as sure as sunrise

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photo by Donald Kinney




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photo by Donald Kinney



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bridge to the big City

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photo by Donald Kinney

The commute from Marin into the City over the Golden Gate Bridge is a nightmare at times, but in off-peak hours the ride is usually a breeze.



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Pedal to the metal... Right past empty toll taking stations--right through the ghost of my morning thank you. Six dollars is no longer a discouragement. Oh yeah--I got a bill in the mail for four trips so far.  But still no thank you.


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found, illuminated, and silent

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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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the grand view

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photo by Donald Kinney

The "Ocean Through the Straight" had been rumored to exist, but still was elusive. In fact, it was sighted quite by accident by Portola and his crew from Sweeney Ridge, about 8 or 10 miles to the south on the coast.



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Without a famous bridge or a one-of-a-kind-city, it must have looked quite different. Yet, I'm sure the landmasses haven't changed all that much, although San Francisco Bay was quite a bit larger in 1769.



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Mount Tamalpais (Tam-al-pié-us), wrapped in a blanket of fog.
A garment that she made, in fact, for herself out of air and moisture.


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a morning kind of mood

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photo by Donald Kinney

The way I look at it, photography is mostly about just "being there". Then, grabbing a quick snap, and "running-it-up-the-flagpole" to see "if-anyone-salutes".



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photo by Donald Kinney

But beyond the artful purposes of making the snap, the motivation is in the adventure.  I visited Pelicans on Wednesday, perhaps Salamanders today.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Askew pilings will continue to evoke mystery.  In a morning kind of mood.


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Galilee Harbor, Sausalito

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photo by Donald Kinney

Even for "old timers" familiar with the area, there is more to Sausalito than first meets the eye.



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photo by Donald Kinney

The famous Gate Five is easy to find, although visitors are rarely welcomed here. Galilee Harbor, about a mile south is a bit less resistant to strangers.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Heather Wilcoxon's uniquely doo-dadded "art car" has been here a while and isn't going any place soon. She probably wouldn't remember me today, but long ago I knew Heather when the "art car" was actually road-worthy.



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photo by Donald Kinney

With love from Sausalito...


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cobalt blues of Petaluma

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photo by Donald Kinney

The aging livery stable at the corner of First and D Streets was relocated to the historic Petaluma River Turning Basin in 2004, and is now being rebuilt as the David Yearsley River Heritage Center. They're keeping the sign.



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photo by Donald Kinney

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company is still going strong. A San Francisco treat!



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Cobalt blue skies of Petaluma. "The World's Egg Basket". Still standing are a lot of old chicken coops on the outskirts of town, but large factory operations in sprawling structures now "grow" birds fast, in incredibly huge numbers.


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Pierce Point Ranch Dairy

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photo by Donald Kinney

Seventeen ranches once flourished here in Point Reyes--all the way back to the mid-1800's.   CLICK for my other posts on Pierce Point Ranch Dairy.



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They were called "Butter Ranchos" because in the days before refrigeration milk and cream that would have quickly spoiled was alternatively churned into butter and cheese. Waste skim-milk fattened up hogs that would eventually also make it to the dinner tables of hungry San Franciscans.



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The problem with the Pierce Point Ranch was its remoteness--at the very northern isolated tip of the Point Reyes peninsula. Getting products to market was a major difficulty.

This was overcome with a large bit of seafaring bravery. Butter and cheese and also livestock was boated to San Francisco by way of small schooners. Eventually at the nearest town of Point Reyes Station, rail and ferry service began, making "shipping" more convenient and safer.


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Cows and Tule Elk -- Point Reyes

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photo by Donald Kinney

A prettier place, these cows probably could never expect to find. High on a knoll at the northern end of the Point Reyes peninsula. Ocean on one side, rolling farmland, and a long fjord-like sliver of Tomales Bay on the other.



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Tule Elks are being preserved here by a program of the Federal Government, and Tule Elk have made a comeback from near extinction.
It would be, indeed, a tragedy to lose such a noble animal.

CLICK to see a few previous posts on the Tule Elk of Point Reyes.



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Beautiful and serene creatures, but they are very skiddish. Best to keep a far distance, especially from males during mating season.


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surfer, Rodeo Beach, Marin County, California

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photo by Donald Kinney

I grew up within a few blocks of the cold waters of the Pacific Ocean in a delightful little town in Monterey County named Pacific Grove. But I never took up surfing as a lad--and now at my advanced age, my ocean water-sport/adventure days are probably just about over.



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photo by Donald Kinney

If you lived near the California coast you would have numerous opportunities for dunking a toe or two into the Pacific Ocean. But be warned to keep an eye on the pesky tide or risk getting soaked to the knees.



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photo by Donald Kinney

This is Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands, just northwest of the Golden Gate Bridge. The waves break close to the shore, so getting up "close-and-personal" with a medium-telephoto lens and a little cropping is easy. Backlighting through the waves can make for some great effects.


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two by two at Rodeo Beach

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photo by Donald Kinney

Welcome to "Wordless Saturday"...



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...



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...


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two ways of looking at it

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photo by Donald Kinney

Photographers are a funny lot. Often we attach way too much importance to what it is that we do. After all, although progress with photography being recognized as art has been made in recent decades, we are still sometimes regarded, and often ashamedly and justly so, as the less than honorable step-child to the vast world of creativity.



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And comparing black and white to color can be a touchy subject, but ask ME and I'll say that black and white is the "easy way out". With black and white, gone are the conflicting attentions of color vs. actual form and composition.



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Often a rather funky color image looks a whole lot better when rendered on a scale of gray. But there is a question we need to ask--would we really like to live in a world without color?



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So I suppose it comes down to a personal choice for photographers.
We can struggle with color, or we can proceed with a black and white approach, knowing that our images will be more cohesive and compositionally engaging without the distraction of color.
Personally, I enjoy the additional challenge of color.


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up and over Mount Tamalpais

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photo by Donald Kinney

As a lad our family lived on the Monterey Peninsula but we frequently made the 130 mile trip north to visit Grandma, who lived in Kentfield not far from where I now live here in Marin County.  (that is White's Hill in background)



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Grandma had a splendid view of Mount Tamalpais from her tiny bathroom window--and I always wondered about trails and roads that might ascend the mountain, but I am afraid all we did at Grandma's house was watch TV, eat, and go to Grandma's stinky Church if our stay included a Sunday morning.



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Imagine my surprise when I was finally on my own--finding out what Mount Tamalpais had to offer. Not only did it have trails and roads, but a serious overload of beauty in its forests, lakes, and streams. My Heaven on earth!



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And Mount Tamalpais is also a big "commercial" success. Over the years countless television advertisements have been filmed here, and undoubtedly you have seen glimpses of this area on the "tube" and in print.  The twisty undulations of Ridgecrest Boulevard are perfect to show the new models in their best light. Read more about car commercial filming on Mt. Tam here.


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art on the outside

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photo by Donald Kinney

San Francisco's Legion of Honor seems to operate on "banker's hours", but hey--no problem, some of its best art is on display 24/7 outside and open to the elements.

To the contrary, ask ME and I'll tell you that the big red "I-beam" sculpture never has and never will have any value to my artistic sensibilities.
And I really don't think anybody cares anymore about the warriors on horses waving swords flanking each side of the facadé. But okay--these big Lions carved of stone win my heart and soul every time.



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Of course, they keep Rodin's "The Thinker" behind the gates, since even though it is one of 19 copies it probably is quite valuable. And if you are up to something that is going to make you very sad, you can always view the outdoors installation of the George Segal "Holocaust" diorama.

But unless we walk around the Legion of Honor's outside perimeter we are going to miss MY favorite sculpture--"Laocoön and His Sons" which depict the Trojan priest Laocoön and his sons being strangled by sea-serpents. (CLICK for a better and more complete image taken a few years ago)



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And how nice of them to keep the fountain out in the parking lot running. CLICK if you would like to read more about San Francisco's Legion of Honor and see a bit of the artwork on the inside.


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