Protected

Last night I sat down at a table with five other photographers, we opened a bottle of wine, gathered around the curiously warm glow of a monitor, and then we proceeded to discuss lines, curves, black and white conversions, focal points, points of interest, and all other manner of topics that are deadly dull to anyone with any sense.

Fortunately we were not overendowed with it, so we spent a good three hours at the process, on a total of about 20 images (!) . And I have to say it was marvelous. It's rare that I have the opportunity to completely dork out, with others, consider warring crops, argue about color versus black and white, or consider whether an image might be better upside down.

Thanks for indulging me, life, in my peccadilloes. You're pretty good to me, all told. I'll do my best to return the favor.

Truman Part II

If you've been following the blog for a while I think you've met Truman before.

Remember him?

Well, I was lucky enough to get a chance to take some photos of him and his devilishly charming parents once again. We met at the San Francisco Zoo in the children's area, intent on getting some photos with the 'wildlife'.

Of course, we also had to explore the tractors!

One nice thing about being that age is that people are always willing to pick you up and carry you along. Sadly, that doesn't happen to me any more.

I think Truman's got some serious acting chops. He's mastered the 'careful consideration' face. And look at those jazz hands!

No trip to the zoo would be complete without a photo with a goat.

Then it was time for some smooches!

Thanks again for letting me be part of your day at the zoo Truman! Oh, and thanks to mom and dad too. :)

Focus

Other People's Windows

. . . Are often fun to take photos of. You just have to be careful that they don't misinterpret!

Order vs Chaos

Order vs Chaos
Tame vs Wild
Manmade vs Natural
Angular vs Curved
Controlled vs Rampant

I'm so glad that both exist.

The Siphon Bar

This is a view of the siphon bar at Blue Bottle Coffee at the San Francisco Mint. You can read about the multi-step process of preparation here. Click 'view steps'. Please. I think my favorite quote is this: "think about the coffee grounds as a school of fish which desires to stay together. So don't cut into the mass of coffee with your paddle."

Also, "we love the effulgent and kaleidoscopic changeability of a well-made siphon pot."

Well said, Blue Bottle. Well said.