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Death Valley National Park is far away enough from cities that it requires a three day weekend to go visit. But that’s the point, Death Valley has some of the most amazing sky you will ever see. That’s because there is no light pollution, the air is very dry, no clouds, perfect for some night photography. Our plan was simple, leave Friday night from the Bay Area and come back Monday night, lodging was also simple: we would camp. We’ve been to Death Valley once before and specifically to the Racetrack, so we had a good idea...

It’s really hard to find images of San Francisco you have not seen before. A few months ago, I met with a helicopter pilot (a photographer himself) and he was complaining that no one thinks of using helicopters for taking pictures. First it’s expensive, second it’s dangerous (strapped on the side of helicopter), third you need a very clear day to make it worth it. Then the stars aligned and I booked a 60-min open door helicopter ride with him. The day was very clear and I’m pretty pleased with the results. After the...

The Golden Gate Bridge is like  few monuments in the world (Eiffel tower in Paris, the statue of liberty in New York, the opera house in Sydney, the burj khalifa in Dubai), it’s an iconic symbol that almost everyone recognizes instantly. It’s also extremely photographed and making a unique image of the Golden Gate Bridge is almost impossible. I have a strong attraction for this bridge and the map below that shows the GPS point of where I took my images reflects that fact. I have shot the Golden Gate Bridge at night, at...

I’m often asked to photograph some of the robots SRI International is working with. Those robots are always one of a kind (ok sometimes there is more than one) and it’s challenging to capture a robot as an image. You see a lot of videos of robots on Youtube but rarely images. The reason I believe, is that we think of robots as something in motion, therefore our mental representation of a robot is not static. A robot is per definition something that moves, grabs, fold, paint, etc. (you get the point, it’s not motionless)...

Here is how we got to get all these pictures: Triple D Game Farm Stephen Oachs (link), Scott Bourne, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, they all know about Triple D Game Farm. Scott Bourne wrote in his book that he discovered Triple D Game Farm in the mid-80s! Part 1 and part 2 showed you some of the animals and the great pictures you can take at Triple D, but this post will explain how it works. Each day starts the same way, you meet at the Triple D ranch, you have coffee and pastry and look at the board. Depending of the weather,...

The second part of the series is going to focus on the “big cats” (and some horses) [link to part 1]. We were lucky and we got to photograph a mountain lion, a snow leopard and my favorite: the amur leopard. The mountain lion (a.k.a. cougar or puma) is a big cat. Its thinner profile makes it a very dangerous predator. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia) is a beautiful animal. The total estimated population is 4,080–6,590. It  is classified as globally Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened...

My wife and I went to Kalispell, MT in the middle of the Winter. The only reason I could convince my wife to spend about a week in Montana in Winter  where highs never really got over 22F/-6C, was a chance to watch and take pictures of “winter cats” (lynx, bobcat). But in addition to the cats, we had the opportunity to see a coyote, a few wolves, and a few foxes. Let’s focus on the “smaller cats” first. We got to watch a Canadian Lynx and a Canadian Lynx kitten. They were  really cute with their...

I shoot mostly landscapes and food. The closest thing to a live moving subject usually purrs or roars but seldom speaks English (or any other human language). But once in a while I like to challenge myself by taking pictures of models, you know a person, with feelings and moods and one who can speak back to me and more importantly judge my pictures (as I usually don’t get close enough to a lion to show it the pictures I took of it). When I do work with people, I generally have a concept image in mind and I’m trying to make it...

Today I went to shoot the Mavericks surf contest. If you don’t know Mavericks, it’s a surfing competition with big waves (30 feet and bigger) in Half Moon Bay, CA that happens only when the conditions are right. It’s an invitation-only contest and the best surfers are coming. The weather conditions were exceptional (warm and sunny) but the waves were not as big as predicted (around 24 ft, 8 meters). Mavericks is now almost impossible to photograph from the shore as the bluff and the beach are closed to the public for safety...

For the New Year, San Francisco always has fireworks at midnight on December 31st. The fireworks are launched from barges located 1,000 feet out in the bay just South of the Ferry Building near Pier 14 (Mission Street and The Embarcadero). One of the best places to take pictures of these fireworks is Yerba Buena Island. Yerba Buena is a natural island (versus the connected Treasure Island which is man-made). You will not be alone, this is a very popular spot but if you come early, it’s fine. The place I like is a private residence, so...