Raygun Gothic Rocketship

Now boarding at Pier 14 along San Francisco's Embarcadero for inter-planetary destinations. Spotted enroute to the magnificent photography exhibition at Pier 24 this morning. If you haven't been yet, it's a must see for any photography afficianado.

Alas, original plans to have visitors aboard the Raygun Gothic Rocketship fell through due to ADA issues, but it's still a fun addition to the waterfront, IMO. It will be up until October, 2011. It's the product of a consortium of 70 Bay Area artists led  by by Sean Orlando, Nathaniel Taylor and David Shulman.

"Sweet" Light, continued

As pointed out on the previous post, by being open to the world as it presents itself to us, we can find beauty in everyday occurrences. The hours just before sunset and after sunrise flood us with golden warm light and bathe our environment with the potential for memorable moments or simple reflection. Here, the long diffuse rays of light strike the bookcase at a very sharp angle creating a dramatic study of some well worn and read books that otherwise would have been quite dull.

Fiber Up!

Photographers like to talk about the quality of light or "sweet" light in their photographs. For most landscape and architectural photographers, it generally occurs in that period of time from dawn to three hours after sunrise or from three hours before sunset to dusk. These are the times of day when the length of the shadows cast by objects are most dramatic as the sun rises or sets. Its light is also passing through denser layers of earth's atmosphere, so it's warmer or more golden then when it's more overhead during the mid day hours. Of course, we don't always get to choose the time of day when we are on assignment or when we will be at a particular location when enroute to one place or another and sometimes we do. Sometimes we just get lucky staying open to the possibilities that surround us daily. Like morning light on a bowl of unadorned cereal. An "all natural" photo- i.e. no fill cards or additional lighting, no special filters on the lens, no programmed effects, AKA a "straight'' photo with minimal contrast adjustment. And now, I'm hungry.

Marlo & Conrad

I met Marlo in 1986 or so when we both occupied studio spaces in North Oakland on 61st Street. I was immersed in commercial photography and she was a painter. Her passion was painting- and birds. Conrad is a green headed Amazon parrot, a female as it turns out, a fact not learned for some time after she was given to her by a friend. Conrad, or Lady Conrad as she came to be called, did not like men, a fact I learned first hand when Marlo would venture up to Washington to visit family and I was tasked with her care. Conrad also didn't like her cage very much and was a pretty good escape artist. I never ventured into Marlo's studio without some sort of protection, which was usually a baseball bat.

Marlo passed away in her studio on August 21, 2010. The world is one gifted artist short now and I've lost a friend I always thought I would see again.

Mendenhall Lake

The view 180 degrees from the glacier itself. Big ice cubes!

Mendenhall Glacier

The last time Barbara & I were in Juneau together 32 years ago, there was more of it. In fact, I do believe it covered all the gray rocky areas to either side, so it definitely is receding and is not quite as impressive as it once was.

Surfacing Humpbacks

And there, off the port bow, Big Mama pokes her head out of the water, checking us out while her calves follow. Space is illusional here, as it was photographed with a 200mm telephoto and the frame is enlarged from the original.

Wine Tasting Whale Watching Cruise

So, while up in Juneau, we managed to go on a wine tasting/whale watching cruise aboard a twin-hulled tour boat to benefit a local dance group. Typical of weather in Southeast Alaska, it was chilly, damp and windy. Unfortunately, the wine ran out fairly early in the cruise, so we were forced to look for whales. This is of the boats' skipper in the cockpit, talking on her cell phone. Please don't tell Oprah!

Wall of Fame

Momentos and posters from previous gigs adorn the walls of Bob's office in his workshop on Douglas Island. And his stringed instruments, too.

Bob's Work Bench

Bob Banghart's latest restoration in progress: a four string banjo. An accomplished musician, luthier, craftsman, tinkerer, he's also Chief Curator at the Alaska State Museum in Junea. Probably the most worthy person I know personally of the moniker, "Renaissance Man."