Marin Lookout
San Francisco VA Medical Center, Point Bonita Lighthouse, and this old army lookout line up in this shot. Since I love shooting gritty old and abused structures against picturesque scenes, this worked very well for me. The orange on the building is from the glow of the setting sun. You can get glimpses of it on the lighthouse in the distance. The clarity is pretty good for that structure as well, which you can see by clicking through.
Sunset in the Marin Headlands
The day in the Marin Headlands let us have a nice, golden, somewhat hazy sunset. Off in the distance you can see an old army lookout station with a bit of graffiti on it. I’ll post a close-up of that in a couple days. The light on the iceplant worked really well for this shot. I just wish I had a round aperture and possibly an ND filter to really bring this image home.
Duck Creek at Sunset
Other than the stifling humidity, it is great to go feet from the house and have tons of vegetation, creeks, and fun things for the kids to do. I wasn’t able to get out to see a sunset in the fields, but the creek did very nicely. I love how the water caught the light.
New Corporate Headquarters
The company I work for is in the process of a buildout of our new corporate headquarters. I took the evening to go in during the buildout and get some photos, both documentary ones and art ones. Next week they are going to run cables so I may stop by to get some more. I’m hoping to catch a really messy moment. I’ll share a few of these as I work on them.
This one is one of the folding chairs that was in the space caught by the sunset coming through the windows. The flooring was removed and I loved the textures, lines and shadows.
Cleanup
After the games were played in the street, it was necessary to clean up all the broken eggs and other mess. What better way to do that than with a fire hose?
Standing Proud
How does one 6 year old look near the end of a good day before the fireworks start? Quite happy and proud of course! I love her expression, and the warmth from the sun. I’m considering removing the kids on the right if I print this out for home-use, or just cropping it tighter.
Independence Day
I’ve been away from the camera for awhile and at the computer quite a bit. The holiday weekend provided just right setup to resume shooting. On the morning of the 4th, my daughter (on left) was more excited than she has been in a long time. She kept going on-and-on about how she loved the 4th of July. I couldn’t fully understand it until we got to the block-party. She had the whole street where she could do just about whatever she wanted for as long as she wanted to do it. Little parental oversight, lots of independence.
This photo of the girls playing summed up their mood for the day. Having lots of fun, not a care in the world. Its the only day of the week were nobody says a word that you left your scooter lying in the street.
Airport Sunset III
A third sunset image from my recent trip to the south end of the San Jose International Airport. This one grew on me over the last few days so I thought I’d share it. I missed today’s spectacular sunset other than enjoying from the driveway. I thought I would try this as an entry into Skywatch Friday.
Airport Sunset II
One more sunset from Saturday’s short excursion. I made my attempt to capture this as I saw it, and it was gorgeous. I wanted a plane in the shot, but I am not sure what I would have done with one since I bet it would have been blurry with the long shutter speeds.
Sunset Near the Airport
Yesterday evening, after a day with the family, the clouds were setting up for a promising sunset. Since the airport isn’t too far away and the sun is getting closer to lining up with the end of the runway, I wanted to get some planes against the nice backdrop of a gorgeous sunset.
This proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. My assumption was that there would be a stream of planes constantly landing which would make it easy to get one right where I wanted when I wanted it. This wasn’t the case. The frequency of planes was quite sporadic and the sun moves pretty quickly at the end of the day. Also, there isn’t really a great place to setup. I did find a legal place to park which was a bit low so I had to get creative. I setup the focus and camera settings for the lighting but the angle was wrong. So, I ended up with the tripod on top of my car, extended as tall as I could make it, while I stood on the seats with half my body out the sunroof. The post-shot viewfinder about 4 feet above my head was all I could use to verify things were just right. Minor framing adjustments were made by moving the tripod legs. I couldn’t tell when a plane was in-frame. A bit of spray and pray helped with that. 🙂
This plane shot above would be sweet if it was taken 1/2 second sooner, putting the plane at the top left corner. I’m going to have to get back and try again next time we have a promising sunset!
Rooftop Sunset
After taking a few shots of the bowling alley in Americana, I rushed the family home to be back in time for magic hour. As the sun moves further north, my ability to capture the sunset gets harder and harder without heading out further from home. So as a last resort, I brought out the extension ladder and headed for the roof to get above all the obstructions. What I completely forgot about was the power lines in the back yard! (See Brian, I told you my neighborhood looked like the Leeds Castle grounds 😉 ). I tried to make the most of it and capture as much of the sunset as I could. My family thinks I’m nuts. I probably am!
Sunlit Rose
The “other” decent image from my photo-walk last night. I’m a fan of the translucent petals and reflective tips. While I was taking these, the ower of the the house was leaving in the car. I always wonder how people feel when I’m camped out shooting their flowers. They never said a word before they drove off into the sunset (and cast a brief shadow on the roses).
Snakeskin Shadow on Handrail
I had time to do a photo-walk this evening. Go figure! Walking over the bridge crossing the freeway, I noticed the chain-link-fence was casting this awesome shadow on the handrail. It created this snake-skin like effect that looks painted-on. If you look, you can make out a car just under the rail.
#ds167 – Make two photos today of the same subject: one with deep depth of field, one with shallow. Post your favorite of the two.
I took several of these with several depths of field. So yeah, I think I completed today’s assignment. 🙂
Spring Colors
This is lavender in the foreground and broom bush providing the nice backdrop in the background. I love the contrast here, and the evening light added just that little bit more. The little spider web in the top completes the overall look for me.
An Oaky Sunset
I’ve decided that want to practice more with the sun and the warm effects it can have in the mornings and evenings on subjects. This evening I spent about 20 minutes chasing this photo with various angles on different leaves. The nice thing about leaves is they cooperate, even if the wind is blowing them all around.
In contrast, I spent the sun’s waning time with my kids on getting some portraits with similar lighting. As you might imagine, the kids are not as cooperative as the oak leaves. That is why you only get to see the leaf today.
Evening Light
This shot was taken while visiting friends in the San Bernadino Mountains at Big Bear. The sun was setting casting a wonderful light on the dining room table.
Golden Glass
Downtown San Jose, taken on the same trip as yesterday’s golden clouds. The building was lit up wonderfully from the clouds and sun from the east with the nice pastel colors on the clouds to the north. The negative space adds to this one so I am using this as my Daily Shoot submission for DS102.
#ds102 – Negative space can be just as important to a composition as your primary subject. Explore negative space in a photograph.
Only Amazing Clouds have a Golden Lining
One more shot today of the spectacular sunsets we’ve had lately. This one was taken as a passenger in a car barreling down the freeway. It was also taken out of the driver’s side window, which was a shot only available for moments before it had a chain link fence in the way.
Tomorrow, I’m hoping sunrise will be good and I can be setup for it!
There is a tiny bit of horizon, so I’m stretching for meeting this assignment today.
#ds104 – The horizon can be a strong composition element. Make a photograph that emphasizes the horizon today.
Firey Sky
This evening I walked out of the office and was treated to a wonderful array of colors in the sky. It has been some time since I have seen anything like this. Other than adding a bit of dark back into this photo, the colors are as they were seen. Amazing after a super rainy day. I only wish I anticipated it so I could have gotten to a place with a bigger sky.
I think this counts as a background for this Daily Shoot assignment. 🙂
#ds98 – Backgrounds are tricky. They can make a subject stand out or distract from it. Make a photo with a good background today.
A Pointed Argument
Razor wire with sunset reflection at the Dumbarton Bridge.
Dumbarton’s Warm Glow on a Cold Evening
In the brief appearance of the sun yesterday, I had about 10 minutes in it total. On my way home from the office I tried to make something of the sun. This shot of the Dumbarton Bridge was a pleasing result. With the sun low in the sky, it cast a warm orange light on the columns. The reflection in the marsh and the blue sky hit all the right notes. Other than adjusting some contrast and light levels to remove some haze, the colors are natural.
Cars, Bridge, Camera and Purple Haze – Daily Shoot 65,66,68,70
A wide range of shot types today. I fell behind last week on my Daily Shoot assignments so I spent some time this weekend to catch up.
Foot Bridge Over Freeway at Night (ds70 - Sunday challenge: Experiment with shutter speed today by making a photo with a long exposure.)
Camera Self Portrait - Canon DS50 (ds66 - Make your camera the star of the show today. Use another camera or mirror to put your camera in a photo of its own.)
Coming and Going on Highway 101 (ds65 - Make an interesting photo of a mode of transportation today: car, plane, bicycle, subway, or whatever you like!)
Purple Haze (ds68 - Let's have some fun on a Friday. Make a photo that goes with the title (or lyrics) of a song. Interpret away!)
Sunset at the Dumbarton
Today I left work a bit early in hopes of catching some of the waning light of the day. The wildlife sanctuary at the Dumbarton bridge was a good place as any to try and complete a couple Daily Shoot assignments. While at it, I was hoping to get a bit more practice with sunset photography and if really lucky catch a good picture of a bird. While still only owning a 28-135 lens, I wasn’t holding out for a killer bird picture.
This is the type of shot I was after. I am not necessarily thrilled with it, but it was fun to try and get this one. Finding the dead tree and placing it against the power lines and marsh seemed like a good combination. I think a wider lens may have made this a bit more dramatic. I am using this one for #ds43: “Trees come in all shapes and sizes. This time of year they may be covered in snow. Make a photo of an interesting tree.”
I would be hard-pressed to find one with snow out here.
After my attempts with the sunset, I noticed this next shot with my car. 
I liked the way the car, the radio tower, fence and bridge came together. For this one I waited until a truck drove by to add a sense of bustle.
Finally, my other favorite shot from this mini-outing was the photo of four cones that were stuck in the silty mud under the bridge. I love how dirty this photo is and how along with the bright reflections in the water. The cones captured the setting sun to make it look like a flash was used on this shot.
Finally, I have been hunting for a picture for #ds41: “Share a little bit about yourself by making a photo that exemplifies your part of the country or world. (@book_up)” While this one is similar to the one with the tree, it captures a bit more about the area. Marsh, Wildlife, hills and the power that drives silicon valley.
Sunset in Menlo Park
Snapped this while leaving the office in Meno Park, CA. I like the streetlight right in the sunburst and the strong sense of perspective that the clouds provide.
Sean Kane 
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