THE PETALUMA SPECTATOR PHOTO BLOG

Good Morning…from up in the trees!

Frank Simpson — Sun, 27 May 2012 14:28:37 +0000

And so it was one morning in the ‘Hood as I went outside to check on the gardens…I heard a very distinct, “Good morning!”

I looked around but could not detect the source of the greeting.

Then I looked up…a hundred feet up, to be precise…to a Monterey Pine, a few houses up the street.

A tree service company crew was engaged in removing five of the tall trees from a backyard, which was no small feat given the proximity of the other homes and the size of the trees. On and off for the next two days, we observed what I call an aerial act involving ropes, cables and saws as the trees were taken down.

We were impressed with the precision and team work of the project. A few photos in the slideshow and gallery below will give you an idea of the process.

And yes, we did hire them to do some overdue tree pruning in our yard!

SLIDESHOW

Click to view slideshow.

GALLERY

Filed under: General

Iris & Tilly…Signs of Spring!

Frank Simpson — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:14:09 +0000

The Color of Spring this year is purple, orange, yellow, white, brown and black. Let me explain.

Quite a few years ago a friend gave us a few iris bulbs. We were not particularly quick in getting them into the ground but finally did so over a year ago. At first they produced a few white blooms. Then this year…

Iris (Purple, Orange, Yellow & White)

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

While photographing the Iris, a neighbor came over to introduce us to her new seven week old Doberman.

Tilly (Black & Brown)

(Click on Photo to Enlarge)

SEE SLIDESHOW FOR MORE PHOTOS!

Click to view slideshow.

Filed under: General

April..at last!

Frank Simpson — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 09:56:58 +0000

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

Filed under: Tricks of Light

VW Cozy

Frank Simpson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:20:39 +0000

I was downtown briefly on March 4 to check out a few new camera settings. And I walked into quite a scene on Kentucky Street…

Kenilworth Junior High School art teacher Erinn VanderMeer and students and Grace Bogart of Copperfield’s “Yarn Storm” a VW Beetle in downtown Petaluma. The decorations were in anticipation of the appearance of the author of “Extra Yarn” at Copperfield’s. See Press Democrat story

SLIDESHOW

Note: To stop the slideshow and focus on a particular photo, simply place the cursor over the slideshow frame or window.

Click to view slideshow.

Filed under: Unique Vehicles!

Coping with difficult lighting

Frank Simpson — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:04:01 +0000

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…

: Cirque Du Soleil Tent, San Francisco 2011 © Frank Simpson

Foggy days over San Fancisco Bay are the norm. However, in this instance the sun punched a small hole through the fog, lighting up the green sail…

Tiburon on San Francisco Bay © Frank Simpson

Filed under: Tricks of Light

Sun Star…8 Minutes 19 Seconds From Earth

Frank Simpson — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:53:28 +0000

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

Location: Bodega Head
Camera: Fuji HS20EXR
F-Stop f/8
Exposure: 1/800 sec
ISO–100
Focal Length: 5 mm
Time of Day: 3:11 pm
Post Production: Adjustments in saturation and contrast only. All other “distortions” retained

Filed under: Tricks of Light

Graffiti Trail…a.k.a. Lynch Creek

Frank Simpson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:02:54 +0000

The newly paved portion of the Lynch Creek Trail between Maria and Sonoma Mountain has acquired quite a collection of gang tags. I used to follow the graffiti trails around Petaluma but gave it up out of boredom. Too much of the same o’ same o.’ The scene on the trail this morning was hard to ignore–even for a reformed Graffiti Paparazzi.

So I pulled out my little pocket camera to capture the scenes as I rode along.

For readers outside of Petaluma, don’t be misled by the word trail. In reality, it is a newly paved path running next to a residential area.

SLIDESHOW

Click to view slideshow.

Filed under: General

Photos from the street…

Frank Simpson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:13:03 +0000

“Street Photography” is a style or type of documentary photography ”…that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls.”–Wikipedia Also see What is Street Photography for another view on the subject.

Frequently, street photographers are not “discovered” until well after their demise. See Vivian Maier

Whatever Street Photography may be, I offer five new “street” photos for your amusement.

Note: Individual photos may be enlarged by clicking on them…

"Vacancy" Is it descriptive or prescriptive? Would it have another meaning if it were a mortuary? Point Reyes Station, CA © Frank Simpson

"Flight of the Phoenix" Western Avenue, Petaluma. The illusion of the crow emerging from the graffiti tag is created by my luck in capturing the crow in flight at just the right moment. © Frank Simpson

"Secret Message" No I am not taking up the task of once again photographing graffiti tags. However,I did like this overall scene. © Frank Simpson

Filed under: Perspectives

Colors…to Black and to White

Frank Simpson — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:16:09 +0000

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?

101 (Sonoma-Marin County Line)

Filed under: Tricks of Light

RTP SLIDESHOW…Petaluma Rebuilding Together in 2011

Frank Simpson — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:23:40 +0000

Selected photos from some of the 45 projects accomplished in 2011 by over 600 Rebuilding Together Petaluma volunteers.

Many of our most vulnerable neighbors are safer and more secure this holiday season because of you!

–Jane Hamilton, Rebuilding Together Petaluma–

SLIDESHOW

(Note: Also available as Youtube Video. See link below)

Click to view slideshow.

Click here: YOUTUBE RTP VIDEO

http://ahref=

Filed under: General