Port of San Francisco

Port of San Francisco
Originally uploaded by PhotographyBoy

The iconic Port of San Francisco sign that's been seen in movies, TV, and tourism pictures. It's at the back of the Ferry Building just off the Embarcadero in downtown San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Bridge. The color version of this looked a little flat, but I really like the contrast in black and white.

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Another photo soon...

Over the Bay Bridge...

In the 9 years or so that I've been travelling to San Francisco for business, I must have driven over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge about a bajillion times. I've always been struck by the symmetry of the architecture, and how at the right angle it repeats into infinity. I was able to catch this shot while driving over it yesterday, on a bright and sunny day. I got some other shots while driving (with someone else holding the wheel, mind you) that I will put up later...

Another photo soon...

Golden Gate Bridge II

I took this while on a bus driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. I took full advantage of the 5 fps (Frames Per Second) feature of my Nikon D40x, and I think the results on this one came out pretty good. It's abstract, and not the typical view you'd see every day. Hope you like it.

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A fine feathered friend

A patient and tame seagull--this guy sat on his post while I snapped about 10 shots of him. I liked this one the best.

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Haight Ashbury

The legendary corner of Haight and Ashbury streets in San Francisco. I took this from inside a moving bus, hence the glare spot just to the right of and below the "Ashbury" sign. I still liked the shot a lot, and thought it looked better as a black and white. To me, b&w evokes the '60s era, which was the Haight-Ashbury heyday...

Another photo soon...

Golden Gate Bridge

Another photo from my recent trip and tour of San Francisco...the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of my favorite shots of the tour.

I shot enough pictures to fill up a 4MB SD card (granted, not all of them were good, but...) so look for more images of this trip in the future.

Another photo soon...

Seven Sisters

These are the famous "Seven Sisters" of San Francisco. These Victorian houses are referred to as painted ladies, and are among the more recognized examples of this style of architecture. If you recognize these houses, it may be from postcards or pictures from San Francisco--or from the opening credits of the TV series Full House. I took lots of shots of these houses but for various reasons, I liked this one the best. Hope you do, also.

More later...

Bay Bridge

The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge. In the far right side of the picture you can just catch a glimpse of Treasure Island, a mass of land roughly halfway across the bridge span.

Another photo tomorrow...

The Say Hey Kid...

This is a statue of Willie Mays (nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid") that stands outside AT&T Park in downtown San Francisco.

While he retired as a member of the New York Mets, Mays is best known for his long career with the New York (later San Francisco) Giants. Since 1986, he's served as a special assistant to the Giants, and part of the Embarcadero (the street that runs in front of the park) is named in his honor.

I like to use Photoshop on some of my pictures to produce artistic looks, and this one was no exception. I went for a black and white, "dry brush" look...I like the way it came out.

Just one other story on the picture--I was really sick the day I took this, and I wasn't thinking much about composition. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably shoot from a different angle, try to get more of a closeup, etc. I will more than likely be back in San Francisco one of these days soon, so I'll probably shoot this in a different way.

Another picture tomorrow...

Takeoff...

JAL (Japan Air Lines) 747-400 taking off at San Francisco Airport, bound for parts unknown--presumably somewhere in Japan. It was a slightly cool and foggy day--notice the moisture coming off the leading edge of the wing.

Another photo tomorrow...

The Sentinel Building

This is a night shot of the Sentinel Building located in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. I took a time exposure on this which, to me, helps symbolize the non-stop activity that occurs in San Francsico, particularly in this neighborhood.

The ground floor of this building contains a wonderful European-style cafe called Zoetrope Cafe, which is owned by Francis Ford Coppola and named after his production company. It's a great place to have a glass of wine, eat some great Italian food, and watch the world go by one stop light at a time.

Another photo tomorrow...

Coit Tower

Coit Tower, San Francisco, California. Shot on a warm, sunny Saturday in May. It was a great day to be a tourist in one of the most tourist-friendly cities in the world.

Another photo tomorrow...

Electric Trolley

Electric-powered trolley car, on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. San Francisco has one of the top mass-transit systems in the US. With their use of electric for trolleys, busses, and trains, it's also one of the cleanest.

I happened to catch this at just the right moment and thought it made a good shot.

Another photo tomorrow...

Ripe and Red

Strawberries from a stand in a farmers' market at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco. I took this as an experiment just to see how the colors would turn out. I also used a wide lens opening for a shorter depth of field.

Tomorrow, Guest Photo Friday!