San Francisco, Day #2

After a nice dinner out, walked up Grant Ave. toward Chinatown. Leaving to drive up the coast tomorrow.

Prada window display

Chinatown entrance

The gritty side of Chinatown... trash day

Sewing shop window display in Chinatown

Trolley car street rails

Street musician, Market Street

Night rider!

San Francisco for Business & Pleasure

So I needed to attend a conference in San Francisco this week (Th. and Fri), and I talked my wife into joining me and staying a little longer. After the business is over late Friday afternoon, the pleasure begins... we will rent a car Saturday AM and drive up the coast for the weekend. I have limited access to my computer, but will post when I can. I'm sharing a couple photos I took right around the Marriott. I also made a big bonus discovery tonight... we tried to go to the top floor, only to find the elevator would not allow us access. However, I tried the stairwell, and amazingly it took me up to a little rooftop perch perfect for photography. I kept my fingers crossed that security wouldn't think I was some nutcase and come and arrest me! All worked out well. Unfortunately, my photography rooftop perch did not provide the classic San Francisco views of the Golden Gate Bridge, but great city views none-the-less!

San Francisco Museum of Contemporary Art

Old and new:  St. Patrick's Catholic Church...
with the shiny Marriott Marquis next to it (on left).

Linking to Skywatch Friday. Have a wonderful week! Check back for future posts of photography in the San Francisco area.

The Hummingbird Challenge

The hummingbirds have been really active the last few weeks. We have two feeders outside our kitchen window, and you don't have to wait long to see one stop in for drink. The challenging part (from a photo perspective) is twofold: [1] The feeders are right up against a stucco wall, so the background is ugly and [2] our dual-pane window is hazy, so it's impossible to get a nice clear shot through the glass. Here's the straight-out-of-the-camera shot:

Kind of a dull photo, and the stucco background really bothers me. So the first thing I did was soften/blur the background, increase the clarity and vibrance of the hummingbird, and a slight crop. There, that's better.

Once you have an image you're happy with, you can add textures, borders, etc. All of these photos were taken using a 55-250mm telephoto lens maxed at 250mm (effective focal length on my Canon Rebel is 400mm if I'm doing the math right... should really be using a tripod, but I didn't).

Same photo, texture added. Below are similar photos... all next to or on the feeder, with different textures added. Do you have a favorite?

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Sunrise at Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park

Last Saturday we set the alarm for 5 AM. We've been to Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park before, but never at sunrise, and I was curious to see what it was like. A major bonus... we didn't see a single person at this early hour (we left 29 Palms @5:30 and got to Keys View by about 6:10 AM), and this spot can get very crowded. The entire park was pretty much empty, so going in really early is great. The morning was very cold, and up at the View (about 5,200' elevation) the wind was blowing my tripod all over the place! Ah, what we won't do for a good photo, right?

Couldn't resist stopping just before reaching the View to catch the full moon setting. One of my favorite shots.

Perhaps because of the high elevation and the constant wind, but Keys View has very few Joshua Trees... this is one of the few! I think the shadowy mountain in the background is Mt. San Jacinto.

The first hint of sunrise, with a bit of light hitting the road coming up to Keys View. I watched the jet making the vapor trail overhead as I was setting up my tripod.

What's wrong with this picture? The placard makes the point that the view is often hazy due to air pollution blowing in from LA and other factors. Regardless, it's an incredible view. You can see the Salton Sea, Indio, Palm Springs, and the San Andreas fault among other things.

Took this photo shortly after leaving Keys View at one of the first turn-outs. The light was still great, and I have quite a few more photos from this session that I'll save for future posts.  Linking to Skywatch Friday. Check it out for great skies from all over the world. Have a wonderful weekend!