shoot!!! shoot!! shoot!

After talking to an East Bay model for many months and in the meanwhile many things happening on my side and with her life, today finally got a chance to meet and actually shoot with her!! Does this mean my bad luck in finding SF models to photograph is now done and dead? I don't think so - I've been in contact with another East Bay model whom I also finally met last week at the photography club meeting; she always previously sounded so excited to meet and possibly shoot together.... I met her at the meeting and though she spoke to me there, I haven't heard a word from her since. So much for sincerity and interest!!

So, I drove over the bay bridge where the traffic was slow; I could see the slow traffic crawl along as I drove on the Embarcadero and seeing this, had my camera on the car seat beside me to grab on the off-chance of a pix of the City from that evelated bridge. Traffic was slow due to a stopped car near the Yerba Buena Island exit, and by time I got up on the bridge it was moving better so didn't get a chance to use the camera to snap a picture - the view from the bridge is sooooo fabulous!!

Thanks to GPS, I found her place very easily and we quickly started shooting. When I am in the home of a model, I hate to be demanding, so I stayed where the light was good ~ it was ~ and where she was most comfortable.
This young model has the most lovely eyes and a very luscious form, and wish we had worked together sooner when the outdoors in the warm sun would have been great, but that has now left us.... After starting in color, I soon switched to shooting in monotone and really like the results.

I then left to get downtown where a fellow flickrite was having a photo exhibit but the place was closed. As I was in the East Bay and downtown, I decided to walk around and snapped the interesting buildings and more. At one point, I again spotted the zeppelin this time flying the Oakland skies, and could easily hear its engines and propellers working.
Nobody even noticed it flying and it seemed I was the only one even excited to see the zeppelin. I continued shooting the downtown Oakland buildings and found a lot with interesting ornamental details, even one that looked like a pig or a boar's head on a building!!! I was also surprised to see a new building with lots of lovely reflective glass with the logo of ASK.com at the top ~ I didn't realize ASK.com was in Oakland!!

So, covering a small area of about five to seven blocks, I wandered lost but content with camera in hand. Granted, my other heavy camera was in the shop being repaired for the same problem twice, but I was happy having a backup to use! Stumbling around wondering about the homeless I saw on the downtown streets, I wondered about my personal safety... they didn't seem as friendly in SF so I wondered..... but I didn't have anything to worry about... and continued snapping away. At one tall modern glass-enclosed building, a security guard came out asking me to depart the area and not take any pictures - wow, maybe I can send some carrier pigeons over there, all with cameras....

I drove off then to Central Avenue to gas up before driving across the bay bridge to return home. I also stopped at the little lookout point there taking some pixs of the gorgeous clouds out today!!!!
I couldn't believe how fabulous these clouds were, and wondered if I should shoot the sunset again.... but after arriving home and downloading the pixs, I kept a close eye out the window and as sundown approached, the low clouds and fog came in and I didn't even see a bit of orange.... sigh. A good sign: the other day I found a folded five-dollar bill on the street ~ others had even passed in both directions by the same spot before I did... the last time I found money on the street was in Spain and it was pouring down wet! Now if only the California lottery would help me too!!

Enjoy the pictures!!!!

busy busy busy as a lost film can...

...on a bumpy and windy road. The last few days I've been running all over the place. Had a foto shoot-out in Fremont and drove there in the pouring rain with my bad night vision.... the rain was so pouring-down hard that I couldn't see a thang but apparently better than other drivers who kept drifting between lanes with invisible land-markers in the wet mess, or whose cars just simply straddled two lanes. I just would find a car with very bright taillights and stay a safe distance behind them. The drive over the bay bridge and continuiing to Fremont is over an hour - I must confess it was the first time I've ever driven on the bay bridge and seen the cars driving less than 50mph!!

Upon arriving, my GPS unit didnt have the street number, so I hunted around in a very dark industrial area till I saw someone outside the side of one building, then saw the number sought as I turned into the parking lot. There I stayed with other photographers for over three hours. Three models were in attendance and most of us just took turns shooting; the big shadow-box to the right of a solid-white background created the studio effect which I don't like. Eventually, I started shooting without the benefit of a flash nor the synched studio-lights there... which startled quite a few.
It poured when we departed and this time drove south to the San Mateo bridge, and through the rain made my way back up to the City. It was a longer trip but faster I thought not having to pass over the Bay Bridge and the bottleneck that is created by going through Oakland.... of course it was pouring-down buckets of rain again!

The next week I had a photography club meeting close to the Ferry Building at the Crossroads cafe. It's my third time meeting with the various photographers and others interested in the magic of imagery.... I enjoy discussing photography with others but rarely get the chance... this is a great way to meet others. Many brought their cameras, others brought their prints and/or portfolios, and there were quite a few very impressive images!

The next day I drove for my latest follow-up in San Jose with my eye clinic. The drive was pleasant enough and even this journey was a test for my eyes as each time I've done this hour and ten minutes drive, my eyes has changed. Easily remembering the first loooong drive, made even longer by the simple fact that I couldn't see a thang on the highway!! To top it off I wore some cheapo glasses ~ so cheapo that it actually lessened my vision - or, what I could see! I later threw those away. My last checkup in September rated my vision at 20/40. This day it had increased to an approving 20/25 and with time I am hoping it'll be even better than that! I hated driving during the late hours as my vision is noticeably worse in dim lighting; for the past few weeks I've been driving at night with better vision, and I know that will improve also. The halo effect everyone talks about for me is minimal and as my eyes are moistened, it's even less apparent. My next follow-up will be in January just before I leave for a long-awaited month in Europe and at least 20 days in Rota where my apartment has been sitting empty for the last few months. I am also planning to spend at least 10 days in France to shoot with a model there.

I've only had my plane tickets for over five months! :-)

Returning from the clinic, I stopped by the Baylands Preserve in Palo Alto hoping to get some great shots of masses of migrating birds flying or feeding.
I did get some birds but not en masse as I had hoped for.... the mass must have departed on a train to a restaurant to dine out.

I then went straight to a wine bar in the downtown area of San Francisco - only over an hour early - as I arrived back in the City during the peak of a early rush-hour. Not wanting to get into the mess of traffic again, I just stayed there waiting first in my car, then going inside to wait till my group eventually showed up on time, but not before I had time to discover the rustic brown interior and even grab some shots!
It was very pricey with a white house wine priced at $12 {wow} but hey, this is San Francisco! In my little place in southern Spain, for that price for just one glass, I could've purchased in a local market four to six bottles of reds or white, of better or similar taste and body.

my wine glasses and plate of fried squid
yummmmy!

I was shocked at the amount of people who were there drinking and eating!! The least expensive glass of wine was priced at $9 - perhaps I'm in the wrong business!

While in San Jose I went to a big chain-store electronics store to buy a PCI card for my newest external hard drive which has SATA capability but unfortunately the card is crashing my system. So right now am copying files over from the older external drive to the newer at a slower rate ~ only 1gig per second ~ but at least it's moving faster than a few megabytes as previous!

Fast is so relative!!

So, here I have been for the past 20 hours again, copying image files..... my life is a circle!!!

all that happens...

...will eventually repeat itself. Our lives are a cycle of events that sometimes repeat itself. We return to places in our childhood and relive moments... yesterday was a busy day for me, starting as usual very early for me till I finally practically collapsed in bed and fell asleep quickly sometime after 1am, the act of sleeping easily and soundly being something that has evaded me for years, if not decades.

I met a new friend for a walk.... a slow enjoyable walk from North Beach to the base of Telegraph Hill, then up the steps to the top. I recalled that area below the bushes where I spent many a day away from school, and with a friend later who liked photography as much as I did then, and still do.

I often wonder what happened to all those I knew in San Francisco as a young lad, then leaving and not returning till four decades in the future.

From there we took the back route of Telegraph Hill: the infamous long and steep steps of over 200+ steps and leading down toward the Embarcadero... while on this jaunt down into a green lushland, this friend pointed out to me the passion flower (Passiflora incarnata)
which I have never seen, and as I didn't have my camera with me, borrowed her small camera to snap a pix! On flat land again, we continued slowly towards the Ferry Building, stopping often to see things and to take paths closer to the water to relish the spectatular views of the San Francisco Bay and the bridge. It was a cloudy overcast day, and in the distant I pointed out the heavy gray clouds and the steaks of darker color below those vaporous masses, a sign of falling rain.

Inside the Ferry Building, we walked around mixing with the crowds - the farmer's market was in session so the crowds weren't as numerous but still, there was a mess of people looking here, and many dressed in the spirit of Halloween! I stopped at several stands offering a taste of sourdough to be soaked with different flavors of olive oil. I am still amazed how - after living in southern Spain for so long - how olive oil sold in the USA is soooo expensive, often $10USD higher than priced in Spain! sigh

We eventually departed the Ferry Building and returned to North Beach via the Embcarcadero again, soon passing the cruise boat terminal where a huge new cruise ship had just moored, and a mess of people busy on the wide sidewalks with suitcases, maps and more. Some were boarding the ship here and their bags were being wrapped with tape, and their boarding tickets being verified, while others left the building in confused steps, seeking buses, taxis and little more to get to other destinations. We passed that crowd and soon crossed the street and headed toward North Beach. Soon we arrived at a quiet corner where a neighborhood grocery store sat opposite a middle school. This store was my lunch-hour snack and where I purchased my sandwich during my lunch: I can still remember the fresh smell of the tan-colored french roll, the taste of the ham. Back then I was still adjusting to wearing glasses just a few years ~ now I didn't need glasses any longer. Today it was a choice of three types of buns and I chose the dark french roll, ham and topped with mayo and shredded lettuce. The roll wasn't fresh as I once remembered, though the amount of ham was plentiful. We went to Washington Square to eat this and sat there taking in the scene, while my friend threw pieces of the hard dark french roll crust to the grass for the birds. It doesn't matter that two dogs found and ate the bread crusts instead....

In a few more hours I departed to the Western Addition near the Golden Gate Park panhanld - for a Halloween party and after finally finding a place to park - where is there parking in San Francisco - discovered a small side street closed off to car traffic allowing lots of big and short trick-or-treaters to walk about for their share of candies and other treats of the eye, before going to my friend's party!
It's been over four decades since I played any type of active role during Halloween and as innocent as it seems to be just walking through the streets of San Francisco seeing strangers in full paint and costume - even during the day - was throwing this soul into the deep dark well full of memories. I got home well after 10pm and had no problem maneuvering the wet dark but not empty San Franciscan streets. My new eyes were doing me good tonight!!

am I ever amazed....

Needless to say for those who know me, I am online 36 hours a day. What? You think I can't count... that might be true but if you were up all day and night, when you finally get to sleep it will seem longer than the 24 alloted....

I love "talking" to my friends in Europe.... I miss them a lot and wish I were back in that tight-knit community. The culture is different {better} and things are more relaxed.

Now I have my friends in Eugene... I miss that place too and though it certainly isn't the most wonderful place in the USA, to me and to this tired soul, it certainly comes very close to heaven. I cannot believe how friendly the natives are there and that's probably the biggest reason I chose that spot for my relocation from Spain... to me it was the same friendliness I experience, carve and love so much in my little rincon of Andalucia, except without the spanish. Each time I go back and I've been back about four times now, I am reminded of that friendliness by little displays of thoughtfulness that make me want to cry when I think of it... and I have.

Today in my little world of nothingness, I got a phone call from a young woman who is not only my friend but a beautiful person inside and out, and I have proof on virtual film! A call from a distant friend almost put me to tears again... I miss the hugs I would get in Eugene and in Spain, and here in SF you'd have to pay for one. I miss the straight-forwardness honesty of the people and here I am just so isolated... my few times of rare happiness is when I am on the road again driving to Eugene, or in a run around San Francisco with my camera taking pictures. That's not a life....

Isn't it disgusting that in my hometown, where I was born and raised, I have fewer friends than in Spain and Eugene? sigh....

busy day in the City

The morning started early with my files... During the previous day I had tried to copy/move my milllion image files to the newer hard drive... it took hours so I would leave and go shooting on the streets of San Francisco... when I returned, the operation aborted for some unknown reason and now I'd have to compare both folders on the source and destination locations, and copy the files not moved.... what a pain. So, I decided to just back-up all of the files. It'd just be a slight duration of a few days!

That operation in progress, I started by climbing the hills again to Telegraph Hill. Today Coit Tower was celebrating its long existence and was offering free elevator rides to the top; something I've never experienced in my life though I faintly remember a school field trip as a very young child. The view was amazing from the top, and it was well worth the trip up those hills and the stairs! Plus there were old fire engines and a display of period callsic old cars, and the Mayor would be speaking later that day - I didn't stick around but did get pixs of the engines and cars.
Last night I had heard online that a zeppelin would be flying over the city! So, I drove to Crissy Field then walked toward Fort Point at the base of the southern tower of the Golden Gate bridge..... stopping enroute to snap away at birds and more.
By time I reached a halfway point, lo and behold there was a huge white airship coming toward the bridge from the south... I started taking pixs with both a 170-500 and the wide-angle, finishing up with my standard 28-300. Many sunning at the beach were looking up at the airship, and there was a fireboat throwing up streams of water in celebration; this is the first time since the 1940s that an airship has flown over the City!!

That done, I went walking back to the Crissy Field marsh and photographed the birds there...
it's a "clean" marsh but getting filthier every week... but still... getting close and tight one can see the water and not the cups, plastic and filth... though it's still there!!

That done, I drove home, parked the car and walked toward Chinatown to see a friend who was participating in the San Francisco ARTwalk... I wanted to participate too but didn't have the money for printing the pictures, storing them in some protective sleeves, etc. It's not cheap nor easy to sell or even display images!! This morning I was starving as I hadn't eaten anything all day and had already walked a few miles, plus now will be walking up some steep North Beach hills, so I stopped at my previously favorite dim-dum place for a few snacks. They had depleted their supply of shrimp dumplings, so I took what remained - two - then grabbed some pork thingies that I liked too... the taste of the shrimp dumpling wasn't what I was used to... much has changed in the few months since I'd stopped there before. I went and found my photographer friend on Mason Street in front of the Cable Car Museum and stopped and chatted for an hour... she has an uncanny eye for flora details, and I love her work!!

After that I walked up and down those same steep hills again and drove my sister to a birthday party for her grandson and her brother-in-law.... I dropped her off to finish with the backing up of my files, plus to download the images of the morning and the zeppelin, etc.

I now went to the birthday party and spent over 3 hours there and finally returned to discover the backup operation continuing and now only two days and quite a few hours remaining!!