Tag Archives: SF

So What’s your hurry pt2?

One of my regular gigs (hate that word) is shooting commercial real estate.  It doesn’t excite me but I’m good at it, my clients appreciate my ability to make their multi-million dollar listing look good.  I do hope it helps them sell quicker.  But this not about them.  It’s about opportunity, photo ops.

Earlier in my career when working out of town I’d do the project and then head back home.  Why the hurry?  All these locations offered opportunity, the chance to improve my skills, to learn about the area I was in, to go home with a story.  So, as one of my mentors preached to me I slowed down.  Now after a shoot I like to explore.  Maybe I find something, maybe I don’t.  Then I look one last time at my project.  The change in the light and shadows has often made better images.

I like to shoot, whether for my client or myself.

Techy stuff:  all image with the Apple iPhone 6+.  Processed in Snapseed.

Above Location:  Battery Spencer.  From 1897 until 1943, Battery Spencer was a cold, isolated, and vital military outpost protecting the Golden Gate Bridge and SF. Several buildings and placements for the large cannons that used to stand guard on the hill remain.  It offers one of the best views of the bridge and SF but when we went it was fogged in….. we’ll just have to go back.

Is it Art, Pt.2?

I wrote this post a little over a year ago on a different site.  I have spent a lot of time since then thinking about the topic and then expanding it to what is photography?  I’ll let you savor on the post for a couple days and then I’ll share some thoughts.

 I was in SF last week on an extensive corporate photo shoot for Swinerton.  When I was leaving I decided to take the Treasure Island exit on the way back to the airport.  The last time I was on TI was in 1975 when it was a Navy Base and I was a naive young seaman in Electronic Warfare school.  So many memories……  I first decided to do a quick photo shoot of the skyline which was etched in my memory.  I first shot it with my Nikon D3 and then decided to try my iPhone on Hipstamatic mode.  Ugh…… it looked as flat and hazy as the skyline.  So then I opened my new favorite app. Snapseed.  With a few adjustments and then a frame adjustment the above photo is what I ended up with.  I know, it looks grainy and it does.  But, the end result is that I’m going to print it on watercolor on my Epson inkjet printer.  A few years ago I did a similar series that I printed on the watercolor paper and it looked great.  Now, we’ll find out how IPhone photos hold up.

The techy stuff:  camera:  iPhone 4 (the 5 is on order)

Apps:  Hipstamatic and Snapseed by Nik

My real work is at:  http://www.zwink.com

Is it Art?

I was in SF last week on an extensive corporate photo shoot for Swinerton.  When I was leaving I decided to take the Treasure Island exit on the way back to the airport.  The last time I was on TI was in 1975 when it was a Navy Base and I was a naive young seaman in Electronic Warfare school.  So many memories……  I first decided to do a quick photo shoot of the skyline which was etched in my memory.  I first shot it with my Nikon D3 and then decided to try my iPhone on Hipstamatic mode.  Ugh…… it looked as flat and hazy as the skyline.  So then I opened my new favorite app. Snapseed.  With a few adjustments and then a frame adjustment the above photo is what I ended up with.  I know, it looks grainy and it does.  But, the end result is that I’m going to print it on watercolor on my Epson inkjet printer.  A few years ago I did a similar series that I printed on the watercolor paper and it looked great.  Now, we’ll find out how IPhone photos hold up.

The techy stuff:  camera:  iPhone 4 (the 5 is on order)

Apps:  Hipstamatic and Snapseed by Nik

My real work is at:  http://www.zwink.com

View of San Francisco from Treasure Island