City Hall

A view of SF's gorgeous city hall by night. Sorry I didn't post this weekend; I was out of town and I just didn't make it to pre-post any photos beforehand. But I hope this one makes up for it, I kind of like it.

Rainy Nights . . .

I love rainy nights, even though I think I must be the only person to do so. The other night I was on my way to rehearsal and I momentarily considered skipping it in favor of just staying out on the streets and shooting. Unfortunately my sense of responsibility won me over and I didn't, but I did manage to get this shot in. The light in this alleyway was fantastic, and the colorful graffiti just made it that much better.

Barrie . . .

 . . . has the most beautiful eyes.
 . . . and the best laugh.
 . . . and smile.
 . . . and always makes you feel better about your own shortcomings.
 . . . and also inspires you to try something new.

She's pretty cool. And she let me take a picture of her in the pretty light of her kitchen, so of course I think she's aces.

Anatomy of An Image, Week 5

Someone was watching Citizen Kane the other day (hello Andrew!) and there is nothing that this picture makes me think of more than Orson Welles, even though it's in color. Except there's no sleigh named Rosebud. (Which, I'm sorry, he should have just gotten over. No need to be so fixated on a childhood toy.) And because I took it tonight and I'm kind of just really digging all that blackness, it has qualified for week 5.

So, Basics
Lens: my broken but still kinda works 50mm f/1.8
Focal Length: 50mm, duh :-)
Aperture: f/13 (to get the light to do that cool star-thing)
Shutter Speed: 1/8 of a second (I had to hold my breath and practice being a tripod. But I do this so often I'm practically collapsible by now.)
Magic Ingredient: The guy who decided to sit down outside in the midst of my shooting, with the awesome hat. You made the shot, dude! Many thanks.

The Story
I decided to take the bus tonight instead of walking because it was raining. Thanks to daylight savings time it was pretty dark at six o'clock as I was waiting for the bus. I was standing at the stop thinking how pretty all the reflections from the rain were and how I just wished I could find a good subject while I waited so I could take a few shots, and then I spied the cafe across the street. I took a few shots with a wide aperture, just to get a sharp shot, and then I decided that I really wanted the starburst effect so I stopped down to f/13 to get it and just prayed that I could be still enough to capture a sharp image.

Then the man in the hat walked out and sat down and I just thanked whatever gods there are and prayed even harder for a sharp enough picture. Seems like it worked!

It Might Be Fall

The ginkgo trees are turning yellow and it's starting to seem kind of snappishly cold in the evenings. Time for some hot chocolate!

What a Fast Shutter Speed Will Do For Water

Although generally I prefer a slower shutter speed for water, as I mentioned in a previous post, a fast shutter speed can be fun too. This is the fastest shutter speed my camera possesses: 1/4000 of a second. Many newer or more expensive cameras can go faster. But I enjoy how this turns the stream of water into droplets rushing to the bottom, as opposed to the smooth silk I showed you last time.