Leaving class when it was still getting dark by 6:30 and caught this scene. No tripod, but I used the camera bag and a railing. I cropped this one rather tightly to focus on the moon.
I like the colors, but I really like the ghost of a full moon around the crescent.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
San Francisco Skyline
Thus begin the cloud pictures. March came in like a lion, all right, and in between rains, we had a lot of really great clouds.
This one tas taken out the passenger side of a car on the Bay bridge, returning to San Francisco. I shot two and really like the sunrays piercing the cloud. As well, of course, as the silhouette skyline.
This is also my first really significant photoshop touchup. In the original, the suspension cables of the bridge obscured the scene. Since it's next to impossible to get a bridge shot without the cables, I cleaned them up using the patch, healing brush, and airbrush tools. I think the result is quite good.
This one tas taken out the passenger side of a car on the Bay bridge, returning to San Francisco. I shot two and really like the sunrays piercing the cloud. As well, of course, as the silhouette skyline.
This is also my first really significant photoshop touchup. In the original, the suspension cables of the bridge obscured the scene. Since it's next to impossible to get a bridge shot without the cables, I cleaned them up using the patch, healing brush, and airbrush tools. I think the result is quite good.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Gopher's Eye View
Another Berkeley shot. You photograph where you are. There are a group of Magnolia trees by the Life Sciences building on campus that were dropping leaves. I had shot a few, but wasn't able to capture the feeling of walking up the road.
On a whim, one morning, I took a few pictures from grass-level. This one came out well, with the tree centered, enough building in the background, and a sense of the leaves on the ground. It's a little off level, but I like that.
On a whim, one morning, I took a few pictures from grass-level. This one came out well, with the tree centered, enough building in the background, and a sense of the leaves on the ground. It's a little off level, but I like that.
Invisible Man
I was leaving class and passed this scene in the hallway. The janitor had stepped away, but his work-worn gloves held a grip on the trash can. He came back with a laugh when I explained that I wanted to take a picture. He even posed for one of the shots.
This photo was originally oriented as a landscape, but I cropped it pretty dramatically to highlight the gloves holding the can. Without the background, it feels more universal - it could be anywhere. And I couldn't help but reference Ralph Ellison.
This photo was originally oriented as a landscape, but I cropped it pretty dramatically to highlight the gloves holding the can. Without the background, it feels more universal - it could be anywhere. And I couldn't help but reference Ralph Ellison.
Self Portrait with Train
It's rare that my image shows up in my photos, but I do like the MacArthur Bart station on the way home from work. The sun is setting, the light is golden, and the trains make such great lines and reflections.
I shot three of these and like the cropping of this one best. Myself in one pane and the sign in the other. Separation...reflection...the images of the riders bleeding through...
I shot three of these and like the cropping of this one best. Myself in one pane and the sign in the other. Separation...reflection...the images of the riders bleeding through...
Monday, March 27, 2006
Picturesque
A similar composition to the photo below, this one is among the most popular in my Flickr stream. There's a lot to it: the large and small tree, the sunlight reflected in the water, the contrast of white on blue on sky.
I think the white snow and dominating tree are the most prominent features of this shot. I would've like the mountains in the background to be more prominent - you can see them better in the larger image.
I think the white snow and dominating tree are the most prominent features of this shot. I would've like the mountains in the background to be more prominent - you can see them better in the larger image.
Untitled
This is my favorite shot from the Tahoe series. It is a candid. We were on our way out of town, stopped by the lake to take one last close look. She got out of the car and walked toward the lake. I waited behind, crouched down, and this is what happened.
I really like the horizontal bands of color and texture, broken by the solitary form. Her white coat and dark pants are great contrast to the colors of the water and snow.
Something about that posture, too, really intrigues me. Leaning over, almost as if she's peering into the lake...
I really like the horizontal bands of color and texture, broken by the solitary form. Her white coat and dark pants are great contrast to the colors of the water and snow.
Something about that posture, too, really intrigues me. Leaning over, almost as if she's peering into the lake...
Sunday, March 19, 2006
With Teeth Like Icicles, the House Devours Me
I did have my tripod for this one. The soldium vapor light outside is responsible for the yellow tinge. But I think it adds to the nightmare feeling.
Bombs Away!
Icicles are fascinating to me. The house we stayed in was covered in them, so I shot a lot of pictures trying to capture the icicle-ness about them. None really did them justice.
But, the temperature got high enough during the day to melt them, and I decided to try and capture this instead. I would've rather had a tripod...and manual exposure setting...and manual focus, but this will have to suffice. Not bad for a point-and-shoot.
But, the temperature got high enough during the day to melt them, and I decided to try and capture this instead. I would've rather had a tripod...and manual exposure setting...and manual focus, but this will have to suffice. Not bad for a point-and-shoot.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Throwing Snowballs at the Lake
Most of my shots aim to capture the world as it appears to everyone. This is one of the rare pictures that I've staged an element (the snowball) to highlight something I felt or recreate a scene in my head.
While crouching on the snowy beach, trying to capture the magnitude of the lake (which was frustratingly hard), I thought it would be interesting to show the water actually lapping the snowline. The tide had receeded and that shot wasn't possible, so I picked up some snow and threw it at the new waterline. I like the haphazard way that it fell. It made me think of a child throwing...well...snowballs into the lake. A whimsical, futile gesture that seemed full of melancholy and meditation.
The juxtaposition of the small, bounded, crumbled lump of snow in the foreground with the vast, constant lake dominating the middleground really grabbed me. Water to water...
While crouching on the snowy beach, trying to capture the magnitude of the lake (which was frustratingly hard), I thought it would be interesting to show the water actually lapping the snowline. The tide had receeded and that shot wasn't possible, so I picked up some snow and threw it at the new waterline. I like the haphazard way that it fell. It made me think of a child throwing...well...snowballs into the lake. A whimsical, futile gesture that seemed full of melancholy and meditation.
The juxtaposition of the small, bounded, crumbled lump of snow in the foreground with the vast, constant lake dominating the middleground really grabbed me. Water to water...
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Lake Tahoe with Clouds
Sometimes the sky just cooperates. I wandered around this little stretch of beach on the lake with some friends shooting all kinds of things and looked up to see this imposing and complex cloudscape barelling down on me. Only needed the one shot.
I wish I had a wide-angle lens to heighten the effect of the clouds rushing in on you. But I do like the tree sticking out there to give a sense of scale.
I wish I had a wide-angle lens to heighten the effect of the clouds rushing in on you. But I do like the tree sticking out there to give a sense of scale.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Approach of Spring
I wanted to show the edge of the ice covering the stream, and I liked the diagonal line of it.
The lighting wasn't spectacular, though. It was overcast and so the picture looks a little flat. I would've prefered brighter sunlight to make the ice sparkle.
The lighting wasn't spectacular, though. It was overcast and so the picture looks a little flat. I would've prefered brighter sunlight to make the ice sparkle.
Monday, March 13, 2006
Footsteps
The first of my Tahoe 2005 photos. It had snowed hard the night before and clouds from the tail end of the storm were still blowing through.
The footsteps were there when I arrived, probably made early that morning. I shot this from almost ground level to get this perspective and emphasize the snow in the foreground. I also ended up cropping some material from each side and the top to focus attention on the steps.
I like all the contrasts in the photo. The diagonal path of the footsteps and the straight edges of the image; the white snow/clouds and the really dark buildings/trees; the smooth snow and rough clouds/trees.
The footsteps were there when I arrived, probably made early that morning. I shot this from almost ground level to get this perspective and emphasize the snow in the foreground. I also ended up cropping some material from each side and the top to focus attention on the steps.
I like all the contrasts in the photo. The diagonal path of the footsteps and the straight edges of the image; the white snow/clouds and the really dark buildings/trees; the smooth snow and rough clouds/trees.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)