To celebrate Petaluma’s April blooms, I offer a reminder of late February, February 28, 2012 to be precise.
All photos between 7:00 am and 7:03 am in our Habitat as the sun begins to burn through the morning fog.
The first photo of the tree does not reveal its occupants. The next two photos present a closer view…
Sunrise © Frank Simpson
Morning Dove © Frank Simpson
Hummingbird in Threshold Silhouette © Frank Simpson
The reality of making pictures is that most of us are never at the right place at the right time. Well, we try to be, but frequently event schedules and the timing for good lighting do not always coincide.
For example, if the entrance to the Cirque du Soleil tent in San Francisco is facing a late afternoon sun and all you have is a little pocket camera, you have to deal with it…and hope for the best in post processing. In this case, I opted for B&W with a lot of tuning…
Tiburon on San Francisco Bay © Frank Simpson
At the speed of light, it takes 8 minutes and 19 seconds for light (energy, if you are thinking solar power) to reach the earth from our sun. In photography, the general rule or thumb is to keep the sun at your back and to avoid or minimize taking photos in full sunlight.
But rules are meant to be broken, even if by accident.
Recently, I was on the Bodega Head Trail and a jet contrail caught my attention. I decided to take a quick shot, hoping that the distortion created by shooting into the sun could be minimized by keeping the sun off to the side.
The resulting image? Colored “sunbeams” (distortions or artifacts created by the direct light passing through the elements of the lens) streaking down to earth…
PHOTO SPECIFICATIONS
The photos in this post are not examples of photo journalism. They are arranged.
The first photo is a macro taken through a vase of cut flowers. What you are seeing are the leaves and stems in the water. The orange background was created by placing a freshly picked pumpkin directly behind the vase…and waiting for the sun.
The second photo is based on a photo taken along 101 near the Sonoma-Marin County Line. In this instance, I ran the photo through post processing reducing the colors to two. It dramatically changed the impression created by the image–from a dead tree on the horizon to a possible movie poster for a B movie horror film. Perhaps something like The Creature From the Hills?
© Frank Simpson, Petaluma, California
For October I thought I would post a few words and photos about the Mill Valley Fall Art Festival in the Old Mill Park and the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. I will not attempt to present a full coverage spread of either–there is not enough file space for that.
(NOTE: Individual photos below may be enlarged by clicking on them!)
MILL VALLEY FALL ART FESTIVAL
The Art Festival has always been a personal favorite given the quality of the exhibitors and the redwoods setting in the Old Mill Park…
A closeup of the tree lanterns
© Frank Simpson, Petaluma, California
Art takes many forms…
© Frank Simpson, Petaluma, California
CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Suffice it to say, The Academy will occupy you with wonders and sights (a rainforest, a white alligator, an aquarium, etc.) that will generate many return visits. Perhaps a few photos will tempt you.
A bird with attitude…
Part of the aquarium as seen through a side staircase…
In the rainforest…
© Frank Simpson, Petaluma, California
Mysteries of the deep…
© Frank Simpson, Petaluma, California
SLIDESHOW
