Flowers in bloom

 

  

Magnolia trees in San Mateo Central Park

  

  

Peering through the gate into the Japanese garden.

  

  

  

  

  

Japanese garden in San Mateo Central Park.

  

  

  

  

 From these two angles it looks like a park, perhaps?

  

In reality, it's a seafood restaurant next to a river in San Mateo.

  

 Neon sign in front of The Fish Market Restaurant.

This week's photos

These photos don't have any common theme.  They are just photos I took during the past week..

 

These first two photos were taken at a rooftop garden.

 

Sunset with the city skyline, taken from Treasure Island.

  

This is my favorite photo of the Bay Bridge for a couple reasons.  First, it's a blue hour photo so I like the color of the sky, which is a contrast to the orange lights reflected on the surface of the water.  Also, this is a wide angle shot of the entire span of the bridge from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island.

  

Another blue hour photo which has a beautiful blue sky.  This photo was taken with my tripod set up from a very low angle.

  

Nothing really special about the building or the sky in this photo, but I like the orange color of the building when I shot this photo. This building is located along the Embarcadero, near the Bay Bridge. 

     

I really like taking photos of illuminated fountains at nighttime.  It combines two separate elements, which work together.  I used a long shutter speed setting ( I think 4 seconds in this photo ) to capture this image because of low light but it also causes the water to appear like a mist. 

  

This is a photo of Pier 7 along the Embarcadero.  It's a long public pier that offers a nice view of the bay and city skyline.  There are quite a few benches to just sit and relax and take in the view.  Of course, the pier is usually empty at night.  

  

This image was captured while I was standing on Pier 7 looking back toward the city skyline.  

  

I went to the race track on this day just because it was a nice day.  Taking photos like this allows me to practice taking fast action or sports photography which requires a bit of practice.  First, its not always easy to capture a clear image of the horses running past me.  It takes practice and the right timing.  It's easy to have a photo that turns out all blurry

 

  

There are a couple different techniques that can be used to take a fast action shot.  First, the camera should be set for a fast shutter setting.  I used 1/320 second for these particular shots.   I usually like to use a slower setting, like 1/250 of a second or even 1/100 of a second.  The reason is to create a sense of motion.  By using too fast of setting, like 1/500 or even faster, it captures the image fine, but it completely freezes everything so it ruins the sense of motion.  At least, that's my opinion.  

Another way is to use a higher ISO setting like ISO 800, which is considered fast action setting.  The problem with high ISO is getting an image that has too much noise, or appears grainy, especially if its magnified or printed as an enlargement.  Since it's a bright day, its possible to use a low ISO setting to get a crisp, clear image.  I used ISO 200 for this, but I could have even used ISO 100 if I wanted to.  

Most cameras have a burst mode that helps when taking fast action shots.  By setting it to burst mode, you can press the shutter and hold it down and the camera will take a bunch of shots in a burst.  I didn't use it for these photos however.  I tried to frame the action as it was happening. 

Next time, I will take a pan shot to blur everything in the background while still keeping the subject clear and in focus.   Also, I will take a photo using a slower shutter speed which will give a more creative effect by making the image less sharp and in focus but giving a greater of sense of speed and motion.

Edit:  Added a photo where I shot using "pan" method to create a greater sense of motion.  The photo is a bit out of focus, which is the tricky part.  I guess I should have used a faster shutter speed.  I shot this at 1/80 with the zoom lens set at a focal length of 135 mm at 400 ISO.   I probably should have set the shutter speed and focal length at something like 1/150 at 150 mm.  

Lastly, this is the "gate" to Chinatown located at Grant Ave.  I guess the streets are empty because everyone is home having dinner and a good time with their families because it's Chinese New Year.

Expressions of Love

Today is Valentine's Day.  I guess some people are somewhat jaded by the overt commercialization of holidays, like Valentine's Day, Easter and especially Christmas.   Billions of dollars are spent on goods that are tied to these holidays.  Let's look at a few:

 

It seems that Valentine's Day is the second busiest day for card makers, second only to Christmas.

Beautiful flowers, but they are somewhat expensive.

All kinds of different candies, like these chocolate roses.

 

Difficulty telling that special someone how you really feel?

Let a stuffed animal say it for you.

I don't mean to sound so down and negative about Valentine's Day. 

After all, I think that there are some wonderful images that can be associated with love, too.

  

  

Cherry plums

These photos were taken at various places throughout San Francisco.

Japantown Peace Pagoda in the background

 

 

  

Near Lombard Street.

  

At Fort Mason.

  

  

More photos here

Rainy days

Just like the title says, it's been raining A LOT here lately so I haven't been able to take many photos.  It's supposed to rain most of this weekend too.  I may not be able to take many photos as a result.

But here are a few photos I took the past few days:

 

This is the gate to the Japanese Garden in San Mateo's Central Park.  The park closes at 4 pm.  I took this photo 5 minutes after the gates closed.   I like this image because it looks like there are eyes in the gate and by staring into them you can see what's going on in the garden behind the closed gates.  Oh the bad thing... this photo is off center so the image is a bit tilted.  Oh well, it's the only one I took.

This is the Bay Bridge from the Embarcadero walkway.  This is a photo looking eastward.  The bridge is connected to Yerba Buena Island. The port for the city of Oakland is visible in the background.

 This was taken while I was walking down the Embarcadero toward the Ferry Building ( the building with the clock tower ). 

 The clock tower at the Ferry Building.  Notice I took this photo at 1:10 am!  That's why there's no one around walking along the Embarcadero.

 The Bay Bridge from another angle.  

I could have been arrested for taking this photo.  I walked about a mile and a half from where I parked my car, along a road that had no sidewalk.  I had to walk through a ditch that was covered with broken branches and garbage.  Then I had to walk across a cement wall that was about 20 feet above the pavement.  The cement wall was probably only 2 feet across so I had to watch my steps to avoid falling.  Also, I had to avoid being seen by any police cars.  Technically, I think I was trespassing on government land since there's a U. S. Coast Guard Station on the island.  One police car actually appeared on the road below me while I was walking on top of that concrete wall above the roadway.  

Finally, I arrived at the spot where I could see the bridge but unfortunately, there were all kinds of big trees blocking my view.   So from there, I climbed up a hillside ( probably another 12 feet ) and leaned my tripod against the hill while I was lying down on bits of shrubbery.  I was literally lying across a patch of dead plants.  And to top it all off, once I took this photo it started pouring rain!  From there I had to pack up my equipment and walk all the way back through the rain! At least the resulting photo was worth all the trouble.

Filbert Steps

This past weekend I took a walk up what's called the Filbert Steps to the top of Telegraph Hill. 

I started near Levi's Plaza and headed up and up and up these stairs.  I've walked this path before.  The first time, I was not prepared for how many steps there are.  I was a bit exhausted afterward!  This time, I took things slowly, and stopped to take many photos of the plants and tiny residences along the way.  It's really a spectacular view of San Francisco and the Bay from up there and good exercise, too!

 

Starting at the bottom near Sansome Street.

Interesting little houses along the way.

Lots of plants to see.

Almost like a secret garden up here.

Transamerica Pyramid in the distance.

Almost there.

  

Final flight of stairs up to Coit Tower.

Check out more photos here.

Night Photography

Sometimes people ask me ( sometimes at work and sometimes when looking at my photos ) how do you take a beautiful, clear night photo?  Well, it depends on what the subject is.  Different subjects require different settings to consider.  However, there are a few things that are true for taking any type of night photo.

1.  Use a tripod.  This is probably the most important thing to consider.  Why?  When taking a photo at night, there is much less available light to work with.   There is no sunlight ( although the moonlight does provide some light ) so it makes taking photos hand held, virtually impossible.  Even if a flash is used, its still best to use a tripod.  If a tripod is not available, steadying a camera on a wall or holding it tightly, close to your body can work but it's no substitute for using a tripod.

Yes, I know carrying a tripod is a pain but that's the price to pay to take a sharp, clear photo.  And actually, its not that bad.  I have two different ones, but mainly I use this one.  Its not the lightest one out there but its not too bad.

 

2.  Use a remote shutter release, if possible.  What is a remote shutter release?  It's a hand held remote control that controls the shutter when taking a photograph.  Why use it?  Any little bit of movement can affect the focus quality of a photo at night time.  Yes, it's possible to press the shutter like normal, but it's better to use a remote shutter release to avoid any camera shake.  If your camera doesn't support a remote shutter release, using the timer can work too.

 

You can see on my camera, the shutter release is a cable that plugs into the side of the camera.  There are some that are wireless.
 

3.  The settings on the camera to take the actual photo.  First, the camera you use should have settings that you can program yourself.  Shutter Priority ( to set the shutter speed you want ), Aperture Priority ( to set the aperture, or F-stop setting you want ) and / or Manual Setting ( just as it sounds, you can control both shutter and aperture settings yourself  ).    It doesn't have to be an expensive SLR camera.  There are smaller, hand held cameras that allow you to customize these settings too.

After that, this is the tricky part because it requires a lot of experimentation to figure out what is the best setting for a particular photo.   A lot of times, I have to take many, many photos of the same subject, using different settings.  It's an advantage to use a digital nowadays, because I can take as many shots as I want and not worry about wasting film.   I can then review the different shots on my PC and then delete the ones that I don't like.  Also, the LCD on my camera displays the different settings I used so I can use that information later as a guide for similar photos in the future.  It's a constant learning experience for sure.

There's more to it than that, but that's the basics.  

Here are a few photos I took recently.  Each required a different set of settings and a lot of trial and error.

This first photo is a photo of St. Ignatius Catholic Church taken from atop Twin Peaks.   Twin Peaks is just what the name implies, two small mountains in San Francisco.  They are similar and are mainly undeveloped land.  At the top is a vista point where you can see a panoramic view of the city below.  On a clear day, you can see the entire city.

Also, this photo is taken during "blue hour".  "Blue hour" is the time after sunset ( and in the morning I guess, before sunrise ) when the sky is dark but not completely dark.  If the photo is taken with the correct exposure, and with a bit of luck, it makes the sky appear a deep blue.  This photo is not so blue but the effect is still visible.  Its important to have things set up beforehand if you plan to take a "blue hour" photo because there is only a short amount of time to capture the image.

 

The next one is a view of San Francisco, also from Twin Peaks.   I like this photo for a few reasons.  One reason is because of the orange-colored street lights that appear near the middle of the photo.   That street is Market Street, the main street that runs through San Francisco.  You can also see the lights of the Bay Bridge and the lights of the cars that are crossing over from the East Bay.

 

This photo is the lights of the San Francisco Bay Bridge and the city's skyline.  This photo was taken from Yerba Buena Island / Treasure Island.  These two islands sit in the middle of the Bay.  The Bay Bridge runs through Yerba Buena Island, which is now occupied by a U.S. Coast Guard station.  Treasure Island is a man-made island that used to be a Naval Station but has been converted into residences and other uses, such as sound stages used for television and movie productions.  

I like this photo because it shows three of the towers of the Bay Bridge, and the lit span reaching out across the water, connecting to the city of San Francisco.  The glowing lights reflected off the water was a difficult effect to capture because I had to walk about half a mile away from the vista point, then climb up onto a raised pedestal overlooking the water.  ( The vista point is too low to see the reflection of the lights ).  It was actually a bit dangerous going out there as I would have fallen into the Bay if I slipped or lost my balance, but I think the resulting photo was worth it. 

The last photo is the sky after sunset.  This was taken along Highway 1, past the town of Davenport.   There's really nothing in this area, other than miles of California beaches overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  

The sunset was not really special this evening but as I was getting ready to take an entirely different shot, I looked up at the sky to see it this reddish-orange glow across the ocean.  So, I stopped what I was going to photograph and quickly ran to the end of this cliff looking out over the beach, set up my tripod and snapped as many shots as I could while the sky was still this color.  Once the color faded into the night sky, I decided to forget about the original photo.  It wasn't going to get much better than this one.