Castro District, San Francisco

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, not being much of a movie goer and never having been inside, what I know about the Castro Theater I could fit on the head of a pin.   But in checking Wikipedia I found that the Castro Theatre originally opened at 479 Castro Street in 1910.   That location (now Cliff's Variety) was subsequently changed to into a retail store in the mid 1920's after this larger and more ornate Castro Theater was built at a few doors up the street 429 Castro.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The Castro Theater has a great facade, and I've heard that it is absolutely fabulous inside.   It's called Spanish Colonial Baroque, and was designed by Timothy L. Pflueger, who also designed Oakland's Paramount Theater.   Great tile-work, isn't it?

To quote Wikipedia;  "The Nasser brothers, who built the theater and still own it, also owned several movie houses in the San Francisco area. The interior is luxurious and ornate, with subtly convex and concave walls and ceiling and a dramatic "Mighty Wurlitzer" pipe organ that is played before films and events. The large neon "Castro" sign, visible from much of the city, is emblematic of both the theatre and the Castro District."



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photo by Donald Kinney

With catchy neon signs and an inviting little patio, it's difficult to miss this Psychic Reader's place of business.   And hey, maybe I'll stop by some day to see what the future holds for me and Kitty.   You may recognize the Rainbow Flag in the background -- I believe it symbolizes acceptance.   If you didn't know, the Castro District is home to a large and influential L.G.B.T. population.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This fabulous old Victorian "painted lady", located on 18th at Hartford, is in bad need of restoration and a new coat of paint, but I managed to clean it up quite a bit in Photoshop.   CLICK to see the original image before Photoshop worked it's magic.


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seeking sunrise

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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm one of those fools who likes to get up early, and after I've finished this blog foolishness I'll usually stick my head out the window to check the possibilities of a colorful sunrise.   Often we are either socked in with fog or high clouds, and other times the sky is dead blue and plain -- but Sunday morning spelled hope that something spectacular was building.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Pedal to the metal -- next stop, the Golden Gate Bridge...

When I arrived the sun was wearing a tie.   Gorgeous scene, isn't it?


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Soft images

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, I had to restrain myself from super-imposing music notes on this blank score in the sky -- I'll just leave it to your imagination.   And no, those aren't jet contrails -- just some weird stuff going on in the sky.   Seconds after I snapped this shot it started raining -- these artists had to scurry for cover.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And I don't know what it is with me and wedding dresses, but when I see one in a shop window I just can't resist the photo opportunity.   Hey, but I can't resist trying to snag a photo or two whenever I walk past the Victoria's Secret windows either.   In either case, I sometimes think some women are MUCH safer behind glass...   [me from them or them from me, or perhaps both?]



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photo by Donald Kinney

Soft, isn't it?   Upside-down, isn't it?
This is Alpine Lake, actually a reservoir up on the northern watershed of Mount Tamalpais, not far from where Kitty and I live.


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Natural patterns

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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh wow -- did I ever blow it...   I don't know if you noticed when I displayed it large as yesterday's header, but this image doesn't really have a very good focus, and I think there is a bit of camera motion as well.
[Update:   I forgot to mention that it's an old oak log]

And I had already come to this realization that I had goofed.   I had made a mental note to get back out to Miwok Meadows (((near China Camp))) to re-shoot the scene properly (((with the camera on a tripod so I would be able to use a small aperture for more depth-of-field))), but gosh, I didn't realize that the photo looked quite this bad -- it may look substantially better at this smaller size.   Please accept my apologies -- click on the image for the larger size only if you dare.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Now that I've chosen to post this, I'm sort of wondering if it qualifies as "Natural Patterns" (((the title of this post))), as the corrugated roof is definitely man-made, but I was hoping that the rust would give it some credence.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And these are sand patterns that I found out at in the area where the ocean and Bolinas Beach transition into the Bolinas Lagoon.   But the fly in the ointment here is that I already used this photo yesterday on the Daily Duo.

If you've never checked out the Daily Duo, please do -- oh, it's not a very fancy site and there is no way to leave a comment, but I enjoy doing the Daily Duo because it gives me the opportunity to experiment by combining a square photo with one that is rectangular.


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City patterns

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photo by Donald Kinney

Last Sunday morning it was cold, overcast, and just a little bit nasty, but I did a little early walk-around the Embarcadero Center area.   What I love about doing this sort of thing early on weekends is that everybody else is still in bed and I have the whole place, except for a security guard or two, to myself.

This is the far out fountain on the east side of the Alcoa Building, just north of Embarcadero Center.   I don't know who designed this fountain but it definitely gets my highest award -- ten points and a big gold star.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Each of the four Embarcadero Buildings has a large sculpture in the center courtyard.   And they all have winding staircases featuring that whacky tilework that is so hypnotic.   I think the place is a gas...



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photo by Donald Kinney

And here is a photo I shot on a little mid-day walk-around I did yesterday in the center of town.   I think that's the side of the PG&E Building at 8th. and Mission.

Here, I was experimenting with a little technique I've recently learned from Brad Evans of City Snaps, where you first find an interesting background and then wait for people to walk into and be a part of that background.   Thanks Brad, nice tip.


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Ferns

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, lets see what I can tell you about ferns...   Oh, probably not very much -- other than I know they are very ancient plant systems, and that they like to grow in shady and moist locations.

The photo above shows the underside of a fern frond with all it's seeds lined up in what I think is a rather artistic pattern.   When I was a little boy growing up in Pacific Grove, California, we had a neighbor who grew ferns for sale starting with seeds he would go out and collect for germination.   He always gave the impression that it was a fairly difficult process.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I think this particular example makes quite a design statement, don't you?   I'm still trying to sort out the actual contents of the statement, but I'm pretty sure that I know the statement ends with an exclamation point!



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photo by Donald Kinney

And you poor city folk -- sometimes I feel SO sorry for you...   But no need to despair in your concrete and glass jungles -- you just might be able to find ferns right there amidst you.   I found this soothing display in the courtyard of one of the Embarcadero Center buildings.   A nice touch, don't you think?


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more California Poppies

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photo by Donald Kinney

I thought nobody would object if I spent two days on California Poppies -- just like the Douglas Iris, I thought they deserved an encore.

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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photo by Donald Kinney

After I used the Poppy shot on Tuesday I realized that I didn't have any other suitable Poppy shots to go with it, So, I thought I had better scurry out to one of my favorite Poppy snapping locations in West Marin County.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Look closely.   I got a pretty good focus on the little creature, so if you click on the image for a larger photo and you may be able to see the legs of the little bugger.


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California Poppies

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photo by Donald Kinney

Yes, the Poppies are definitely popping out here in California.   And get ready for a party, folks -- because out here in California April 6 is our official Poppy Day.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I think the most curious thing about poppies is that they love to grow in what the Wikipedia calls "disturbed areas" -- along gullies and barren roadsides.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Elegant and graceful -- and of course intensely colorful.   If they had legs I'm sure they would dance...

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you more.

By the way, folks, I want to thank each and every one of you for visiting AphotoAday.   I've been doing this for a while now and can remember the lonely days when only a handful of folks were stopping by -- so I was absolutely amazed a few weeks ago when I put a counter on the blog;  only to find that I'm now getting upwards of 170 to 180 "unique homepage visits" (no dupes) each weekday.   I've noticed that on weekends the total drops a bit to about 130 or 140 -- but I'm going to assume that's because a lot of you are out either taking photos or doing whatever else rings your bell.   But again, thank you for visiting -- and please tell your friends.


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more Douglas Iris

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photo by Donald Kinney

As PhotowannabeSue mentioned yesterday in the comments; "the Douglas Iris begs to be photographed".



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photo by Donald Kinney

I am always fascinated by the techniques different photographers use to make their photographs.   Some, like my buddy in Ohio (((a pro))), would have spent a half-hour or more screwing around while shooting each of these images (((fill-flash, reflectors, diffusers, in-camera color temperature adjustment, histogram analysis, etc., etc., etc.))) -- but I'm here to confess that I am more of a snapshooter.

Oh, I have a nice tripod, but the darn thing is so heavy and time-consuming that I usually leave at home unless I know I'm going to be making some long exposures.   To keep noise under control I like to shoot at a low ISO-100, which usually requires me to shoot wide-open in shaded conditions (((f-4 on my 70-200 "L"))) if I want to use a shutter-speed that is fast enough for me to hand-hold the camera.   Of course, the trick is to find something to brace the camera on -- the side of a tree or the top of a fence-post works great, and failing that I've found that I can just squat down and brace the camera on my knee.

My lens has "Image-Stabilization" which allows me to be able to hand-hold the camera and shoot with a shutter speed two stops slower -- soooooooo, this all seems to work for me, but I am definitely aware of all the dedicated fussing around that some photographers go through -- I just don't have the patience.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I'm finally starting to take more vertical shots these days.   This set of three Iris were begging to be photographed...   Notice the bud at the top getting ready to unroll.


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Douglas Iris on Mt. Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

And while on weekdays you'd be hard pressed to find more than a handful of people exploring our beloved Mount Tamalpais, on weekends it is a different story -- swarms of bicyclers and day-trippers come out to soak up the beauty of the area.   Oh yeah, you'll find a few photographers running around up on Mt. Tamalpais too...



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photo by Donald Kinney

Such free-form and abstract plants, these Douglas Iris.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is the darker, more blueish variety of Douglas Iris.   Come back tomorrow and I'll show you more.


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Purisima Creek, San Mateo County

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photo by Donald Kinney

Maybe you've heard of Half Moon Bay -- it's about 15 miles south of San Francisco on the coast.   But just inland a bit -- up one coastal hill and down another -- is the most delightful creek called Purisima.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is another area that was heavily logged in the late 1800's to satisfy San Francisco's insatiable hunger for lumber.   This Redwood, sprouted from the roots of a felled tree, is pretty gnarly -- but it's only about 120 years old, a mere child compared to the roots, probably upwards of a thousand years old.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And silly me -- I didn't bring my tripod or extension-tubes with me on the hike -- so I was a bit unprepared to shoot closeups, but what we have here is a Clover flower Redwood Sorrel [oxales oregana] on the left (((thanks Adam Paul for the info))) and a Western Trillium flower on the right.   Both small flowers, with large beauty!


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up close and personal

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photo by Donald Kinney

I've been noticing that sometimes I can just let the camera find the image -- what it sees is often strikingly different than what my eye is able to see.   These are Redwood needles.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And more of the same -- letting the camera find the photo.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Notice the ant?   I suppose it has an interesting and very up-close view.


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looking around for Wildflowers

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photo by Donald Kinney

I suppose this photo needs some explaining -- I wouldn't want anyone to think that I had pulled-apart and destroyed a beautiful Douglas Iris.   The photo had a very busy background, so I darkened it -- some of the darkness extended to the area where the petals were attached, thus the "hanging in space" or "exploded" effect.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Ever since my buddy in Ohio mentioned he was interested in Calla Lilies I just can't seem to get enough of them.   Some are left-over from last year -- just a bit tattered from the storms.   And some are new and bright, like this happy example.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I've shown other examples of Montbretia recently.   It's another contender in the "my favorite wildflower" competition.



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Indian Paintbrush -- and yes, we even have Indian Paintbrush -- the wildflower with the very imaginative name.   Can you spot the bug?


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colorful water

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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, I guess it isn't rocket-science, but capturing reflections in the Lagunitas Creek takes being there at the proper time -- when the creek is still shaded but with surrounding trees and vegetation illuminated.

It also takes a morning that isn't foggy or overcast -- the sun can be elusive -- SO, when these two things are working -- the timing and a sunny day -- colorful water happens.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Another colorful example.   Water has many moods.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This shot is probably a bit overly busy, but I suppose we can just go with the flow.


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Streamside

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photo by Donald Kinney

That's the mighty Lagunitas Creek in the background.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A mighty nice tangle of branches, I think.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And this is that mighty creek I'm always trying to shoot -- the Lagunitas, with no shortage of green and mossy things along it's banks.


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Nicasio, West Marin -- another reality

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photo by Donald Kinney

I often speak of "West" Marin as if it is actually a place -- but actually it is something better -- it is a state of mind...



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photo by Donald Kinney

West Marin begins on the "other" side of the hill -- often light years away from reality.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And these curious plants are from that other reality -- the one on the "other" side of the hill.



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photo by Donald Kinney

They are Milk Thistles, still prickley but now just skeletons of their former selves.   Lifeless, they have weathered our winter storms -- the few that remain are hanging around like sentinels -- perhaps standing-by to supervise the germination of their seed.


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