.
The Sacramento City Cemetery was established in 1849 after a donation of 10 acres by Captain John Sutter (who was later buried there himself). The cemetery follows the Victorian Garden style, popular throughout the mid and late 1800’s. It is perhaps no wonder that this cemetery provides some wonderful photographic opportunities.
The gardens are maintained by volunteers and the 150 year old place is kept in immaculate shape. It has character, in so far a cemetery can have character. It is a place for reflection, remembering lost friends and family and sadness, yet it is beautiful and makes for a great place to go for a quiet walk, with or without camera.
The shot below was taken in November, towards the end of fall color, but the way the sun hit this tree caused every last bit of remaining color to blaze out in all its glory. Published here as an HDR.
A drive through Hope Valley
November 20th, 2009 | Author: albert
It was one of those Saturdays, nothing planned, not wanting to sit at home, kind of strange weather, not bad, but not particularly good either. What to do? So a friend and I decided to drive towards Lake Tahoe and see if there was anything worth shooting.
Rather than taking the freeway, we decided to go the back roads and took the Emigrant Mormon Trail and then Hwy 88 through Carson Pass and Hope Valley. The higher the elevation, the colder it got. At 8000 ft it was 37 degrees and this was only October!
In many ways it was kind of boring. Fall color was gone and no snow yet, that in between kind of day.
We spotted an area with interesting trees and rocks and decided, considering we’d come all this way anyway, to get out and shoot something, ANYTHING!
This is the result of that outing, kind of cool actually and I am quite happy with the results and it shows that there are photo opportunities hiding almost everywhere.
California Gold Rush
October 27th, 2009 | Author: albert
Here are some shots of Coloma, in California, the very location along the South Fork of the American River where James Marshall first found gold in 1848. This of course was the start of the famous Gold Rush of 1849.
This site was where John Sutter and James Marshall built a sawmill and re-directed the water from the river to power the mill. The water washed away sand and dirt, exposing the gold. The rest, as they say, is history.
Seen here are the sawmill and some details of the structure. The little building is Marshall’s first cabin.
Coloma is only about 45 minutes drive from Sacramento, where I live. It is a great place for an afternoon outing, a stroll and a picnic. One of the old buildings there used to house a cafe and served awesome coffee and peach pie, but it seems that budget cuts have not left this place unaffected and the park is in fact in danger of being closed altogether. Such a shame…
Exclusive Wine Tasting
October 25th, 2009 | Author: albert
This is the area to go taste Robert Mondavi’s exclusive wines. The open door leads into the cellar where the wines are poured and you can take your glass and wonder around the gardens. This is of course, Napa Valley, where outdoor activities are possible almost all year round.
Linda and I visited here mid October and the weather was nothing short of wonderful and a perfect day to go exploring the valley and vineyards. Some great photo opportunities too.
This shot is an HDR, comprises of 3 shots, each 2 stops apart.
Another shot comprised of 3 images is this next one. Linda and I were quite impressed as there is a photographer selling prints similar to this one, at $250 a pop, non framed. That is quite a lot of money for a photo, a good shot mind you, but we couldn’t help but wonder how many were actually sold at those prices.
