click
The very nature of photography is slicing time. Photographs are based on exposure to light, be it film or sensor and usually lasting only a fraction of a second. But in that unique moment, magic is made, never to be repeated, for seasons change, expressions are different, and nothing is static. It’s just a click, but one of endless boundaries and imagination, pausing time, and never to be captured again.
3/3/20
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.
2/25/20
2/24/20
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.
2/23/20
2/22/20

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.
2/20/20
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.
2/19/20
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.
2/18/20
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.
2/17/20
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.
2/16/20
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.
2/15/20
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.
2/14/20
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.
2/13/20
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.
2/12/20
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.
2/10/20
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.
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