Christmas Time Sunset
San Francisco Sunset (click image to view large)
We picked Sarah’s parents up in Emeryville and headed down to Newark for dinner with friends. Across the bay, the sun was setting behind San Francisco. I tried to resist, but as we were leaving, I couldn’t stand it anymore and stopped to take some shots of the sunset. Out on the south side of the Watergate, the last burning rays reflected off the low-tide mud, and it was just too much to not at least try to shoot. I only had the 35mm prime with me, but it would have to do. I’m pleasantly surprised at how well this hand-held 1/25th sec. shot came out. Granted, I had to kneel in the ice plant in my dress clothes to stabilize myself.
Wait, I’m almost done…
Theo lists it all for Santa (click image to enlarge)
Santa listens patiently while someone recites the entire Lego catalog, and then lists all the different Pokémon cards he needs and explains why for each one, delving into mind-numbing detail about the various types and their powers and defenses, and then…
Blue Bel Air with Dog
Blue Bel Air with Dog (click image to view full size)
Driving back from Baker Beach in the late afternoon, we stopped at a light. Sarah rolled down the window as I raised my iPhone. The dog didn’t pay us no mind, didn’t even blink.
Selenium Chevelle
Chevelle and Cones (click image to view large)
Found on the way home from work the other day. This is the black and white version, done using the selenium preset in lightroom. I’ll post the color version a bit later. Shot with the Nikon D300S.
Personal Photo Request
I was standing just in front of Oakland City Hall late in the afternoon, getting ready to decide whether I would march to the port during the Occupy Oakland event. Just then, an older gentleman approached me and asked me if would take his picture, and offered to pay me. He said, “I told my wife I was going to come down, and she didn’t believe me.” I replied that I would be happy to take his picture but that he didn’t have to pay me. He took a few steps toward the building and turned to me.
After I took the photograph, he again offered to pay, and again I declined. So, he said, “You’ve got a box of bananas coming.” I wasn’t sure what he meant, but asked him how I would get the pictures to him. He handed me a card with an email address on it. That’s when the box of bananas became clear. He is the owner of a produce company. The email on the card started with a woman’s name, which I inquired about. “That’s my wife,” he said with a grin. I said, “Well, won’t she be surprised?”
Berkeley Arts Festival: Dean Santomieri and The Glasses
It is pure coincidence that after a lengthy hiatus, this next post is again related to the Berkeley Arts Festival. Dean Santomieri reprised his spoken word presentation from the previous performance and he was followed by jazz quartet The Glasses. Mr. Santomieri’s set was one piece shorter and all around tighter than last time. The Glasses came together to perform songs penned by bassist Safa Shokrai. The rest of the quartet was: Chris Grady, trumpet; Larry Leight, trombone; Dave Mihaly, drums. I hear that the quartet usually includes a violin rather than trombone, but the arrangements and the chemistry for this performance were outstanding. Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more of them in whatever configuration they can muster. The light was low, but I managed to get a few decent shots.
Sight, Word and Sound: Connections in Unexpected Places
Dean Santomieri at Berkeley Arts Festival, August 13 2011
- Dean Santomieri at Berkeley Arts Festival, August 13 2011
Dean Santomieri at Berkeley Arts Festival, August 13 2011
Berkeley Arts Festival, August 13 2011
Berkeley Arts Festival, August 13 2011
When I was interviewing for my present job, the conpany’s live-work balance and tendency to hire interesting and creative people were offered as plusses. I didn’t think too much about it at the time. I was just interested in the job. But it turned out to be true; there seem to be a larger than expected number of musicians and artists working there. It has helped me to reconnect with art activity that I have lost touch with after years of grad school, parenting, and full-time work. A case in point was last Friday evening when I ventured out to the Berkeley Arts Festival to see one of my co-workers perform his spoken word/sound art. The venue presents visual works on the walls along with the performances on the stage.
Dean Santomieri is well-known in the performance scene around the Bay Area. I’m sorry not to have been familiar with his work prior to getting this job, chatting at work, finding lots of common interests, and exchanging recordings. In any case, the performance last Friday was wonderful. Dean is a great writer and story teller, and he accompanies himself with a battery of electronics and guitars, creating a aural environment that nicely supports the spoken word without ever getting in its way. The writing, what I might call magical realism, drew me in right away, eliciting a curious mixture of delight and trepidation.
And it was inspirational too. I’m not giving up photography, but I’m pledging to myself to fire up the old electronics and get back to work. And speaking of photography… I wish I had sat closer and gotten a shot of Dean playing that crazy, electric resonator guitar. I will next time.
The Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl
Just over two and half years ago, I moved my mom out of her apartment nearby, and into a board and care facility. As I prepared to move everything out of the apartment, I decided I would photograph everything in it. Every thing. I did. The aim was to document all the objects which held some significance before casting anything to oblivion. Actually, it was to document everything and figure out later what has significance. The truth of the matter is that every single thing did. That’s just how I am.
There were just a few things I missed because they were not in the apartment at the time. A sugar bowl had been in use at my house for a couple years. It was my parents’, probably my father’s from before his marriage to my mother, and I remember it from early childhood. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I learned what depression glass is, or that it is somewhat collectible.
A month or two after I had completed the documentation project, I decided to photograph the few things that were scattered around my house. The sugar bowl was in heavy use near the stove. I thought to wash it before photographing it. That’s when I dropped it in the sink and broke it, and my heart. Though broken, I decided I would still photograph it, but I didn’t do it then. I was too disappointed at the time. I finished washing it and put it up on the shelf above the stove for later. Two and half years later, I’ve finally got it over with so that I can now,… cast it into oblivion.
Mystery of Communication
Lomo Stationwagon
Late last week I finally decided to stop and shoot the station wagon I’d passed several times on my commute to and from work. That night as I was perusing Google+, I read something which led me to some free Lightroom presets. I decided I’d try out a couple. The first one was a kind of lomo effect. I applied it to the station wagon and posted on flickr. I didn’t think to much about it; I have not been too active lately and I’ve not been getting many veiws, which is understandable. I have just been trying to keep up with the post-a-day project, and not getting much chance to check out what everybody else is doing.
So, I was surprised the next day when the photo had been explored and getting tons of views and faves. I thought it was a pretty boring shot. I guess people like this lo-fi stuff. The popularity of hipstamatic is testament to that. So with that here a gallery with a couple more attempts to explore this theme.
- Lomo Stationwagon
Albany Streetscape
Shot from the bathroom window as the sun descends behind Marin.
Mediterranean Dinner
Shiitake and Chanterelles
Grilled Summer Squash
Grilled Summer Squash
Red Snapper wrapped in grape leaves and grilled
Mixed beet salad with fennel, spring onions, herbs and feta cheese
Tzatziki
We had another couple and their kids come to dinner tonight. I had big plans, but ended not being able to pull it all together. After hearing the NPR story the other morning about the “Mediterranean diet”, I got out my Cretan cook book and started thinking about focusing on greens, herbs and lots of olive oil.
We ended up with grilled snapper wrapped in grape leaves, heirloom tomato and mediterranean cucumber salad, gold and chioggia beets with fennel and feta cheese, grilled then sauteed shiitoke and chanterelle mushrooms, grilled summer squash, a mix of sauteed dandelion, beet greens, and swiss chard, tzatziki with mint, roasted yukon golds with sage, and some nice wines.
It turned out to be enough food, but I really wanted to break out my dad’s old meat grinder and grind some meat for dolmas and kabobs. That was an inspiration that came from a dinner we were invited to last weekend. Alas, I ran out of time.
There’s always next weekend.
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