November 2, 2015, 7:06:41 - Balmy Alley, San Francisco's Mission District

The image was taken during the Dia de Los Muertos celebration in San Francisco. Balmy Alley is lined with some of the City's best murals. The man in the photo lives on the alley. We discussed many issues facing the city, particularly gentrification. He pointed up and across the alley to a renovated apartment house that once housed low-income Hispanic families, displaced by young high-income high tech workers. The transition is sadly changing the cultural character of this wonderful historical neighborhood. The Mission District and Chinatown are the last two ethnic neighborhoods in San Francisco.

December 29, 2009, 3:10:46 pm - Stanford Cactus Garden, California

From time-to-time, I have posted images from Stanford University's Cactus Garden. I exaggerated the mystical nature of the Garden with this image. It expresses my perception and vision of the place.

January 3, 2008, 1:53:22 pm - San Mateo County Coastline, California

There's something about being on the coast on a dark cloudy day. You really feel the mood. The coast is on the western fringe of the San Francisco Bay Area where 7.6 million people live. I don't think the image is that strong. I appreciate it because it feels like a place that could be found in a remote corner of the world with no signs of people.

October 26, 2013, 5:30:41 pm - San Francisco, California

I look at this image and I'm reminded how architecture defines our lives - the rooms we work in, eat in, sleep in, and live in. This image shows frames within frames, each standing alone but collectively tell a greater story. 

November 9, 2009, 4:09:17 am - Mission District, San Francisco

So early in the morning, makes you wonder who these people are and why they're up at this hour.  Each, by themselves, shooting caffeine into their system as they face a day of work, or coming in from a night on the sidewalks, or something else. I wonder what their stories are. The streets around the cafe have yet to wake up.

January 20, 2008, 8:00:22 am - San Francisco, California

This photo was taken almost two hours before the photo in the last post. Everything I said in that post applies to this image. What I can't tell you is how I created it. I believe it's a composite using some unusual blend modes in Photoshop. However, does it really matter as to the how? We should be more interested in the emotional vs. technical side of art. How we are moved by it.

January 20, 2008, 9:41:58 am - San Francisco, California

Images like this are often criticized because of how busy they look and/or the lack of a focal point. Let me first say, criticism is essential for growth as an artist. What we do with the information is key to improving our art. It causes us to look deeper into our work and forces us to articulate our intent and vision. Sometimes that exchange ends up either as a reaffirmation or a reassessment of the work. In order to make this happen, we must be receptive and not defensive when opinions are given. I chose this image because of its patterns, colors, and sense of movement. It's a visual journey that has no start or end like most abstracts. 

May 15, 2006, 10:40:54 am - Bodie, California

Something about doors...gateways to the unknown. There's a feeling of loss, sadness, and hopelessness I get from this image. Historically, we know many people came here to seek their fortune in gold only to lose what little they had. The image signifies lost dreams.

September 29, 2006, 7:03:53 am - Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Infrared may be overly done. At least, I feel that way. So why this image? The fern garden, located in SF's Golden Gate Park, is a mystical place. As busy as GG Park is, the garden rarely sees people. Infrared captures light differently from conventional photography creating an ethereal look, which this scene seemed to be a good candidate.

January 17, 2005, 2:38:01 pm - Along Pescadero Road, California

There is so much to see from my home to the ocean. One route takes you through a tapestry
 of landscapes and where I found this scene. I'm drawn to the colors - the contract between the earth tones and the blue color of the water. Winter is generally my favorite time to photograph landscapes.

March 31, 2009, 11:23:36 am - Near Barstow, California

Small churches have always interested me. I wonder what they're preaching, who and how many attend, and when they're open. Sunday would be a good guess but there have been times when I drove by such churches, on Sunday, and nobody there. This whole image is strange. No windows, wrought iron door, parking for three cars, and sandwiched between two decaying buildings. When looking at this image, I don't think Christmas mass or Easter Sunday services, nor weddings, maybe funerals. In fact, it's scary looking.

January 1, 2017, 10:36:03 am - Gazo Creek, California

I enjoy experimenting with my images from time to time. Here is an example of one of those playful times. You never know what the results will be when you "mirror" an image. Like abstracts, there are so many interpretations that I leave up to the viewer.

March 28, 2009, 10:32:34 am - Near Amboy, California

Staying with the theme of abandoned buildings, I like how the window serves as a picture frame of a desert scene. I'm tempted to substitute the center with something entirely odd like the Golden Gate Bridge. I also like the contrast between the skewed room and the perfect rectangular window frame. It makes me feel a bit off-balance.

March 24, 2009, 9:42:14 am - Salton Sea, California

Somewhere in a previous post, I may have mentioned I don't believe in titling my work. As a viewer, I want to make my own assessment of a piece of art and not be tipped off by the artist as to the meaning of their work. Having said that, if I were to title this image it would be Hope Has Left. Fortunately for me, the title is on the wall. Photographing abandoned buildings are right up there with street photography. The experience of rummaging through old buildings is an emotional one. It's haunting, disconcerting, and lonely. Isn't that what art is all about - to provoke an emotional reaction? In this image, all hope has left.

March 20, 2004, 11:00:06 am - Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, California

I like the graphic nature of this image. There is very little editing to the photo. Most of my work uses the full range of light, whereas this picture approaches high key giving it a more ethereal expression. There is something about cypress trees that set them apart from all other trees.