photo spot

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 happen. This is far out of my comfort zone so I use every opportunity I get to take pictures of models. Recently Laura, a friend of mine, got engaged and I offered to take her engagement pictures in San Francisco. We did the...

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 as always be aware of any noise you could make, where you park and try not to disturb the neighbors. It only takes one problem to get this area closed off for everybody. View New Year Fireworks photo location in a larger map...

Another installment of my San Francisco Photo spot series; this time it is about Treasure Island. I love Treasure Island because it has one of the nicest views of the Financial District. That’s from where I get some of my favorite images of the city at night. Especially at this time of the year where all of the Embarcadero buildings are illuminated for the Holidays. In addition on Treasure Island (TI), there is the gigantesque statue Bliss Dance made of lights and also the spot called forbidden access. Now, I personally like taking photographs where you can see the city lights. But for your camera to see these lights (and the sky), the city lights need to be at least as bright as the sky. In order to get those images, timing is crucial. First, where is...

A few weekends ago, I went exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and its surroundings including Tomales Bay, Point Reyes Station and went all the way to Bodega Bay. It’s possible to do it in a day but we stayed overnight at a local bed and breakfast. I have included in the map all the stops where I took the images posted here, as well as all the stops we made for food and coffee. I have a saying: “no coffee no turbo” and for me, it’s really true. As for my wife, she needs her chocolate treat, so I need to find places with good chocolate cookies as well. View Bodega Bay and Point Reyes in a larger map It does not matter in which order you are doing this trip but for the sake of simplicity, I’m starting at the south-western end...

Angel Island is one of the largest islands in the San Francisco Bay. It used to be an immigration center from 1910 to 1940 and a missile base from 1950 to 1962. The immigration center was modeled after Ellis Island in New York. Angel Island is now a California State Park and the buildings of the old army bases and the immigration station (more info) can be visited. My interest in Angel Island, beside the historical significance, is the incredible views of San Francisco. The best way to explore the island is to use a bike. You can bring your own bike or rent one at the Ferry Pier (Ayala Cove). If you are not up for the workout, you can even go on a Segway tour (more info). If you come by regular ferry from Tiburon (Angel Island Ferry), you will arrive at Ayala...