In Clarion Alley
Alleys can be magical places. Just think of Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. The Mission District of San Francisco has a number of alleys, made magical by the…
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June 25, 2012
Portraits in Fire
At the recent Photography with Harold Davis night event at Sutro Baths, my friend and colleague Steven Christenson lit the night with scouring pads and magnesium. If you are interested…
June 24, 2012
Heirloom Heart
Browsing the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables at Berkeley Bowl, this heirloom tomato called out to me for photography if not for my salad. There is no doubt that when positioned…
June 15, 2012
Harold Davis Workshop Updates
Last weekend's Macros and Close-Ups workshop was held at the western end of Point Reyes in a romantic and historic Coastguard Lifeboat building. Saturday was foggy, but we were surrounded…
June 5, 2012
Expecting the Unexpected
As a photographer, I am often reminded to expect the unexpected. The expected can produce workaday good pictures but it is the unexpected that produces great photos. Since fortune favors…
May 29, 2012
Who owns the night?
Who owns the night? In many California parks and public venues clearly not you or me. Anyone who has spent much time photographing at night has certainly experienced being kicked out…
April 7, 2012
Fellow Traveller
One way that digital photography differs from film photography is that you never are truly finished with an image. Technologies may change and improve---and frequently do. For example, Adobe Camera…
March 31, 2012
Shell Essays
It's been a while since I've created really abstract images such as The Dictator's Architect and my Tower of Babel and variations. Usually with these images I start with photographic elements…
March 25, 2012
Cable Car Power
The highlight of the San Francisco Cable Car Museum is the wheels that power the cable cars. These have a somewhat Victorian steam punk look, despite the fact that they…
March 23, 2012
Crashing Waves
Many things crash. Property that is overvalued. Waves on a storm-tossed sea. Computers that have outlasted their normal lifespan. Thus it was that my old Windows computer died…
February 13, 2012
Our new Epson 9900 printer arrives
When our new Epson 9900 printer arrived we had to shut the street for the delivery truck. The printer weighes 275 pounds, and it took three strong movers to get…
February 3, 2012
Spruce Street House
The parents of one of Katie Rose's buddies at pre-school are architects who just bought a classical Berkeley shingle house from the early 1900s. In recent years this grand house…
January 30, 2012
You Are What You Photograph
Are you what you photograph? They say, "You are what you eat." In a certain simplisitic sense this is obviously true. Therefore, if you photograph what you eat then you…
January 16, 2012
Sunset Koan
On Christmas Day I calculated that from the summit of Wildcat Peak the sun would set directly behind the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge. This seemed like a great excuse…
December 28, 2011
The eye believes what it thinks it sees
The eye believes what it thinks it sees. This allows us to enjoy magic shows, movies, and two-dimensional art such as painting and photography. Any two-dimensional representation of three dimensions…
December 14, 2011
Self-Portrait in Faucet
We've had a spate of minor---but surprisingly expensive---plumbing repairs recently. I took advantage of one of these to shoot our new kitchen faucet with my 200mm macro lens. Who knew…
December 9, 2011
Giving Thanks
According to a recent New York Times article, scientific studies have shown that expressing gratitude can improve one's health and lead to less anxiety and depression. Also, as the article puts…
November 23, 2011
Wheels within Wheels
This wheel of the thresher shown in Separating the Wheat from the Chaff called out to me because of the tonal contrast between its inner workings and outer structure. I…
November 17, 2011