Local boy takes a trip to S.F.

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photo by Donald Kinney

And along the way I stopped to look at the Golden Gate Bridge.   Okay, okay, I took the (((above))) photo a few days ago at sunrise, but I did take the vertical shot (((below))) yesterday -- on my little trip over to San Francisco...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Okay, okay, I know that this is pretty much a typical tourist shot -- but I never have been able to resist shooting the bridge, especially on a day with such puffy clouds.


SPECIAL EDITION -- CALIBER GROUP PHOTO-WALK



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is the bunch of camera toting rag-a-muffins I met up with in San Francisco -- we were doing the second Caliber Group Photo-Walk and I think it's safe to say a good time was had by all.



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photo by Donald Kinney

It was an honor to be led on our route over to Northbeach and Chinatown by Frank Chu, one of San Francisco's most interesting characters.   How can I explain Frank? Well, that is a tall order, but I'll give it a whirl.

Well you see, Frank is from one of America's most successful movie families -- his mother starred in over 200 feature films and they were one of the richest families in Hollywood UNTIL President Clinton stole all their money.   Frank will be glad to explain it in more detail if you ask.   He will also explain the precise meanings of all those mysterious words on his sign, but somehow I think he knows that a few people (((o.k., maybe more than just a few))) just don't quite understand his concepts.   Yes, it is all very mysterious -- you can read more about Frank at Wikipedia



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photo by Donald Kinney

Fortunately, this wonderful and snappy young lady, Julie Michelle, is much easier to explain than Frank.   Or so it would seem -- because she is such an open book -- but yet I haven't known Julie all that long and imagine there is some bit of mystery on or near page 402...   The mystery just might have something to do with Tango dancing, but I don't know.   My imagination is running wild...

Julie edits and does the photography for her fabulously successful I Live Here S.F. featuring local citizenry, writes her own blog, and she is one of the key members of the Caliber Group.

Julie is a very talented photographer and I think she is a shoe-in to be the next Annie Liebowitz, but for right now she is extra busy volunteering with local organizations such as Women Drop-In and the diaper project Help a Mother Out.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And I don't have the names of these two intrepid snappers, but they were shooting neck-breakers of tall buildings in the San Francisco's Finacial District.   I'll have more of what I shot tomorrow.


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moody clouds

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photo by Donald Kinney

With all this Wintery weather I've had no trouble finding the moodiest of clouds.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And interestingly shaped hills lend a bit of drama.   And yes, with the soggy weather we have had vast quantities of fog.


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odds-and-ends

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photo by Donald Kinney

Odds-and-ends is a good descriptor for the collection of rag-tag houseboats down at Gate 5 in Sausalito.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Shame.   The owners should have had more respect than to name the Tamalpais No-Tell Motel after such an inspirational mountain.   The spirit of Tamalpa (((Indian Goddess, a.k.a. The Sleeping Lady))) is probably not pleased.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This bridge, out on the backroads of Marin County, has been painted more times than Carter has pills...   Then, every once in a while the county road crew comes along and paints everything over with a solid color, providing once again a fresh canvas for the midnight artistic and literary freak-outs of students from Petluma and Novato High Schools.   I like this painting -- some student's mind must have been in a good place.   A nice break from the usual slatherings of unintelligible graffiti.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, you may remember Jack and Jill...   Here they are -- coming down the hill...


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miscellaneous water

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, I couldn't resist showing another one from the other day at Webb Creek.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And I snagged this one on another visit to Roy's Redwoods yesterday afternoon.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And another from Roy's Redwoods yesterday.   In a few weeks the streams will be reduced to trickles, but I have memories and even a few nice photos.


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here come the birds...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Yeah folks, one day the birds are going to head our way and take over.   They seem to have as good of a handle on the banking situation and the housing mess as anybody else...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Birds don't know much about plumbing, but they do have an excellent grasp of our utility distribution system...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And though it is difficult to get them to shut up, they do know how to sit quite nicely in a row...



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photo by Donald Kinney

The main form of a art expression for birds seems to be air ballet...



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photo by Donald Kinney

But most of the time birds just like to stand around and gossip -- but at least they know what they're talking about...


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more from Point Reyes

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, I kind of liked this photo when I first saw it in the viewfinder, and I thought it was a "keeper" when I saw it on the computer screen, but it wasn't untiil my buddy from Ohio -- that Jan Bell guy that I mentioned yesterday -- said he really liked it that I realized it is indeed, a successful shot. --Convincing Jan isn't always easy -- he's the guy who doesn't particularly care for sunrises or sunsets -- this isn't exactly a sunset, but it's late in the afternoon.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, the upper left corner of this shot is flirting with being terribly blown-out -- and I tried to fix it as best I could -- about the only option I have is to un-naturally darken it, or crop it out of the image.   I think I'll just leave it the way it is.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And who doesn't like a pretty shot of the beach?   Point Reyes Lighthouse is perched on the cliff of that huge hill in the distance.



EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA...     BONUS EDITION

Visitor Appreciation Day



Well folks, early yesterday I put a counter on AphotoAday -- I was curious if anyone had been stopping by -- oh, I know my "regulars", but I suppose most of you "have a life" and just stop by when you can...

Which reminds me of the day when I told my good buddy (((my surfer dude buddy))) that I expected him to open up my blog page and look at it EVERY DAY -- whereupon he sort of gave me that "Sure, Buddy" kind of look.

But I wanted to thank each and every one of you -- because I had no idea this many of you -- 85 -- were out there.   So maybe I should keep trying to snap some good photos -- who knows -- maybe I'll break 100 in the stats.   My Kitty will be jealous!

Think of it -- 85 people visited my silly blog yesterday -- and these are "unique" visitors -- the counter keeps track of your IP number so you aren't recounted if you revisit later in the day.

Maybe I should start getting all my words spelled correctly...   And who does this Don guy think he is for using three dots after most every sentence...   And Don needs to go back to hypen or dash school -- quick, before any more damage is done...


So Whoopie!

LET'S CELEBRATE
Make sure your sound isn't turned way up, then
mouse-over keys.   Click to repeat three times.
Drag keys to the right to form combinations.




I think it'd be great fun if you drove your co-workers nuts this morning by playing these sound effects, over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over...


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Inverness and Point Reyes

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photo by Donald Kinney

On your way to Point Reyes National Seashore you will travel along the western shore of the long finger of Tomales Bay, eventually passing through the tiny town of Inverness -- don't blink or you'll miss it.

This is the Dacha where the Lypinski family lives.   The detail on the structure is absolutely amazing.   Dacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes, often occupied for part of the year by their owners then rented out to urban residents as summer retreats.  



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, don't stop and try to hire a launch -- the current residents (((yes, it is a private home now))) won't have a clue what you're talking about.

There's all sorts of stuff to photograph in Inverness.   The beached fishing boat out behind the General Store is hard to miss and always guarantees a good shot.

And some day I'm going to stop and shoot the colorful flags at the Buddhist supply store at Inverness Park.   And nearby, I've always wanted to shoot the massage sign next to the impressive display of Abalone shells.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I don't know what happened -- radio waves or something -- I was walking down the Cypress Tree Tunnel towards historic KPH Radio Station when everything inverted on me -- it was quite a trip...   (((but really the photo I shot didn't really amount to much, so I didn't quite know what to do with it)))   CLICK for a more normal looking photo -- not a new one -- but not inverted, looking in the opposite direction.

RADIO STATION KPH ?

Yes -- the building at the end of the Cypress Tree Tunnel served as the receiving end of ship-to-shore communications dating all the way back to the early days of radio.   It worked in tandem with the transmitting leg of the operation several miles south near Bolinas.

The great part of the story is that the station is still there with all of it's equipment still in place, although the station hasn't been operational for twenty or so years.   And yes, the public is allowed inside the building on weekends.   It's a visit you'll probably never forget.   Dit, dit, dit, dash, dash, dash...

CLICK to read the post I did on KPH not too long ago.



EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA...     BONUS EDITION

Mentioning the Cypress Tree Tunnel reminded me of my photo-buddy back in Ohio -- he loves to come out here and shoot in this area, and over the years he has become quite enamored by the Cypress Tree Tunnel; as have other photographers, including television commercial producers who take advantage of the enveloping feeling exuded by the old Cypress trees.

But this buddy of mine, Jan Bell, finally left a comment on the January 20 edition -- I was talking about how he had suggested I take the brown cast out of the rushing (((and silt filled))) water.   Anyway, Jan has been a great friend the past couple years, and he's taught me some valuable stuff about Photoshop.   He's one of these photographers who puts a lot of time and care into exposing each shot -- and he's got all the equipment -- and the patience to use it...   Me? -- I hate using my tripod.   As for my equipment, all I have is one do-it-all zoom lens, maybe a cloth to wipe my lens, a couple extra memory cards, maybe a couple extension tubes that I might use for flower close-ups, an extra battery, and that's about it.   I try to keep my equipment simple because I'm so stoooopid!

Anyway, here is a screencapture of Jan's recent comment:



AND, I think everybody should go look at Jan Bell's smart new website at www.bellimages.com.



I worked on the HTML and CSS coding for this site.   Jan is a soon-to-be-retired pro design guy at a television station in the midwest, but his personal photography has won numerous awards at exhibitions -- he often goes on the National art-fair circuit hawking his framed prints.   People, including me, love his work.


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arty and graphic

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photo by Donald Kinney

This is Angel Island demonstrating it's arty side -- and perhaps showing a bit of it's graphic arts training as well.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And here is a slice of the Marin Headlands.   A filling of water and a frosting of fog.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And hills that would actually roll if they were not so firmly anchored.


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more moody skies

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photo by Donald Kinney

Point Bonita is a great place to head for right after a storm.   And late in the day the skies can get even more dramatic.   Those are the Farallon Islands in the distance.   Can you see the falling rain?



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photo by Donald Kinney

As I mentioned yesterday, the Point Bonita Lighthouse has been guiding ships in and out of the Golden Gate since 1877.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I applied a bit of Noise Reduction to this image in Photoshop.   I hate to admit that I (((for some stoooopid reason))) used a very high ISO -- I should be shot.


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moody skies at Point Bonita

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photo by Donald Kinney

And the birds were loving it...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And more than willing to pose for the camera...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Point Bonita Lighthouse has been standing by to guide ships in and out of the Golden Gate since 1877.

I used a Photoshop filter to take out some of the noise in these photos.   I was shooting at a very high ISO so I could shoot without a tripod.   There wasn't much light.


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Roy's Redwoods after rain

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photo by Donald Kinney

On Tuesday the sun came out for a brief time during the afternoon, so there was no doubt about my destination -- Roy's Redwoods isn't far from here.

It only happens once a year, but when it does it is spectacular!   Streams, that normally just look like scars the rest of the year come alive, and really folks -- it is quite beautiful...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Got to tell you, folks -- I don't claim to be Ansel Adams, but I sure felt like he must have felt standing in front of majestic beauty like this!



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photo by Donald Kinney

If you haven't checked out my Roy's Redwoods photos on what I call my big site and would like to do so, then please CLICK HERE.


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rushing water

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photo by Donald Kinney

I've got a good photo buddy in Ohio -- he never leaves a comment here so I'm not even going to mention his name -- but he has always given me good advice about my photography, and actually he has taught me a lot in the past three years that I have known him.

He thinks that these water shots have too much brown color to them -- and I've almost got to agree -- but I was trying to tell him that this is what rushing water looks like after a large storm -- the brownish tinge is from all the silt moving down stream -- the result of dissolving mountains and hills.   He advises me to remove the brownish color -- I guess that would make them look more acceptable to the general public that isn't aware that rushing streams are, indeed, somewhat brownish.   Oh, maybe I will follow his advice and turn this water into "cotton-balls", but I just don't know -- a penny for your thoughts...



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photo by Donald Kinney

This photo is of the same un-named creek on Mount Tamalpais that I showed you yesterday.   I call it "Occasional Creek", and that's pretty much what it is -- during the Summer months the flow slows to a trickle.


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it's been raining...

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photo by Donald Kinney

We're finally getting our Winter rains out here in the West -- the creeks are happy, the moss is happy, and my camera is thoroughly delighted...



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photo by Donald Kinney

As far as I know, this creek has no name, but it drains into Alpine Lake on the north side of Mount Tamalpais.   During the Summer months the flow slows to just a trickle -- but right now it is flowing like gangbusters.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, I'm the weird guy who likes to look into puddles.   Because of focus, sometimes what I see is completely different than what my camera sees.


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the moody side of California

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photo by Donald Kinney

Sunny California has been showing it's moody side recently.   Good bye, Sun...



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photo by Donald Kinney

But this has allowed branches to take advantage of their most artful forms...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And even the grasses have been getting in on the act...


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at South Rodeo Beach

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photo by Donald Kinney

As most of you know by now, the large photo at the top of my blog (((the banner photo))) becomes the lead photo for the next day -- it's intended to be sort of a "teaser", so you'll be sure to return.

But a couple of you have already mentioned that you liked this shot of the wet sand glistening in the sun.   Hey, thanks a lot -- I had a lot of fun shooting it.   I think I should have also shot a version of it with footprints walking through -- maybe I'll try that another day -- it'll give me a good excuse to go to the beach.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Sand patterns like this always fascinate me.   Mother Nature can sure come up with some really interesting designs.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This photo is a sort of a review of the Histogram lesson on January 14.   Despite my best efforts to bring the high-values into range with Exposure Compensation while I was shooting, the high values were still totally blown-out, but I got them under control just a bit more by using the Recovery slider in CameraRAW.

Normally I don't use the Recovery slider because it usually wrecks all the other tones in the scene (((turns them into mud))) but in this case I was able to get away with using it.   Not that it completely cured the problem -- most of those high values are still blown-out, but now -- less of them are.



Above is the "before" Histogram -- this is the original RAW image from the camera.   Notice the tall spike on the right.



And above is the "after" Histogram -- still lots of blown-out whites, but less of them -- notice that the spike on the right isn't as tall.   Also a lot more tones "mid-range", as shown by that tall spike in the middle of the scale.


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