Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Howdy!
Tonight is the Lunar New Year Parade (and Generik is doubtless getting some great pre-parade shots even as we speak). I won't be there, but I did get this shot of stored floats/costumes in a vacant storefront downtown. Gung Hay Fat Choy, everybody!
Shadow Shot Sunday: Four Panels
A panel of architectural ironwork casts some interesting shadows in the afternoon sun. It's Shadow Shot Sunday once again, just like last week and the week before. Join the shadowy fun!
Shadow Shot Sunday
Spent four days last week up in the mountains near Sequoia National Park. Snow is best as something you go to, rather than as something that comes to you.
Read up on the backstory, then check out the current episode.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Travel Thursday: Bridgeport
This was taken on the same trip as the Death Valley pictures. I drove from there up to Reno, and stopped here on the road just long enough to snap a couple shots of our familiar meadow covered in snow.
Hooded Mergansers
Hooded Mergansers are small, diving, fish-eating ducks. Here an immature male is followed by an adult female. One of these weeks I'll post a shot of the adult male, who is the real beauty of this species. See a low-resolution enlargement of this shot here.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Questionable New Customer
Shooting around Oakland last Saturday after the Paramount Theater tour. Lots of great old signage and decay and decrepitude and stuff over there. Must explore further soon.
Monday, February 22, 2010
In My Neighborhood: Grass Roots
Across the street from my apartment building are a fire station, the residential America Hotel, a bar known as Divas and a medical marijuana outlet called Grass Roots. This is what it looked like on a rainy Sunday night peeking out the window from our laundry room.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Art Deco Abstract
I spent Saturday morning on a tour of the Paramount Theater in Oakland, an art deco palace designed by Timothy Pflueger and opened in 1931. It has been restored to its original splendor, and is a must-see for all fans of that style of architecture. You're allowed to take all the pictures you want while on the tour, which is heaven for an inveterate shutterbug like me. This is just a small sample of the intricate ceiling structure designed by Pflueger -- who also designed the Castro Theater and a number of other opulent movie palaces and office buildings in those heady days before and during the Great Depression.
The Paramount offers tours the first and third Saturdays of each month, at a very reasonable cost of $5 per person. Highly recommended to fans of art deco architecture and movie theater history.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Travel Thursday: Death Valley
I took this shot using a Yashica double-lens reflex loaded with 120 film about seven years ago. I just got the film developed last week, and my friend Bill was good enough to scan a few of the negatives in. This is Zabriskie Point, looking north-ish.
Maybe I'll start shooting more film again...
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Martini Monday
Update: yes, it's true: I am recycling my Martini Monday pic for Shadow Shot Sunday. Should anyone feel cheated by this, I will cheerfully refund the price of admission.
Intrigued by Shadow Shot Sunday? Find out more...then check out last week's pics and join in the fun!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Shadow Shot Sunday: Outdoor Office
This is the office of Shadow Shot Sunday. No one is available to take your call right now. Please leave your name and number and someone will get back to you shortly.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Travel Thursday: Pomona
Carnival rides light up the night in the Fun Zone at the Los Angeles County Fair.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
No Minors Served
Some interesting advertising that I've seen juxtaposed in a few different places throughout the city lately.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Shoes in the Shadows
A pair of abandoned shoes rest in the shadows at someone's doorstep. They must be waiting for Shadow Shot Sunday. To see what surprises SSS generated last week, go here.
Shadow Shot Sunday
The top of one of the Bay Bridge towers reflected in a puddle at Pier 14.
Want to join in the fun? Here's how!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Photowalk the Second
Last Saturday was the second photowalk organized by the good folks at CALIBER. We met up at the Montgomery Street BART/MUNI station, and with the inimitable Frank Chu as our guide and beacon, walked up to North Beach and back down through Chinatown. Just before the meet-up, I splurged and bought myself a new 50mm 1.4 lens, and shot exclusively with that all day. It was, as the kids say, hella fun.
A few more shots from that day below the fold.
More...
Icy Crucible
I entered this shot of ice refreezing on my lake last month to a JPG Magazine (or now I guess it's JPG website) photo challenge on "Frozen." I didn't win. The winning entries are here. I think maybe the focus is a bit soft in parts of my image, and it doesn't provide any scale or even any explanation of what exactly the image is. You can only enter one image per challenge or I'd have run "Klee Ice I" as well. Oh, well, you can't win 'em all.
