Day - 28

Well this was a wasted day, had some stuff to do at work and it was freaking cold here. So I was going home and going over the GGB so I thought I would try to get some pictures. I think that this was the best one. You should have seen me dodging the cars at rush hour!!

Okay I was in the car trying to get the shot.. I didn't notice the dust spec on my windshield the first time...

Day - 27

Day - 27 - So I was in Menlo Park doing a job site visit, and as has become my ritual I stopped by Knickerbockers Cigars (great shop in Menlo Park). I had forgotten that they had some really cool old signs out on the side of the building. I am going to miss that place!!

Day - 26

Day 26 - So I had a hard time trying to think of something to shoot. S I was on the Ferry reading and I looked up and saw a great sunset going on. So I pulled out the camera and tried to shoot through the window. I was a tad disappointed in that the colors really didn't come out like I hoped, probably because the window was covered in sea salt. But anyway, this is is on of my favorite views on the way home, this is "The Rock" with the GGB in the background.

Day - 25

So I was in the office late and I was on the phone talking in our conference room. It was dark and the fog was out and it was just a beautiful night in the city. So this is a shot out of our conference room in our office. I really like this view. There is only one other view that I like from one of my clients offices. I would like to get a night shot from there.... I will have to work on it.

Day - 24

Day 24 - I work in one of the most famous buildings in SF, the Embarcadero Center... I am not sure why it is famous because it is the ugliest set of buildings on the block. I guess it was originally built by the Rockefeller's? I know that they wanted a Rockefeller Center on the West coast so they had it built but sold it shortly after. Or so I believe.... I have seen the propaganda but don't remember.... The only movie that I recall seeing it in is "High Anxiety" by Mel Brooks. In the movie he is in the hotel and he looks at the floor and has a anxiety attack... as you can see below you know why he did. I do have to admit I do like the pattern in the floor tile. It covers the entire Embarcadero Center on every floor surface so it is everywhere. It is a bit high maintenance though as it always seems that they are repairing large sections of tile.. so enjoy the two shots below in homage to Mel Brooks. I had a hard time picking. I would have liked the second shot a whole lot more but I was out late enough in the day that all of the lights were on so in the bottom corner you can see the glow of the orange light on the surface..... drats!

Day - 23

So, in returning to one of my favorite subjects (Guitars and Amps... I know I can't pay but I have some good equipment)... We were doing a Spring cleaning today and I was re arranging a tad to try to get more space out of our apartment. I have my guitars set up in the bedroom under the premise that if I see them every morning and every night I will actually practice. I got this idea from my friend Will D and while I am sure he actually does this, I don't... Maybe it is time for some lessons.... Anyway I was arranging stuff (that being the favorite word of my Senior English Teacher as it really) I had leaned my Gibson SG up against my amp. I was about to put it back in the stand and thought it looked like a cool shot that you would get at a gig. Maybe I need to try to shoot concerts as I am constantly drawn to shoot instruments. The only thing I would have done differently is try to back light the guitar so you didn't see the wood tone in the VOX logo. Let me know what you think!

Day - 22

Well we wen to the dog park today and I wanted to get some cool shots of the puppy. There is one that I got that I like that looks like her shaking but the shutter speed was to fast so it pretty much captured her still and the only motion you can detect is her tail and her lips ( I never realized labs had such flappy lips). Anyway I saw this tree and I tried to thik of a tropical kind of shot but there are a bunch of ugly houses and lacrosse fields in the background so I went for a differnt kind of shot... not really sure it captures the tropical feel of the North Bay ( it was 61 so I am sure most of my friends in the Midwest would think so...) I still like the pic though. It has good colors.

Day - 21

For this shot I was trying to do something a little creative. I always see these really cool pictures of candles in dark settings so I though I would try to recreate one. I think they must use some type of front lighting to show more detail. This is a brown candle in a holder that is from SE Asia (Thailand). Maybe the candle was too dark a color but it did not turn out quite as I envisioned. This is the best of about 20 shots... plus I did not get in close enough as you can see my crap in the background...

Day - 20

So we went to the park and hung out with the neighbor, played some games and had a blast... but forgot the camera for the whole thing.... so I was doing dishes and saw this. I thought it was kind of funny, I guess we now know what Santa Claus does in his off time. This is what is in my cabinet, I did not make this shot as I am not that creative!

Day - 19

Ok so I basically went off the grid this last 5 or so days. I was lax whilst playing Mr. Mom. The first day I was chilling with the little girl and ALMOST forgot to take a photo. So anyway after the first tiring day I got some time to take a picture. I was having a hard time finding something to shoot. So we got this really cool dish from Devon's parents or Christmas. I tried to come up with some interesting angles to shoot and I think this was the best. It was hard with the ambient light in the room so I took a shot with the flash and all the lights turned off. I think it came out pretty cool.

Day - 18

Day 18 - So it is funny how you can happen upon a really interesting shot while not really trying to. This morning I had to come in a little early to meet a client. The bay was beautiful today after we were completely covered with a wall of fog yesterday. So I stopped and took some photos of the Bay Bridge which were not too bad, but as I was walking along the Embarcadero (the street that runs along all of the piers in SF) I glanced between two buildings and saw this really nicely framed shot. It is of an old boat that they have refurbished and use for tours of the Bay. As  I started framing the shot a security guard started walking my way but the didn't say anything so I guess she mistook me for a tourist.... darn tourists... Anyway, let me know what you think.

Oh and I added another photo... this is a make up picture for yesterdays awful shot of my frying pan... I was driving all over yesterday and because of the fog I really couldn't find any fun shots.

But First the boat... I really like this picture, but I am biased. It is cool because the sun was just starting to crest the buildings. Not quite a "Golden Hour Shot" but I like the look.

And for teh added shot. I was walking back to my office and stopped to shift the bag which had gained a set of drawings. I stopped at this wind to set my coffee down and I saw all this moss growing in he brick. I just really like the contrast in the tones of the red brick and the moss. Enjoy!

Day - 17

Day 17 - No inspiraition today. Not sure, but I got this great picture of dinner!!

Day - 16

Day - 16 Well I was trying to utilize one of my favorite items here at the house... cigars. I had a hard time getting the light right because of the celophane on them... I guess I should have unwrapped them. I may have been able t do a bit more if I had a off camera flash and a tripod but... (are you listening Devon? This was with the EOS)... Not anything special this one..
But this is the 3 Amigos, one of which I am about to smoke with some port, mainly because I like hearing my neighbors slam all the doors and windows in the place when they smell one light up =)

Day - 15

Day 15 - We wet to the dog park today and I saw this sign. Not sure why but I thought it was funny... I even laughed out loud a little. I just never realized they were so dangerous.

Day - 14

Day 14 - So due to odd hours once again I was trying to find something to shoot. I was walking home on the pedestrian bridge an was looking back at the bay. When I turned around I started looking at the bridge and liked the way the lines were. Of course it was dark so i had to use a long exposure. I like that the Lumix has that feature but I wish you had a bit more control over the exposure time. This is a cool shot, but it is a bit blown out at the lights since it received too much exposure.

Day - 13

Day - 13 Oh.... talk about frustration. I was doing a job walk today and was on the 30th floor of this building. The fog had rolled in to the city and I happened to be in a conference room that was overlooking the bay and the Transmerica Building. The fog was super thick and all you could see was the middle of the Transamerica Building. I whipped out the camera and took a few shots.... I thought I had money.... anyway I get home and upload and then I realize the HUGE ROOKIE MISTAKE!!! I did not get my lens all the way up to the window so this cool shot is graced with the lovely background of 2x4 light fixtures.... sigh...

Day - 12

Day 12 - Once again no time during the day to shoot, stupid deadlines.. anyway I ran to the ferry tonight so I didn't miss it so I didn't have a lot of time to look for neat shots in the city. As I was walking home I went through the local mall and tried to find something to shoot. I had found this car that had some big rain drops on it right under a light and tried to to a delay exposure but I didn't have anything to balance the camera on so I could not get a good, clear shot. So I contiued to walk around and saw this shot. It is of an intersection of the mall entrance and the road that goes out past San Quentin. I was just watching the lights and the cars and I saw the opportuity for another time delayed shot. I like this one because at the time of night I was taking the pictures the traffic had slowed. I was hoping that when the shot came through you would be able to see the all three colors on the stop light since it cycled through once in 15 seconds ( it seems a lot longer when your sitting there...)
Let me know what you think!

Day - 11

Day 11 - Okay, trying to find time to take pictures and blog everyday is a challenge! But, it is a fun challenge. So anyway this pictures is kind of cool. I am fascinated with the delay night shot on the Lumix. I have been playing with it a lot, which is good since it is dark when I go in the office and dark when I leave the office. I kind of walked around a bunch of different places and just lined it up and pressed the shutter. I was watched closely by security in one area though because of the paranoia that pervades our society now but.. oh well.

This was a hard photo to pic because there were probably 4-5 to choose from, but I settled on this one. This is a shot near the ferry building and it is looking towards the Bay Bridge. I waked around for a few minutes trying to find a good place to shoot from and found a nice little spot that allowed a good composition. I noticed that when I was about to push the shutter release that a ferry was coming in. You can see it in the frame and it is kind of cool because the lights trail as it moved forward through this 15 second exposure.

Please feel free to comment!

Day - 10

Day 10 - I have walked around this building pretty much everyday for the past three years. This is the famous Embarcadero Center, the ugliest group of building in downtown SF in my opinion. That being said there are some interesting architectural features. This picture is of the exterior of the building, a huge, gray, concrete edifice... I have sat at the bottom near where I took this picture and thought about how cool the view was looking up the side of the building. It almost seems like a futuristic highway. I used the Lumix for this picture since it is easier to carry around day to day. I did notice that it was a bit lopsided and of the 10 or so pictures this is the best one, it was hard to try to get the line right and get the focus to  cooperate.
Please feel free to comment.

Note

One thing that I noticed is that the pictures look really small when you look at the blog. If you click on them they expand and if you click on it again it will go to a full size image that I have linked on Picasa.

Please make sure to leave comments so I know what to do better, other than not be goofy and forget to take a shot!

Day 9

Day 9 - Well we went to the park today. I saw some really interesting birds that were very pretty, but I only had the Lumix with a limited zoom and a feisty black lab who for some odd reason likes to chase birds. I got the first shot by sneaking behind a tree with the dog in tow but the limited zoom could not really get as close as I would have liked. Still I think  a nice shot compositional I was just limited by the zoom to get a larger image of the bird.

This bonus shot is of my lab. I had just passed a sign that said all dogs must be on leash... so I let her off. I had tried to get her to lay in the sun but there was too much going on so I settled for her sitting in the shade.

Day - 8

Day 8 - Well, today was kind of a wasted day, just hung around the house until about 6 then off to have a glass of wine at the wine bar, then Sushi and a movie... I almost forgot about the pic but grabbed the camera on the way out the door. I really couldn't find anything but I was at the theatre and as an act of defiance to the "No Camera" rule I took this shot. I think it is still pretty fun. I would have cropped it but that is not the intent here. I am just surprised when the girls saw me snap the camera out she didn't say anything!

Day - 7

Day 7 - So today I was office slave again, I did go for a walk but alas forgot my camera... a recurring theme I am starting to sense. I will get better.  I remember reading that you have to do something everyday for three days before it becomes a habit... we will test that theory! Anyway, so I was worried I would not really be able to find anything to shoot. I had shot several pictures the night before of some blossoms on some lime trees on the walk home but that was kind of boring, or at least I thought... so anyway on the boat ride home I was flicking through the modes on my Lumix and came across a night timer... so being enterprising I went up on deck and tried to gt osme shots, I got some kind of cool ones of San Quentin, but not good enough to post... so feeling inspired I took about 10 shots with the night timer. The one main drawback of the Lumix is no filter. On the Canon I could have put a neutral density filter to kind of dim some of the brighter lights, but I didn't have that so.. Anyway, I am going to post two shots tonight. I really kind of like the first one. It almost has an HDR feel to it even though it isn't. The second one was a fun effect, I set up the camera at the exit to the ferry and shot a 15 second exposure. I was one of the first peope off the boat so there was a whole boat load of people in the image... or is there...
As usual please feel free to comment on the pictures, as comments is how you get better!

Bonus Shot!

Day - 6

Day 6 - Yeah I know it is a day late... I was having a hard time last night since I got off a bit late and did not have time to take a walk at noon. So anyway I was leaving and saw a bunch of tourists taking pictures of the Ferrry Building and I thought eh, why not. It is a cool building and has a lot of history. The only drawback is that when you break out a camera at the Ferry Building your swarmed by people wanting you to take their pictures of them and their families, actually the more I think of it that is kind of cool.
So here is the shot that I took, I actually had a couple but this was the better of the two, but neither were seriously that great. I used the Lumix for this shot.
As always please feel free to comment.

Day - 5

Day 5 - Well, today was a bit of a challenge since it was a sick day, didn't feel much like getting out of bed but it made me think a bit more about what I wanted to shoot. I broke out the big boy for this, the EOS 50D since you have a lot more control over the image than with the instant camera. So sitting in my room I looked around for interesting things to shoot. Lo and behold one of my favorite things in the world was just a few feet away, my Gibson SG... Now, don't ask me why I have once since I can't play a note but I do. In looking at the guitar there are a lot of really interesting components and lines. So I utilized my dining room table, better light than the room, and started dissecting the guitar with my camera. I actually ended up with a bunch of really interesting shots so I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to comment!

Since I had a hard time deciding which shot I preferred I added a bonus shot for fun!

Day - 4

Day 4 - Well as they say "The best laid plans of mice and men..." I had intended to take my camera with me when I went on a site visit today because there are several interesting subjects on the way to the client office, but I was late and just grabbed my notebook and alas, no camera. So as a backup i took the following shot. Not a great shot in terms of composition but it is one of my favorite things to see at night (it means I am going home...).
 Please feel free to comment, hopefully as the year progresses my ability to capture images will as well.

Day - 3

Well.... day 3. My camera was dying and I was attempting to get a picture of this odd little snowman, however, it was hard to see and I am still trying to get used to the close up feature so it... well, is out of focus. But you get the point... as an added bonus I have attached another photo that I took in the yard that was pretty funny, especially given my day job. Please feel free to comment on the images.

Bonus Footage:

Day 2

Day 2 -  Still in Chico at the in-laws house. They have a lot of interesting things in their backyard, needless to say they have very eclectic tastes. I took several shots of items around the back yard today but had some issues getting the focus on some of the textures that I was wanting to get. I did however get a good picture of one of my favorite pieces in their yard, it is another Buddha piece that they have. This one is in the grass near the pool. I really liked this shot, however I didn't realize until I was about to post that I also caught a piece of a j-box... it is something I could easily photo-shop out in just a few minutes, but that is not the intent of this blog. Once again, comments are welcome. The whole point of this is to improve my photo skills.

Day - 1

Day 1 - Well this is the first day of many to come. I had intended to do this really cool shot, that I will save for later, but since we had gone to Chico I really didn't have time. This photo comes from my in-laws yard. They have a lot of different pieces of art in the yard. They really do support local artists which is great, more people should. Anyway, this is a Buddha that is in a shrine in their back yard. The colors really struck me, especially the moss. It was overcast on the day that I took this so the greens really popped out. Please feel free to comment on any of the pictures that I shoot. Criticism is what makes one better.