Saturday, January 31, 2009

I Was Looking at the Black and White World in My Neighborhood

dia

A two-fer! Near the corner of Hyde and Post Streets, on an abandoned building next door to the spot where another entire building once blew up. True story.

Liquid Gold

Liquid Gold
Bay Bridge from Embarcadero 3.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Travel Thursday: The Adirondack

Westport, New York
Jody and I took the Amtrak Adirondack, a 10-hour ride from NYC to Montreal (plus a couple of hours at the border). This is Westport, NY, along Lake Champlain.

[Update: apologies for breaking the blog earlier; it's fixed now.]
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Champlain 01
The southern end of Lake Champlain was frozen over.

Champlain 05
Further north, not so much.

Travel Thursday: Rome (If You Want To)

Colos

The Colosseum, long-standing icon of the Eternal City.

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Rome Fruit

A fruit stand about a block away from the Colosseum.

Columns II

Preserved columns in the Forum.

Roman Trio

Trio of musicians in a Roman alley.

Pigeon Fountain

Fountain at Piazza Navona.

Colosseum Ramp

Inside the Colosseum.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

In My Neighborhood

Barracuda Rear View

Barracuda Grille View

This beauty was parked across the street from my building on Sunday, right next to the fire station. When I was a kid, and Plymouth first started making the Barracuda, I thought it was about the coolest-looking car ever. I liked it even better than the Ford Mustang. I still love the lines on them, especially that big back window.

Glasses

Glasses
Along 72nd Street west of Amsterdam.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Frosty Crabapples

Crabapples

I reserve the right to reshoot these up to 1,000,000 times, since they're in my front yard.

I Was Looking at the Black and White World

Couch

One of my favorite abandoned couch shots, taken in Fresno at the height of my black and white period.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Strand

Strand

Once a functioning movie theater on Market Street, The Strand has long been empty and abandoned. That's the new Federal Building directly behind it.

Flag and Roof

Flag Roof 02
In Ludlow, Vermont.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Paneless

Paneless

A window at one of the abandoned structures on Pier 70, a decaying and decrepit photographer's paradise on the southeastern side of San Francisco.

Cogswell's Cosmic Memorial

Cogswell's Cosmic Memorial
Just a few yards from the Spacely Crypt in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Firecracked

Firecracked

Sometimes I look at a picture two or three or four times (or more) before I really see it. This one didn't hit me until just now; all of a sudden, it's my new favorite shot.

Of course, there's bound to be another new favorite in the next day or so. I'm so fickle!

Travel Thursday: Llandudno, Wales

Llandudno Promenade

Llandudno is a sleepy Victorian seaside resort in the north part of Wales, near Holyhead and Conwy. The waterfront is lined with these cute faded old hotels, and there is a long, long promenade for people to stroll up and down in nice weather.

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Conwy Castle

Nearby Conwy Castle dates back to the 13th Century, and is quite picturesque from all angles.

Grand Hotel

Back in the days of WWII, it's said that Winston Churchill stayed at the Grand Hotel, but the place is pretty dumpy and run-down today.

Cyffordd Llandudno

I think the Welsh invented their strange and unpronounceable language simply to confound outsiders into leaving them alone.

Victorian Pier

At the eastern edge of the promenade is the old Victorian pier, with fish and chip shops and other entertainments along its length. Just out of frame to the left is a large gaming arcade, with ancient penny-ante gambling machines alongside newer video games and other diversions.

Martini Shadow

Martini Shadow

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Debating Chairs

Debating Chairs

It may just be me, but this shot really appealed to me when I was going through some of the shots I took today.

This Land is Our Land

Foggy Bottom Noon
Foggy Bottom Noon (Alternate Take)

Monday, January 19, 2009

In My Neighborhood

Adios

Seen this morning on a newspaper rack at Post and Polk, just outside my apartment building.

And then half a block up, there's this:

New Era

Steeples

Steeples
Unitarian and Catholic churches in Westborough, Massachusetts.

Black and white version below the fold.
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Steeples BW
I think I prefer the color one, slightly, but I do like the way this translates to black and white.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Martini Door

Martini Door

Door to a saloon in Kelseyville, at Clear Lake. Next door to this is a diner with good food and a decidedly '50s vibe. There's a door inside connecting the two as well, and you can get bar drinks in the diner and diner food in the bar. The best of both worlds!

Not Quite Aligned

Mountain View 33
Urn and shadow in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Bus Shelter Ad
Sometimes the picture you get is cooler than the one you wanted to get. Case in point: coming home from work yesterday, I was struck by the burst of color in the bus shelter ad, so I set up a timed shot on the Gorillapod (on a conveniently located mailbox) to capture it. At just the wrong moment, a car came racing around the corner. I shot again, this time with no interference; that one is below the fold.
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Bus Shelter Ad 02
I like this one too, but I like the accidental surrealism of the 'spoiled' shot a lot more. The violent streaks of light look like graffitti, like they're just superimposed on the shot; just as some elements can hold a picture together, I think the light streaks disassemble this one, making it look more like a collage of disparate elements than a photo. (Or maybe I'm overthinking, or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about. In any case, I think it's cool.)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Travel Thursday: Lundy, California

Road to Lundy

Lundy is a tiny dot on the map of the Eastern Sierra, a few miles west of Mono Lake. In the mid- to late 1800s, it was a gold mining town of some size. Today it's not much more than a sleepy fishing spot on Lundy Lake, with a general store, a historical marker and a few ramshackle trailers and cabins scattered on a couple of dirt roads. It's still a pretty spot, though, and there are a lot worse places you could spend an afternoon.

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Lundy Lake Trees

Miracle Pies

Wood & Screws

Lundy Outhouse