August 31, 2013

drama in the clouds at Big Rock, Lucas Valley


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photo by Donald Kinney

Some mornings can turn into a mad rush to arrive at Sunriseville on time.
Other mornings can be a guessing game--estimating where I might find all of the special conditions necessary for a bit of foggy drama in the sky.



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photo by Donald Kinney

So, on Wednesday the special and magical spot turned out to be at the top of Lucas Valley, a place we locals call Big Rock.  Both the China Camp and Nicasio areas, as well as Mount Tam, were completely "socked in" with fog.


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August 30, 2013

The "Rhett Redelings Tree" at Point Bonita


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photo by Donald Kinney

Isn't it kind of a special moment when you see a photograph, and then realize you know EXACTLY where the photographer was? And from that moment on that particular spot becomes associated with their name?
In the case of the windswept cypress here, this forevermore will be the Rhett Redelings Cypress tree--he photographs it well. I shoot it often.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, there is a whole mess of cut-up Cypress here, near the remains of a massive military gun emplacement at Point Bonita, just northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. Shapes and textures. On the left I think I see a horse.


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August 29, 2013

foggy tricks and photo tricks


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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, no trickery was required here. No special setups and just the normal Photoshop method of a "histogram" adjustment to control the dark and light values. Strange and mysterious on its own, fog doesn't need a lot of help.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Okay, but this was originally fairly bland--it really needed something.
Number of colors was reduced to just 8 for a pumped-up graphic look.


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August 28, 2013

sun-up at Nicasio -- sometimes it is a struggle


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photo by Donald Kinney

I am probably more often disappointed than not, but persistence is the key.



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photo by Donald Kinney

I suppose I search for a bit of drama, but I take what I can get, of course.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Other times I am rewarded with subtleties that perhaps can only be fully appreciated by having been there. Just "being there" is a goal unto itself.


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August 27, 2013

Elephant Mountain -- highly obscured


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photo by Donald Kinney

She is long gone, but I can still hear my mother telling me to "sit quietly & listen". So, not that I "always" obeyed her recommendations and demands ("never", according to her), she did make a pretty good listener out of me.



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photo by Donald Kinney

So, you may have been noticing here on the blog that I have been posting a shorter string of photos--just two today, and although I could have posted more, there is a mantra I am trying to obey--the concept of "less is more".

Of course, I am still not comfortable with this "less is more" concept. I am in conflict with my desire is to show a whole LOT of images, but I DO see the point--that showing fewer will put more emphasis, and be less distractive on the one or two images I DO show.

The whole concept hit home in July when I "curated" my own work for my exhibit at the Mill Valley Library. The photographs in the show were a definite hit, but there were just too many of them in the small space I had to work with. My intent was to show as many photos as I could possibly display--44 in total--but two people who really DO know about things like this, suggested that the show may have had more of an impact had I just displayed seven or eight much larger prints, very widely spaced on the walls I had available. As I said, I'm still struggling with that concept of "less is more", but as I mentioned--I am a good listener and quite willing to learn.


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August 26, 2013

Lagunitas Creek -- on the other side


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photo by Donald Kinney

Finding a new spot to explore on my favorite creek is a bit of a challenge. In the past 10 years I've gained an intimate knowledge of every twist and turn.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Some meanders and riparian edges change noticeably from year to year. Torrential rains in December and January can turn the once bucolic creek into a raging mass, rearranging the landscape. This last year the floods ripped out a substantial footbridge, sending it a quarter of a mile downstream and burying it under a log-jam of monumental proportions.


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August 25, 2013

sky and earth


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photo by Donald Kinney

The sky... Morning clouds. Fluid and ever-changing. Sun gaining elevation.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Earth and rock and a splash of lichen... Not going anywhere anytime soon.


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August 24, 2013

up close at Lagunitas Creek


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photo by Donald Kinney

Busy water... Busier than a Waring Blender at a Margarita party.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Refractive water... Some real optical happenings going on below.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Reflective water... A careful search for beauty in a chaotic flow.


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August 23, 2013

adventures in black and white


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photo by Donald Kinney

The name "San Rafael to Richmond Bridge" might be more descriptive than imaginative, but beyond is Mount Diablo (Mountain of the Devil in Spanish).



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photo by Donald Kinney

The Mount Tamalpais area was, indeed, home to Coastal Indian tribes for 5000 years. Believe it or not, this mountain was so sacred to the Miwok that they would not climb to the summit. So the story goes; Coyote, the God who they believed created man, lived at its tallest peak.

Beware of erroneous information. The mystical Indian princess "Tamalpa" or "Sleeping Maiden" can be vaguely traced lying across the mountain top, but actually she originated at the 1921 Mountain Theater production "Tamalpa".


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August 22, 2013

China Camp -- each to their own


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photo by Donald Kinney

At first glance the idea seems logical--Chinese immigrants carrying on the fishing traditions of their homeland, until we begin to learn that racial discrimination was rampant from their arrival in the mid 1800's, onward to the middle of the last century. Aside from the brutal hard labor of reshaping California with picks and shovels, the netting of Bay Shrimp was one of the few occupations permitted. Additionally, they needed to hire a "white agent" to act as a middleman for selling their catch in San Francisco.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And yes, if one is silent and alone, spirits here can be felt and appreciated.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Perhaps even that damn hunter with his damn duck blind might find some sort of connection to the past.


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August 21, 2013

Lagunitas Creek -- flowing with flair and style


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photo by Donald Kinney

A fraction of a second--frozen in time... A minor and temporary work of art.



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photo by Donald Kinney

A dash of color, and just a smattering of posterization to season the result.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Under the right conditions of a shaded creek and illuminated surrounding vegetation--gold flows, as if it might be molten. Riches beyond measure.


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August 20, 2013

sunrise clouds -- lets have another go at it


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photo by Donald Kinney

Sunrise, the neglected sibling event--sunsets seem to get all of the glory.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But sunrises are rather quite different. They are the beginning, not the end.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And it would seem logical--but nothing would be farther than the truth--that a sunrise is the exact opposite of a sunset. Oh, I haven't got all my scientific facts lined-up and verified, but that's my observation and I'm sticking to it...


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August 19, 2013

splash of Saturday morning color


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photo by Donald Kinney

With my field coat on, most people think I'm going fishing or something.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But yes, photography IS kind of like fishing. Snap, snap, gurgle, gurgle.


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August 18, 2013

clouds at sunrise -- God finally heard my prayers


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photo by Donald Kinney

A dearth of clouds until recently. My prayers had not been working out.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But the past couple of days have been exciting. The hunt is on once again.



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photo by Donald Kinney


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August 17, 2013

Heritage Day -- China Camp celebrates a birthday


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photo by Donald Kinney

Visualise the upper "thumb" of San Francisco Bay--that will be San Pablo Bay. On its shallow western shores is a now tiny Chinese shrimping village, known since the 1860's as Wa-Lo-Ha-Lio, or China Camp in western jargon.


photo [taken August 2009] by Donald Kinney


photo by Donald Kinney


photo courtesy Marin Historical Society / Friends of China Camp



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photo by Donald Kinney

So every year in mid-August "The Friends of China Camp" organize an event celebrating the seafaring culture and heritage of China Camp. "Lion-Dancers" shake to the beat of drums. Warbling singers warble.

Asian beauties present honors and awards. And more than enough songs on the Erhu, who's dulcet tones are often claimed to mimic the human voice.   And when all is almost said and done, someone is probably going to give a long recitation in both Mandarin and English.

One big party for the lone remaining resident of China Camp, Frank Quan.


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photo [taken July 2011] by Donald Kinney

Shrimping in San Pablo Bay has diminished over the years due to silt from old mining operations and salt intrusion. Fresh water flowing in from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers isn't of sufficient volume to flush the bay. Central Valley water diversion projects have been the "death stake" for shrimp fishing. Many thousands of pounds of Bay Shrimp were harvested in days gone by, but today Frank Quan can barely fill a sack.


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August 16, 2013

small yellow flowers at Big Rock


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photo by Donald Kinney

Yellow flowers at Big Rock. Growing close to the ground. Not very big or tall, but quite durable.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Other wildflowers have come and gone. These are late-bloomers.



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photo by Donald Kinney

"Big Rock" at top of Lucas Valley on the left. Curvy hill in distance on right.


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August 15, 2013

Nicasio -- up close and personal


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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney


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August 14, 2013

late afternoon light at China Camp


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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney



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photo by Donald Kinney


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August 13, 2013

Marin, a certain soft light


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photo by Donald Kinney

A magician never reveals their secret, but you can NEVER trust a photog- rapher with high-level "Photoshop" secrecy. Truth be told--I employed a "reducedClarity" setting on this image, to simplify and smooth away extraneous detail. The actual "trick" is not overdoing the effect.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Not a single trick was used in the making of this photo. I'm "f'ing" serious. Actually, I wouldn't call it a trick but to make the wide-angle shot with a 70mm lens I needed to turn the camera vertical for a panorama of 7 individual images, which were "magically" stitched together in Photoshop. What happens is that a HUGE file is created, suitable for HUGE prints. Automatically, a bigger and more expensive camera with a larger sensor.



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photo by Donald Kinney

And no trickery here... Just a matter of "being there".  That's White's Hill.


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