a diptych is equivalent to a pair

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photo by Donald Kinney

Yellow lichen that looks like spilled centerline paint covers several rocks on Azalea Hill.


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photo by Donald Kinney

Just by moving a bit closer I got another angle. The rock remained motionless and cooperative.


NEW !
Donald Kinney Quarterly - volume 2014 issue 1       

the sun breaks through

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photo by Donald Kinney

The thick bank of fog seemed exceptionally persistent on Wednesday. I had to stand around and wait and wait (and then wait some more), but the hills near Big Rock, Lucas Valley, Marin, finally started to clear.



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photo by Donald Kinney

It is a struggle but the sun puts up an unyielding fight. Some fog retreats, some vaporizes. Seems to be some sort of pattern.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

China Camp moon

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photo by Donald Kinney

The sun will be coming up just a little bit later with the Summer solstice behind us, and yes, a little bit more shut-eye might be nice.

But it is out of bed; some mindless chatter on the Internet; and a hopeful dash out to the western shore of San Pablo Bay, the upper "thumb" of San Francisco Bay. Or I might just go back to bed. See you later.


a fragment from their website, courtesy; Friends of China Camp.org



Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

boulders I had never visited

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photo by Donald Kinney

Oh, we Marinites (((a resident of Marin County, California))) l-o-v-e our centerpiece--a mountain named Tamalpais (((Tam - al - pie' - us))) so much that we all have our favorite spots and perches, and memories.

But as often as I had passed by on the road below, I had never actually visited the set of boulders on one of the steep hillsides.
From a distance they sometimes look more like eggs than rocks.
They are my new friends. Life is good...


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

an elevated elevation

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photo by Donald Kinney

Now here is a place I think might be the most beautiful place on earth. At least in my little world of California, and more specifically; Marin County. This is the appropriately named Ridgecrest Boulevard, not far from home.

Yes indeed, I am lucky to live here, lucky to be able to enjoy it on a daily basis, but the most rewarding part of it all is being able to (((for lack of a better word))) share it with you.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

saving the day -- stopping for just one more

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photo by Donald Kinney

Friday was my day for playing tourist so I headed out onto the Golden Gate Bridge and snapped up a storm. I may have gotten some potential keepers, and maybe I didn't--I still haven't sorted them out and most likely never will.

I finally made my way up to Hawk Hill, only to be inconvenienced by a crew shooting yet another car commercial, shutting down the "Scenic Route" to Point Bonita. I climbed up above the film crew, watched them working, and scowled.

The un-godly afternoon commute was the final insult, but I think I saved the day on my way home with this snap of my beloved Mount Tamalpais. Maybe you have a better theory, but the vegetation, I have concluded, is most likely from outer-space.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

subtleties in the a.m.

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photo by Donald Kinney

Sun, struggling to break through the haze,



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photo by Donald Kinney

and the little white speck in upper right corner is the moon.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

atmospherics -- miracles before my very eyes

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photo by Donald Kinney

My early morning visit to the Golden Gate Bridge on Wednesday was less than successful, so imagine my delight when I found foggy clouds clearing from my beloved Mount Tamalpais on my way home.

The skies have been SO plain-vanilla recently, so earlier in the week I had been asking friends to PRAY for clouds. Not that I am "religious" in the normal interpretation of the word, but I can use all the help I can get.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

dunes at Abbott's Lagoon -- Point Reyes

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photo by Donald Kinney

With all the wind we've been having, I was hoping it had been carving deep and arty furrows into the gently sloped dunes near Abbott's Lagoon,



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photo by Donald Kinney

but they didn't look much different than normal, side-lit in afternoon sun.



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photo by Donald Kinney

These coyotes, about 200 yards distant, were keeping a close eye on me. I'm guessing they were wondering what I might have been hunting.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

sunrise at Nicasio -- reality without reproach

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photo by Donald Kinney

It was Tuesday morning and getting late, and because of a plain vanilla sky--without clouds--I wasn't quite sure if I was going to snag any photos or not… Imagine my delight when I arrived at Nicasio Reservoir and discovered that the lake was busy at work generating its own set of foggy clouds.

And yes, that bird is real--not later Photoshopped into the scene… Just a bit of happy happenstance I suppose, as I would have been perfectly satisfied with the other snaps I was making of the scene without the bird.

Not that I have always been beyond reproach--in 1963 I remember feeling terribly uneasy about one of my my Monterey County Fair entries. I had added in a string of low flying birds into a rather pleasing splash image. No Photoshop--just scissors, rubber cement, and a copy image; yet the judges fell for my deception and the print, although it won no award, got hung. I have never quite gotten over my deception and can only tell you about this now because I believe the Statute-of-Limitations has run out on the crime.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

Ridgecrest Boulevard -- early bird catches the worm

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photo by Donald Kinney

I don't know how many times I've attempted this shot, and I don't mean to brag, but this time I think my effort was a success. Strong side-lighting and getting-there-early, I think, was the key. Of course, the really lucky part of this is having been able to be there--I realize I am fortunate...


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

the choice -- one instrument or the full orchestra

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photo by Donald Kinney

I like to think of a photograph as music, of sorts. When I listen to a black-and-white image I often imagine that I am able to hear the purity of just one instrument.



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photo by Donald Kinney

But with more instruments--or the full orchestra so to speak, there is more risk of discord and failure. The result can easily result in quite a mess. You might agree or disagree, but I think this scene appears more cohesive and is much more appealing rendered as a black-and-white.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

Point Bonita, the Pacific, and sun.

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photo by Donald Kinney

...


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book       

splish splash, I was taking a bath...

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photo by Donald Kinney

The waves at Rodeo Beach in the Point Bonita area break fairly close to shore, which is helpful for snapshots but this is a short ride for the surfers--many prefer the longer and more challenging rides of Ocean Beach in San Francisco.



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photo by Donald Kinney

No, I would never get into that cold cold cold water of the Pacific Ocean. Nevertheless, my reckless abandon has gotten me thoroughly splashed and my feet have been soaked countless times. Amazingly, I still haven't been swept off rocks to a watery death. Photo [above] was taken in August of 2013.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Another surfer in a photo from May 2013, ripping-the-curl, or whatever the proper surfer terminology might be. Click here for my gnarly blog post in 2009, with some examples of the colorful surfer language.


Photographing Marin County - the exhibit - the book