a photo a day - photos by Donald Kinney

fireworks, Marin County Fair

2009-07-05T00:12:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

The Marin County Fair firewords were a real blast this year, as usual.

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photo by Donald Kinney

Normally I take advantage of a nice view from the patio at the Civic Center spire, but this year I was spooking around the concession stands when the fireworks started up, so I made my shots from there.

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photo by Donald Kinney

The following information in black is from a Wikipedia article on techniques for shooting fireworks -- and it's all probably good advice, but my approach to shooting fireworks is considerably different. I'm not trying to come across as an expert on the subject, but I'd like to leave you with the impression that there is more than one way to snap a firework display.

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If you own a fancy, expensive SLR camera, chances are you know what you're doing already. But if you don't shoot at night that often, or if you've never photographed fireworks, these tips should offer some guidance.

Use the slow shutter speed. This will ensure you see bright "trails" in your fireworks pictures as the flaming particles spread out and begin to fall toward the ground, burning light into the image.

Get a tripod. Leaving the shutter open means that you'll need to stabilize your camera in order to avoid any motion blur. And taking crisp, long-exposure night shots while trying to hold a heavy SLR steady with your hands is next to impossible. Find a tripod, a monopod or, at the very least, a flat, stable surface to hold your camera perfectly still.

Well, that's right, I DO own a fancy DSLR, but I don't know what all this concern is about holding the camera absolutely still.

My exposures were all over the place, ranging from 1/10th to 1/300th of a second, although all were shot at f-4 with an ISO of 400. I generally use my camera in "aperture priority" mode, and let the camera determine what shutter speed it thinks it needs.

Hand-held exposures at one-tenth of a second is definitely going to produce some jiggling (even with image stablization), but that jiggling can sometimes add to the excitement.

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Get a shutter release cable. These cables -- flexible and hollow with a spring-loaded plunger inside -- will let you depress the shutter mechanism without having to touch the camera at all, thus reducing any possible blur. (Note that modern DSLRs/SLRs tend to have specialized shutter release cables- the old screw in type doesn't work.)

One of these days I just may buy a cable release because I quite often DO use my camera on a tripod, but another way to reduce camera shake sometimes induced when the mirror snaps up is to use "mirror-lockup" in conjunction with the self-timer. This allows induced shaking (from your finger and when the mirror snaps up) to quiet down before the shutter opens, but of course this isn't going to work if you are expecting to capture an exact moment.

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Set the ISO to it's lowest setting. This will reduce graininess and noise that can be introduced by higher ISO settings. (See tips below) With film cameras, C-41 print film has much better dynamic range then slide film, so it's more forgiving of over/under exposure.
Dial in a low f/stop. Somewhere between f/8 and f/16 is ideal. (See tips below)

I'd suggest using an ISO of 400, which is two steps above the ISO of 100 which I normally use for outdoor shooting in daylight. I use my lowest aperture, f-4 on my Canon 70-200 "L".

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Set Focus to infinity. Also, be sure to turn off any auto-focus settings if your camera has them. If possible, focus on the 'hyperfocal' distance- this is the point at which infinity is at the edge of your depth of field, so you get as much as possible of the foreground in focus. You may need to use a calculator or printed tables.

I'm not sure if my lens has an infinity setting or not -- I usually just focus until the subject becomes sharp in the viewfinder. And for god sakes, I don't think you need to worry much about hyperfocal distance when shooting fireworks -- if you do, you're probably standing way too close to the fireworks and you should be concerned more about your safety and not about front to back sharpness.

Hyperfocal distance is a good thing to learn about, however -- you shouldn't need a calculator or printed tables because usually your lens will have markings indicating hyperfocal distances as they relate to each f-stop.

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Tip: Try photographing multiple bursts in a single image. Leave the shutter open for 30 to 40 seconds at a time to capture multiple explosions. Just be sure to cover the lens between explosions to minimize the amount of ambient that shows up. Cover the lens with your hand, a black t-shirt or anything dark and non-reflective. Don't touch or bump the camera while you're covering it.

Leave that shutter open for 30 to 40 seconds, and you're probably going to overexpose everything. You've got to remember that fireworks are bright -- each little white spot is almost as bright as the sun, and the smoky air can easily get overexposed.

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Tip: For a different approach, shoot hand-held without a tripod using a much faster shutter speed and a higher ISO. You'll also want to re-adjust your f/stop, otherwise your images will be too dark. You won't get as many light trails from the fireworks, but you'll pick up a higher level of detail in the actual explosion, so your shots will contain a different type of drama.

O.K., finally the author is coming down to my level -- it describes the technique I use.

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Tip: Another approach is using a long exposure time to make some trippy shots of the fireworks, just keep the camera pointed in the right direction while it is taking the photograph.

And that's some more good advice. If it's trippy -- I'm all for it...

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Plein Aire painters, Marin County Fair

2009-07-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

One of the more civilized activities at the Marin County Fair is the traditional competition between plein aire painters on opening day. It's fun to watch their intensity and passion for what they love to do.

This artist was quickly dabbing at his canvas, then stepping back to evaluate his progress and to calculate his next move.

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This is Susan Schmidt -- an artist with a fine reputation and a skilled hand. She was painting cows behind the 4H pens. I remember her from my years of working at the art supply store, which is now out of business.

From the logo on her umbrella I can see that she now shops at Utretch, a New York outfit that has muscled it's way into the west-coast trade, along with Pearl Paint and Blick. Oh, they all have great prices, but there is a slight possibility that they treat their employees like dirt.

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This old guy was definitely enjoying the experience -- it was a very fine day. I imagine he has been painting for a lengthy number of years.

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Another shot of the old fellow showing what he was working on.

I probably, like a good reporter, should have gotten everybody's names -- but by now you might know how shy I am...

I did get into a little conversation with another talented artist, a John Deckert, but the photo I took of him was sub-standard so I'm not showing it here.

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And this fellow seemed to be doing a bit more jawboning with passerbys than painting, but you know, they say communication is a big part of art.

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amusements, Marin County Fair

2009-07-03T03:42:00.000-07:00

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I don't think they let adults on this slide, but it's probably about the only carnival attraction that's tame enough for an old guy like me.

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photo by Donald Kinney

And they do let adults ride this chain swing, but my head would definitely be spinning by the time they let me off.

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photo by Donald Kinney

I imagine these lights would be fun to shoot at night.

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photo by Donald Kinney

The smoky smells were captivating, but somehow I managed to make it past the garlic-fries and five dollar cups of beer this year.

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Not that I'm above stuffing my face with hot-dogs, I can't recall ever eating a corn-dog, but I think it's a really neat invention.

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Tummy complaining, head still spinning, and all worn out? How about doing a few words on the world's largest crossword puzzle.

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photo exhibit, Marin County Fair

2009-07-02T05:08:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

When I was a teenager (oh so many years ago) entering my photos in the Monterey County Fair was something I worked towards all year. I was competing against adults and most of them had equipment far better than mine, but I gave it my all and even was awarded a third prize one year for a cute shot of my little cousin.

Last year, after oohing and aahing at all the nice work at our Marin County Fair, I decided that -- "hey, maybe next year I'll give it a try".

A few days ago I received an e-mail from a person I used to work with at the art supply store -- they had been volunteering as a helper during the hanging and judging process and they were kind enough to sneak a photo and give me some advance warning that this photo had won Special Award for Journalism and a big green ribbon.

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There were so many submissions this year that only about 25 percent of the photos submitted got selected to be hung, but I somehow managed to have four out of my six entries selected. I think if I had included two shots from the Lagunitas Creek I may have gotten all six entries hung. Yeah, I know, brag, brag, brag...

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I've got a photo-buddy in Ohio (a real pro) who is very picky about what he photographs -- he doesn't care for sunrises and sunsets, so I've been working on him to turn his views around. Mine was the only sunrise (or sunset) print that got hung this year but I think sunrises and sunsets are definitely valid subject matter.

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I don't know what I was thinking when I chose this photo to submit -- it's technical quality really isn't all that good -- but you can definitely see what it is from quite a distance. It's the window sign for a trendy botique on San Francisco's Haight Street.

SPECIAL EDITION
First, make sure your sound isn't turned way up, then
mouse-over keys for celebration sounds --
or click on key to repeat 3 times...
Keys are draggable to the right side to create key combinations.
(((I made this a couple years ago using Abobe Flash)))

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Pride Parade, part 2

2009-07-01T05:29:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

One thing you can't accuse gay people of -- not having ~~a good~~ an outrageous sense of humor.

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photo by Donald Kinney

Well, here they are -- Mr. and Mrs. Marriage Equality USA -- Davina Kotulski and Molly McKay, the 17th. couple to be married in San Francisco a year ago before Proposition 8 was overturned. Davina holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and has written the book; "Why You Should give a Damn About Gay Marriage".

To explain this photo, Molly had just given Davina a big smooch, and she was trying to wipe off a bit of lipstick off of Davina's face .

You can read more about Davina's accomplishments at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davina_Kotulski

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To me this seems like an unlikely couple, but you know, it takes all kinds...

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This fellow probably had to get up pretty early to get all that colorful makeup on. He was participating in the Bicycle Contingent.

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Pride Parade, S.F.

2009-06-30T05:32:00.000-07:00

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Pride is all about love, but it starts with a family -- of which we are ALL a part...

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Good cops -- bad cops... These must be the good variety...

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The truly happy...

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And of course, the truly outrageous...

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Legion of Honor, S.F.

2009-06-29T05:53:00.000-07:00

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On Saturday I ended up at truly one of my favorite places -- the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

If you didn't know by now, I'm a real sucker for pretty ladies, like the ones in these paintings.

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The Legion of Honor displays an impressive collection of 4,000 years of ancient and European art in an unforgettable setting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.

The same $10 admission ticket will also get you into the fabulous DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park if you show up on the same day -- but museums tend to wear-me-out so I've only taken in both museums in a single day once.

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The Legion of Honor was completed in 1924 and is a three-quarter scale adaptation of the 18th-century Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris..

The major donor of construction money and art to the museum was Anna Bretteville Spreckels, the wife of the fantastically wealthy sugar baron. You wouldn't think there was so much money to be made by having a monopoly on sugar, but apparently there was.

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Time goes on, but there are some eternal lessons to be learned from some of the art in the museum...

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fog

2009-06-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

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That's our beloved Mt. Tamalpais shrouded in our equally beloved fog.

So why do we love our fog so much? Because it provides natural air-conditioning.

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Fog on the north end of the bridge.

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Fog on the south end of the bridge.

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The fog stretches across San Francisco Bay like a dragon. This is very common sight.

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people and their art

2009-06-27T03:20:00.000-07:00

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I spent a good chunk of my life working in an art supply store (the now out of business Creative Merchandisers in San Rafael) so when I see an artist painting outdoors I always have to look and see if it's someone I used to know. I didn't recognize this fellow, but he was definitely having a pleasant afternoon of Plein Aire painting at China Camp.

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Dogs playing with frisbies and kids getting burried in the sand -- beach art for sure!

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I believe relaxation is an art that few of us ever master. This poor fellow may be down-and-out but I think he has great technique.

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Oh, being an old bachelor I'm certainly no expert on this type of thing, but I think this is called the art of love...

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up and down Telegraph Hill

2009-06-26T05:07:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

Early on Wednesday I found some free parking on Bay Street down by the Embarcadero, so I mosied over to Levi Plaza to contemplate the brutal stairs leading up to Coit Tower. A little voice within me said; "Do it".

Oh, I've been up and down these stairs before -- it's a steep climb but there are beautiful gardens all the way up -- not so evil of a climb if an old guy like me just takes his time.

There are two other sets of stairs that scale the east face of Telegraph Hill. Perhaps you've heard of the independent film "The Parrots of Telegraph Hill"? -- well, the Parrot-Guy, Mark Bittner, lived in this area near another set of stairs.

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Click on this link If you really need to see a shot of Coit Tower, but this is a view of the San Francisco skyline from Coit Tower.

The Transamerica Pyramid is 853 feet tall, beating out it's rival -- the BofA building at a mere 779 feet. But the BofA building (555 California Street) sits on higher ground. Now, to you and I, having the tallest building in San Francisco may sound insignificant, but for top executives it's something of a pissing-contest.

Here's a Wikipedia link to a list of tallest buildings in San Francisco.

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From Telegraph Hill there's no place to go but down, so I made my way down into Northbeach and across over to Chinatown. I'm not sure what's inside these tightly wrapped little packages, but I bet it's absolutely delicious.

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around town

2009-06-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

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Square plates in Northbeach. Round food is out -- square food is in.

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Low-profile storefront in Northbeach -- it could be an artist's studio.

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Facade at Pier39. Get there early enough and you might not spot a single tourist. Take a look at today's Daily-Duo to see a photo of the Sea Lions at Pier39.

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Old tracks leading to the round-house on the Embardcadero... Not too many years ago, San Francisco was a bustling shipping port -- and the Beltline Railroad was an essential part of getting freight to and from the Embarcadero. These days ships off-load at the more economical and logistically superior Port of Oakland.

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vegetation

2009-06-24T04:43:00.000-07:00

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Obviously, this is a plant from Outer Space...

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Some worlds have no color...

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And other worlds do...

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San Francisco walls

2009-06-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

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This is a portion of the entrance brickwork at Xanadu Gallery on Maiden Lane. I would have shot the entire building facade, but there was a nasty shadow across half of the entrance -- I'll have to catch it another day -- an overcast day would probably work out just fine.

This building was designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright in 1948 and features a spiral staircase that is very similar to the one Wright designed for the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

You can see a photo of the entrance to the building at:
http://www.xanadugallery.us/building.html
And you can learn more about Xanadu Gallery at:
http://www.xanadugallery.us/sf.html

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Some folks might not realize that Chinatown's Grant Street continues over into Northbeach. It's lined with interesting looking restaurants, botiques, antique and artifact shops, and a specialty cake shop right next door to a gallery with the name of Live Worms. This is a music store (if you couldn't tell), near the intersection of Green and Grant.

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I don't have any information on this mural, but it's near the corner of Grant and Columbus. The taggers have been fairly respectful and somewhat kind to this piece of art over the past couple of years.

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This is Lappert's Ice Cream Parlor, on Columbus Street. It never seems to be open when I pass by -- I wonder if I'm the only person in San Francisco who would buy an ice-cream cone at 7AM.

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Riding Blackie, Tiburon

2009-06-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

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I heard one of these boys in the distance saying; "Wait until he finishes taking his pictures", so I knew something was up. And then it was revealed -- they were there to ride Blackie. It was quite a struggle climbing on -- a bicycle makes a (fairly poor) ladder.

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Blackie lived to the ripe old age of 40, which I understand is unusual for a horse. And Blackie was a proud and accomplished horse -- in his youth he had served as a cavalry horse at the Presidio in San Francisco.

You can read more about Blackie at: http://www.tiburonpeninsulafoundation.org/blackie.htm

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I don't think the owner of this house would have appreciated me ringing the bell, but if I was granted two questions I would ask the owner, (1) how much money they have, and (2) where they got it.

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Oh, maybe I'd ask a third question -- "if they were happy"...

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And about this point the police would have been arriving -- but if I had been able to ask just one more question it would be; "What time is lunch"

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"My" Lagunitas Creek

2009-06-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

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I've known about Lagunitas Creek here in Marin County most of my life, but it wasn't until six or seven years ago when I resumed shutter-bugging that I really fell in love with the place.

And yes, the Lagunitas Creek is my creek -- most of the time I'm the only person out there enjoying it.

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When the mood strikes, you'll find me out at the Lagunitas Creek, usually early in the morning. I've learned that for the the best reflections the water must be in shade -- the color comes from the nearby illuminated vegetation and sky. Generally, you want the position of the sun (even though you are in the shade) to be at your back. Cloudy days are not very good for photographing this sort of thing.

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Using an ISO of 100 (for minimum noise) in such low light conditions means that I usually need to shoot wide-open (f-4 on my 70-200 "L"), and all of that adds up to a very shallow depth-of-field.

Hope you can't tell that I sharpened (with Photoshop) the holy-heck out of these. I also boosted the "color luminance" quite a bit, but that's supposed to be a secret.

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I call this sort of thing "abstract water"...

You can see more Lagunitas Creek photos on my "big" site at:
http://www.photoarrow.com/big/98/98lagunitascreek.html
and
http://www.photoarrow.com/big/97/97lagunitascreek.html

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turning golden at China Camp

2009-06-20T05:21:00.000-07:00

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This year is going fast -- not only for me, but for the Volunteer Oats -- they've already shed their seed and are now busy exploring various shades of golden-yellow.

We'll have another bumper-crop next year, as we do every year.

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On Thursday, Tomate Farcie supplied a URL for this old fable:

The Oak and the Reed

The Oak spoke one day to the Reed
"You have good reason to complain;
A Wren for you is a load indeed;
The smallest wind bends you in twain.
You are forced to bend your head;
While my crown faces the plains
And not content to block the sun
Braves the efforts of the rains.
What for you is a North Wind is for me but a zephyr.
Were you to grow within my shade
Which covers the whole neighbourhood
You'd have no reason to be afraid
For I would keep you from the storm.
Instead you usually grow
In places humid, where the winds doth blow.
Nature to thee hath been unkind."
"Your compassion", replied the Reed
"Shows a noble character indeed;
But do not worry: the winds for me
Are much less dangerous than for thee;
I bend, not break. You have 'til now
Resisted their great force unbowed,
But beware.
As he said these very words
A violent angry storm arose.
The tree held strong; the Reed he bent.
The wind redoubled and did not relent,
Until finally it uprooted the poor Oak
Whose head had been in the heavens
And roots among the dead folk.

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With Rattlesnake Grass mixed in.

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And it may look like a jumble, but everything is in it's proper place.

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24th Street, The Mission District

2009-06-19T04:14:00.000-07:00

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This is a small portion of hundreds of these newspaper portraits -- they're all taped to the inside of a window on 24th Street.

24th Street seems a bit different from the remainder of the Mission District. It's tree-lined and nicely shaded -- probably (?) fairly close to what you'd find in Mexico.

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It was early Sunday morning when I was spooking around, but all the laundromats on 24th Street were bustling with activity.

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Evidently, competition between laundromats on 24th Street is fierce -- the signpainters seem to be keeping busy.

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These last three photos were taken on Balmy Alley off of 24th St.

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I believe Dona Diabla was a film made in Mexico in the early 1950's.

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When you are a cool dude you need a cool hat... --But I guess I'm just not cool -- I've been wearing the same baseball cap for the past eight years -- I'm wearing it right now -- it says "Dodge"

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Ridgecrest Boulevard, Mt. Tamalpais

2009-06-18T04:16:00.000-07:00

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Oh shoot, I should have gotten a shot of the twisty and rollercoaster-like road up here. It's a very popular location to shoot car commercials

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Every afternoon, weather permitting, the sun spreads a glow on the Pacific. That's the equally-glowed-upon Bolinas Lagoon in the lower part of the photo.

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Volunteer-oats bend and twist in the wind, but never seem to break.

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And if you don't come back from Mt. Tamalpais with at least a half-dozen volunteer-oat stickers in your socks, you probably didn't do enough hiking around on top of what we locals call "The Mountain".

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Italian Street Painting, San Rafael

2009-06-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

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Eye of the artist...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Eye of the tiger...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Romantic eye...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Upside-down eyes...

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photo by Donald Kinney

And the eyes of a child...

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Happy Faces

2009-06-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

On Sunday I was wondering what all the commotion in San Rafael was about -- only to find out that it was the Italian Street Painting Festival.

Check back tomorrow and I'll be showing a few examples made by the adults, but I always find interesting what the kids manage to come up with.

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photo by Donald Kinney

How about ten Happy Faces and three or four handprints?

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photo by Donald Kinney

Two points if you can guess who this smiling face belongs to.

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North Beach Street Fair

2009-06-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

As Si pointed out yesterday, the expression on that guy's face pretty much tells the whole story...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Various streets of North Beach were lined with booths, but this shopkeeper's store on upper Grant Street was right in the middle of the action. When she realized I was taking pictures she quickly shooed-me-away, but then used the opportunity to tell her customers that they looked so beautiful in her garments that all the photographers would want to take pictures of them.

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photo by Donald Kinney

I guess you would call this comfort food, but they charge an arm-and-a-leg for it...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Our Marin County Fair is about three weeks away, and I've been salivating every time I think of the garlic fries I'm planning to devour this year.

Hopefully I'll be celebrating my first-place win in the photography competition -- and if that actually does happen, I might also buy myself a six-dollar beer.

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Stinking Rose Restaurant

2009-06-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

Follow your nose to the Stinking Rose, where you'll find hearty, California-Italian fare for the garlic worshipper in us all. Recipes like Garlic-Encrusted Baby Back Ribs, Savory Garlic Noodles, and even (brace yourself) Garlic Ice Cream will please die-hard garlic enthusiasts as well as those who prefer just a graceful hint of the bulb.

The original Stinking Rose, in San Francisco's Italian North Beach, has become famous for serving more than 3,000 pounds of garlic each month. The Stinking Rose also has a restaurant in Beverly Hills.

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photo by Donald Kinney

In black-and-whte or in color, garlic still stinks... Oh, maybe stinks isn't the right word -- let's go with smells-to-high-heaven.

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If you miss the sign, the far-reaching aroma will zero you in...

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volunteer oats and pickleweed

2009-06-13T00:39:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

No shortage of volunteer oats here in Marin County, California...

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photo by Donald Kinney

Pickleweed has a unique ability to filter salt out the small amount of water it needs by using a special membrane, very similar to the way modern-day water-desalinization works.

Any excess salt that making it past the membrane filtration system gets stored in the outermost tips of the plant, which eventually turn red and fall off.

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photo by Donald Kinney

This very hairy orange plant is normally green, so it goes unnoticed in the pickleweed, but for some reason, this time of year the hairy plant -- I'm clueless about it's name -- turns bright orange. If you enlarge the photo you can see how it winds itself tightly and constrictively around it's host.

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I should know the name of that little island, but I don't. Maybe Mindy Pines at f-stopMarin.com knows, but I am going to make that one of my first questions if I ever get into any sort of in-depth conversation with Frank Quan.

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thistles at China Camp

2009-06-12T03:40:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

Over eons, thistles have evolved into a prickly something that a grazing animal would definitely not want to eat...

Thistles are fast-growers, invasive, and sturdy -- they're growing perilously close to a salt-water marsh in this photo. Check back tomorrow for more about the Pickleweed growing in that marsh.

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photo by Donald Kinney

We have moody thistles...

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photo by Donald Kinney

And we have artistic thistles...

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sea-side adventure

2009-06-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

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photo by Donald Kinney

The wind was blowing...

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photo by Donald Kinney

The sun was shining...

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photo by Donald Kinney

And the surf was being surfed...

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