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.

April 11, 2015, 9:08:07 am - Venice Beach, California

This image is so L.A. and so Venice Beach. My passion is street photography. There is so much to see by simply walking down a street or in this case Venice Beach Boardwalk. At first glance, this image is nothing more than someone window shopping. But knowing location via the names on the shirts in the window, coupled with the tattooed lady and her dog in her backpack screams L.A. - and represents one of many subcultures in this incredibly diverse city.

April 9, 2015, 2:34:21 pm - Los Angeles, California

This image is special to me. It's one of the first pictures I took on a return trip to L.A. and represents part of the culture of this highly diverse and most fascinating city. There is a strange and haunting quality to the image. Lucha Libre is a bazaar phenomena only unique to the Mexican culture. The man carrying a trash bag adds further intrigue. Overall, it's a slice of L.A., a city that is culturally and visually rich.

November 9, 2019, 9:23:18 am - Edgewood Park, California

Every Saturday you'll find me in Edgewood Park doing a two-hour hike. This time I brought my smartphone because of the fog. This image sums up why I frequent this specific park. The fog makes it that much more magical. There are miles of trails transitioning through oaks, toyons, chaparral, grasslands, and many more native plants and trees. There are deer, bobcats, coyotes, hawks, snakes and many other wild animals. Mountain lions are also known to roam the park.

December 30, 2018, 8:04:43 am - South of Carmel, California

Photographers tend to keep their cards close to their chest, not revealing their process which is probably a good thing. It's like a magician keeping the curtain closed. However, if one is selling you reality, especially photojournalists, photos must be honest. I would be wrong to make viewers believe this image is real - it's not. It has been heavily manipulated. I'm not saying we should go around screaming PHONEY at our work, but at the same time we shouldn't pawn it off as authentic. One can reveal the nature of their work through an artist statement, a preface, title, etc. Or, maybe just not say anything.

June 14, 2017, 9:47:09 am - Woodside, California

I captured this image in a tunnel under I-280 freeway, a place I periodically photograph for its graffiti. In the center of the giant culvert lies a large steel grate like a textured skylight illuminating the dark passageway. The combination of light and shadows running down the colorful graffiti-laden wall caught my eye. It's a study in patterns, shapes, and colors.

April 30, 2018, 10:44:09 am - Pebble Beach, San Mateo County, California

Living close to the Pacific Ocean, I have one place I continue to return to, Pebble Beach, not the one in Carmel but the one on the San Francisco Peninsula. There is something primal about the place with its uniquely etched landscape and dramatic seascape. Each time I return I see different things. In order to really capture a place, one needs to visit many times, only then can you begin to feel its soul.