December 31, 2009
Alpine Lake / Alpine Dam, Mt. Tamalpais
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photo by Donald Kinney
Gosh... Yesteday a few of you really liked this shot when it was banner-size -- thank you very much.
The titles "Alpine Lake" and "Alpine Dam" are used interchangeably but I think "Lake" sounds nicer. This is a dam that you can drive across -- it's on the Fairfax to Bolinas Road -- you can't miss it!
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photo by Donald Kinney
Amazingly, during the week there's very few people exploring this northern area of Mount Tamalpais -- I guess everybody else has better things to do...
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photo by Donald Kinney
I think this is my favorite... Hope you like it too. Can you see the clouds? All I did was point the camera and snap.
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December 30, 2009
Almighty Light
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photo by Donald Kinney
For years there was a painter on TV who kept talking about the Almighty Light.
Anyway, S.F. Mike was first in line to point out this is God's Light. Thanks Mike.
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photo by Donald Kinney
There's a few water-drops if you look close -- click on photo to enlarge.
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December 29, 2009
finding patterns
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photo by Donald Kinney
I found this repeating pattern on a cheap garment in Chinatown.
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photo by Donald Kinney
And the rest of these are from my walk-around in NorthBeach.
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photo by Donald Kinney
The steps to Saint Peter and Paul's.
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photo by Donald Kinney
Screen on a door to a utility area.
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December 28, 2009
standing by...
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photo by Donald Kinney
A lonely glass, standing-by...
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photo by Donald Kinney
A wooden waiter, standing-by...
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photo by Donald Kinney
And I know the Larb is standing-by, but it might just have to stand-by a bit longer...
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photo by Donald Kinney
Because I've got sights to see and things to photograph, in NorthBeach...
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December 27, 2009
sleuthing around Chinatown
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photo by Donald Kinney
A few days I went on one of my San Francisco Chinatown walkarounds. Had this lady spotted me taking her picture I'm sure she would have waved me off -- but not before I had snuck the snap. I'm so bad...
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photo by Donald Kinney
Oh, being so old (((62 now))) I have a few aches and pains, but I probably will never pay money for someone to poke me with needles. Not that I doubt the effectiveness of Acupuncture, but I'm I a woos who can't stand pain, although I've been told there's little involved.
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photo by Donald Kinney
How about an orange?
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photo by Donald Kinney
Or maybe some fine looking apples?
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photo by Donald Kinney
And bring it on, I'm hungry!
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December 26, 2009
more from Webb Creek
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photo by Donald Kinney
I showed you the upper-part of Webb Creek a few days ago (((scroll down to posts on December 16th, 17th, 18th))), but on Thursday I explored the lower-part of Webb Creek.
It's a very remote spot on the coast, but getting there is easy -- it's about two miles south of Stinson Beach directly across from the Steep Ravine Environmental Center.
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photo by Donald Kinney
I've always subscribed to the ethic that someone with a camera really needs to be there when leaves are dropping. D. Kinney, at your service. Drop on, leaves...
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photo by Donald Kinney
And flow on, Webb Creek...
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photo by Donald Kinney
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...
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December 25, 2009
Ralphie and Don
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photo by Donald Kinney
Merry Christmas everybody, from me and Ralphie -- and a Happy New Year too!!!
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photo by Donald Kinney
I'm guessing that Ralphie and I probably like the same things -- like still water...
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photo by Donald Kinney
and mossy rocks -- dry and dormant in summer but lush this time of year...
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photo by Donald Kinney
And water that cuts like a band-saw -- water has skills...
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photo by Donald Kinney
And thickets that defy focus... Ralphie -- do you see the creek?
Yes, welcome to Don and Ralphie's world... It's a pretty place...
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December 24, 2009
high contrast !
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photo by Donald Kinney
This is taken from the Marin Headlands in the Point Bonita area. This is the famous Golden Gate through which gold seekers -- those who didn't arrive by land -- entered in their conquest for gold. Many people are under the conception that the Bridge is what the Golden Gate is all about, but geographically speaking the Bridge is way to the east.
Notice a bit of dreaded blown-out whites (spike) on the right side of the Histogram.
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photo by Donald Kinney
Oh, high-contrast stuff is SO much fun... Showing you the Histogram for these shots is just a little bit embarrassing -- lots of nearly blown-out whites and shadows without detail. Technically, not the best, but the best under the circumstances -- I think they're rather arty. For all you camera techies, I used two stops of Exposure Compensation.
I usually trust the Histogram more than I trust my eyes.
Actually, for as bright as that water is, it isn't blown-out (hardly) at all. If it were, there would be a tall spike on the right side of the scale. Right now there is just a small spike. But look at my "blown-out" blacks -- not a speck of detail in them and the chart shows there's a great deal of black in the photo. Sometimes you have to swap technical perfection for artiness.
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December 23, 2009
Cypress trees and streaming sunlight
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photo by Donald Kinney
Well, I grew up in the Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel area, so the San Francisco fog was nothing new to me when I arrived a little over 40 years ago. Both areas also have Cypress trees -- and the combination of fog and artful trees can make for some interesting compositions. Throw in some streaming sunlight for fx and you've got a pretty picture!
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photo by Donald Kinney
O.k., here's your Histogram lesson (for the second photo, just above) -- whether you want it or not!
The Histogram is a graphical scale (from 0 to 255) representing all the tones in the image. Notice that gap on the left side? This shows the low values don't go all the way to pure black in the original image -- so I "expanded the tones to fit the scale" which gives some richer dark tones in the finished photo.
This what the Histogram looks like after the range of image's blacks is extended. The tones reach all the way to the left edge of the scale.
Normally you might consult the Histogram more often when correcting slight under-exposure. In that case a similar "gap" appears on the right side of the scale -- showing that no pure whites exist. An underexposed photo will have a graph that doesn't extend all the way to the right edge, and the adjustment for high-values is made by extending the scale to the right.
Now, do you notice that little "spike" at the right edge of the scale? Well, that's the beginnings of a blown-out photo -- and there is nothing worse than a blown-out photo if your intentions are to produce a technically perfect photo. In this case, the blown-out tones are not too intrusive, so I didn't bother trying to correct them.
Keep in mind that under-exposure is easier to correct than over-exposure. Also remember that using too much correction on low values can increase noise to an unacceptable level.
[[[and Jan Bell, if you're out there, silent as usual, thanks for showing me this stuff a couple years ago]]]
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December 22, 2009
moody skies
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photo by Donald Kinney
We've had some moody skies recently. I even saw, but was unable to get good shots of rainbows. You should be able to faintly make-out the silhouette of Mount Tamalpais in the right lower portion of the photo. "Mt. Tam" is the centerpiece of Marin County and she is adored by all.
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photo by Donald Kinney
And this is the sun a bit lower in the sky. It sinks rapidly these days, but now the days are beginning to lengthen. Don't forget to say your prayers...
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December 21, 2009
Back Ranch Meadows
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photo by Donald Kinney
Near the entrance to Back Ranch Meadows at China Camp there's some interesting old trees -- I think they're Tanbark Oak (please correct me if I am wrong).
There is an overpriced campground here too, but the free trails up in the hills are very popular with local mountain-bikers. China Camp Village, where Frank Quan holds down the historic shrimping industry, is about three miles down the road.
This is China Camp State Park, just east of San Rafael, California on San Pedro Road.
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photo by Donald Kinney
Getting a photo like this is pretty easy -- the camera is just used as sort of a third eye. Wide-open at f-4 for a bit of selective-focus. Maybe I could have used a bit more depth-of-field. A guy just never knows...
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December 20, 2009
getting the Fairfax buzz
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photo by Donald Kinney
Each Fairfax resident goes through about one sack of beans per year -- some more, some less. It's definitely a wide-awake town for a sleepy little community.
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photo by Donald Kinney
And is there a clothing store on Earth that doesn't have a sale going on right now? I'm pretty sure most people are wearing their clothes just a little bit longer these days. (((I won't go into detail, but I would win the prize in the wearing them out department)))
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photo by Donald Kinney
Hey, lets get stoned... Lets everybody come over to Fairfax and get stoned.
Oh, did I mention that virtually everyone in Fairfax is stoned -- each in their own way?
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photo by Donald Kinney
O.k., here's what's playing at the Sleeping Lady for what's left of December.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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December 19, 2009
bookish in Fairfax
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photo by Donald Kinney
Well, like I was telling my buddy in Ohio -- that could be him, walking his dog (((his Brock looks just like that))) down to Fairfax Coffee Roasters for some freshly roasted beans. But he has all these silly excuses for not moving out here -- his home and property, his job, his wife -- but you can count those on three fingers -- I don't know what the problem is.
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photo by Donald Kinney
YeahBaby is the name of a used clothing store -- run by a beautiful young lady -- and in fact, now that I think of it -- virtually everyone in Fairfax is beautiful in their own way.
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photo by Donald Kinney
So, it's a great mural -- the title of those books are store names here in Fairfax.
Oh by the way, it's awful, but Book Beat who occupied this building until recently has finally gone out of business. BordersBooksAndMusic and Amazon claims another one...
To see names more clearly, CLICK on image for larger photo.
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December 18, 2009
ferns, mosses, and their tree
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photo by Donald Kinney
Ferns don't need a whole lot of soil, just a handy place to hang on. The perfect place can be the side of a mossy tree.
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photo by Donald Kinney
That's quite a tree, isn't it? This is right along Webb Creek and the Steep Ravine (Dipsea) trail.
By the way, folks...
Last Saturday I updated what I call my "big site, www.photoarrow.com, so if you have some time to kill please swing by and take a look.
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December 17, 2009
more Webb Creek at Steep Ravine
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photo by Donald Kinney
We're getting our first rains now, so a lot of water is soaking into the soil, but later, after another big storm or two, our creeks will be exceedingly full and spectacular.
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photo by Donald Kinney
This water doesn't know it yet, but it's about one mile from spilling out onto the coastline about two miles south of Stinson Beach.
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photo by Donald Kinney
Getting there:
As the map explains, there's two ways to approach Steep Ravine and Webb Creek.
Getting there is a breeze.
It depends on whether you want to explore the whole trail (including a steep section) all the way up from Highway One ((( point A on the map ))), or from a point where Panoramic Highway comes close to Steep Ravine, leaving only a short connector trail ((( which is also part of Dipsea Trail))) to ramble down to the "upper part" of this area.
This "upper part" is where the spectacular redwoods are -- it's really quite a sight -- I think it's probably the prettiest place on Mount Tamalpais. Just a little bit out of the way, but well worth the effort, especially after a rainstorm.
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