fstopandsee

Everyone in this town knows that the middle lane is the fast lane.

This…is the super moon. Tonight the moon reached perigee, the closest it will be in its orbit to the earth all year. It appeared 14 percent larger than any other moon of the year and dwarfed the traffic on the highway. Enjoy!

A friend asked me to check out his 8-16mm lens and see what I could do with it, claiming I was some type of “wide-angle expert.” I decided to try shooting Sacramento’s Tower Bridge. In a perfect world, there would be a safe place in the middle to stand, but there is not, so I settled for the sidewalk. I learned a couple things. First, 8mm versus 10mm isn’t as much of a difference as I thought. Second, I shouldn’t be so lazy and need to bring my tripod next time.

In addition to experimenting with 8mm, I took the opportunity to try out DNG files. I’m not sure I’m sold on the benefits yet, but the space saving is going to come in handy pretty soon!

I’ve driven through the tunnel on Yerba Buena Island many times, but never stopped to check it out. When I finally did, I learned there really isn’t that much there except a lot of “No Trespassing” signs and abandoned buildings. I did find this vantage point in a precarious spot overlooking the Bay Bridge. It wasn’t easy to hang out there very long, but the view of San Francisco was worth it!

Fireworks as seen over Raley Field in Sacramento after a River Cats game. Have a safe and happy 4th of July!

This wide angle shot makes it feel as if the scene is slowly slipping away, all the way to the Capitol in the distance.

The Charles River surrounded by the city of Boston. I had a hell of a time getting this shot. There was a small tripod involved, lots of lights behind me reflecting on the glass, and oh yeah, tons of crazy kids jumping around so much the whole building was shaking. I was able to eek this out, and I don’t think it is half bad!

An ongoing construction project for Sutter Hospital in Sacramento was the inspiration for this photo. I drive past these cranes every day, and wanted to make a night shot incorporating them. I waited until they were lined up and found a vantage point nearby to take this long exposure. I dig the way it shows the city at night.

This is a project I’ve wanted to do for a while. The idea is simple but the execution can be a little more difficult. I mounted my camera with a wide angle lens between the seats of my car. With the manual exposure set and a remote shutter release in my hand I was off to the races, or at least the city streets. I had a little help from my trusty assistant to fire a flash inside the car manually during some of the exposures. My first attempt was with 3.2 sec exposures, and I liked the results. I’ll play around with varying the time next, so I either get blur, or more sharp context for what is going on outside the car.

After taking a ton of photos driving around looking for lights, I decided what I had would work well as a video. So here you go, not only a photo but also a video I put together of the shots from the evening!

The astute viewer will also notice a little subtle advertising!