Face in a Shop in SF Chinatown

I was walking around Chinatown with friends, and was trying to do street shooting, though I had at least framed this one. Was using a Lumix FZ3 digicam. Probably high zoom (35mm equiv of ~100mm+ or so) . Extensive Picassa experimenting.

smart car

I saw this car at a restaurant a few weeks ago, and a friend pointed it out to me and said, "ooh, a smart car." I have no idea what these are, but took a photo with my hexar af. This photo was modified with Picassa. The original photo looks less dramatic, but had reflections, so to get rid of the reflections I had to select some drastic options. What I don't like about Picassa is that I think I modified the original file, I still have it on negatives, scanned CDR, and backup USB drives, but I think it's silly for Picassa to think one wants to modify an original image permanently.

 

Greg's Mustang GT

Nikon D100, Nikkor 24mm f2.8 AF

My good buddy's Mustang GT. We went for a fun drive one day, up north as far as Calistoga, then west to Bodega Bay, then back south. I took him here in the Marin Headlands to get some shots of the car. This is my secret car photo spot.

--Warren

Nice Car at SEMA

This shot was taken with my Canon S500 at the annual SEMA car show in Las Vegas. There are some fantastic cars and aftermarket parts at the show. Its also a great venue for shooting pictures.

Financial District Building #2

Took this one with the Canonet. I was running around with the Holga and Canonet that morning. I heard some jazz coming out of the Financial District and went to check it out. While there, I looked up and saw this.

Eric

Financial District Building #1

I was having some fun with my Holga camera and took this using some Kodak Ultra Color med format film (400 ASA). The Holga is one of the funkiest cameras I've ever seen or played with but it can produce some really nice photos (not that this is one of those really nice photos). Because of the camera's imperfections, it can take some really strange yet interesting pix. If you aren't familiar with it, check it out on the internet. Just google "Holga" and see some of the photos it can take. You can also go to PBase.com and check out photos taken with a Holga.

Eric

Pipes

I was running around town one morning and came upon these pipes outside a fancy restaurant. I liked the way the morning sun was shining on them and took a photo.

I used a Nikon FM2 with a 35mm Nikkor lens and Ilford HP5 B&W film.

Eric

More "Die Hard" Photos....

Some of the gang at work (including my boss!!) wanted to go see today's filming of Die Hard, so I tagged along and took a few more (like 90) shots. Nothing great, but here are some of the better ones I thought you might enjoy seeing.


Doubles for Justin Long and Bruce Willis. It's easy to tell Justin from his double - Justin is always smiling and joking between takes. His double seems to never smile.



"Wounded" John McClane


Nice "wound" simulation


Director Len Wiseman gives Bruce Willis some last-minute instructions before a scene


Bruce Willis and co-star Justin Long right before a scene


Justin Long catches some rays just prior to a take


Fake "Metropolitan Police Department District of Columbia" sign over doorway and District of Columbia flags flying from balcony of building (on Calvert St. in Baltimore) used in scene.


Len Wiseman gives direction to extras for a scene in front of the "Metropolitan Police Department" building.

Spectators, Northbeach Jazz Festival 2006

Nikon F2s, Nikkor 50mm f1.4 ai, Kodak E-100sw (slide)

I finally got around to finishing an ancient, several years expired, roll of Kodak slide film.

The live concert at the festival was happening behind these folks, so that sat backwards on the bench. After they got up and left, Gail and I went and sat there the same way to listen for a while.

--Warren

Homeless Guy in San Francisco

I was out taking photos by the Ferry Building in San Francisco and got a shot of this young homeless man. He was engrossed in something and kept repeating something to himself. I felt for him as I don't think he chooses to be on the street. I think he has a mental disability. As I took this photo, I was immensely thankful for what I have in my life.

The shot was taken on a Canon Canonet with Ilford HP 400 film.

Eric

Nordstrom Dome in San Francisco

While waiting for my wife and friends for dinner, I got a shot of the dome above Nordstrom.

Eric

Live Free or Die Hard - Bruce Willis in Baltimore

No great photography here, but I thought you all might get a kick out of these photos of shooting a scene of Bruce Willis' new movie, Live Free or Die Hard. Traffic was tied up for a few blocks in downtown Baltimore, but the excitement was worth it.
This scene, with maybe a hundred people involved, will show for less than 20 seconds on screen. The location is in front of the federal courthouse in Baltimore (it's supposed to take place in Washington, DC, actually.)

After the scene was filmed, I got this last shot of actress Maggie Q (evil computer hacker), director Len Wiseman, Bruce Willis, and Justin Long (good-guy hacker who helps Bruce save the world.) You'll probably recognize young Mr. Long as the "Mac Guy" on Apple's latest Mac vs. PC TV commercials!

relaxing biker in pacifica

This is from the same roll as Warren's pacifica photos on the leica with 50mm lens and 400 film. We had traded back cameras and were walking towards the car, and I backed off the walking/biking trail to grab this shot.

This photo is a collaborative photo with Warren. My shot was wider, and very much needed the cropping and color corrections and vertical framing that Warren applied.

On the left -- the cement piece sticking out in the distance is the edge of the Pacifica pier where many folks were fishing, but not catching much.

Something about this photo reminds me of something, but I can't place it. Maybe it was another photo, but I think it may have been a movie, or tv show that I've seen with a similar setting.

Lightship Reflections

More photos this evening of the lightship Chesapeake (WLV-116) - well actually, mostly not of the lightship itself, but of its sublime late-afternoon reflection in the waters of the Inner Harbor.

I took these just before 6 PM today, as the sun, low in the western sky but not too low, gave the Chesapeake's starboard hull a full blast of reddish light. Combined with the red-painted hull, the result was a really red reflection in the otherwise murky waters of the Inner Harbor.

Believe it or not, these vibrant colors don't include any boosting with the "Hue/Saturation" control in Photoshop (... and I've been known to make use of that one ;-) Bascially, all I did was adjust levels and apply local contrast sharpening.

For some reason, maybe today's very clear sky, the bits of water that weren't red were a really nice blue.

And Boat Number 22? This is one of several small electrically-powered boats you can rent to skim around the Inner Harbor - no pedaling required!

Strolling Beach Blvd. with Ted's Leica

Leica M4-P, Hexanon 50mm f2, 400 color print film.

These shots went through a roundabout route to get to the forum. Shot on Walgreens 400 film, processed at Longs and transferred to CD, emailed to me, Photoshopped, then uploaded to the forum.

At one point on our photo shoot, Ted and I switched cameras. He used my D100 while I tried out his Leica M4-P (drool :))The last time I used a Leica was when Martin lent me his Leica M2 many years ago. I enjoyed shooting with the M4-P. It felt like a precision instrument. It was heavier and much more solid than my own current rf cameras (Bessa and various FSU Rf cameras). The shutter snapped with a very vibration free and almost imperceptible "click". It was a pleasure to use.

Hmmm... must...fight...GAS...Attack... :)

--Warren

Pics from the Leica:

Interesting street light and bench design:



Unusual color for a hydrant:



Is this 1965 or 2006? I converted this shot to B&W for a vintage flavor:



I pre-focused and waited for this girl to ride into the viewfinder before I snapped the shutter (rather than follow her with the camera and look like a perv :) ):

More from Pacifica

Nikon D100, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI

Beach Blvd. looking south:

I saw a tourist taking pictures of the beach, so of course, I took a picture of the picture-taking tourist. :)



Beach Blvd. looking north:

I'm a sucker for converging lines :).



--Warren

New Contributing Member: TedM !!!

Hi Folks,

I am very pleased to announce that TedM has decided to join FPCF! Please join me in welcoming him to our forum.

--Warren

Following is Ted's self-written intro/bio:

--------------------------------------------------

The category that probably best describes my level in photography right now is "happy snapper" ;) I buy my film at Walgreens when there are sales, and have my film processed at Longs, and make prints and enlargements at either Walgreens or Costco.

I was interested in photography since sometime in the '70s, and had a box camera, maybe a 'brownie', then later Instamatics, 110, etc. I got an SLR in college when I took my first photo class and since then have been shooting 35mm, occasionally doing my own b&w developing and prints with some very long lapses...

In 1995 I purchased a digital camera in Tokyo, and have since gone through several, as well as various film SLR's and lens kits, and recently to rangefinders where I was fortunate to meet Warren on a forum that discusses these, and collaborate on some images with him, and meet up with him for a fun photo shoot.

I never learned color lab processing, or serious digital photo manipulation, but realize I probably should, especially after seeing what Warren has been able to do with Photoshop or whatever on a couple of my photo captures.

TedM
---------------------------------------------------

Pacifica Beach

Nikon D100, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI

I was attracted to this scene because of the interesting lines.

--Warren

"Lost Bible"

Nikon D100, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI

I went out for a photo shoot with a new photographer friend, Ted M., who I met on Rangefinderforum.com. It was a beautiful day, so we decided to go out to the beach at Pacifica near the fishing pier.

Ted graciously let me try out his Leica M4-P w/50mm f2 Hexanon. The Leica was a pleasure to shoot. It was smooth and very quiet. It was dangerous handling such a fine camera :). It may lead to a GAS attack. When I have time, I may post a few of my shots from Ted's Leica.

--Warren

p.s. For the uninitiated: GAS = Gear Acquisition Syndrome, I'm also afflicted with NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome) which is a subset of GAS.

Two More from St. John's Cemetery

Voigtlander Bessa R, I-61 52mm f2.8, Kodak Super Gold 400

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Had a wonderful trip the the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There are some wonderful opportunities, but I brought one lens and two kids. These are some sea nettles. Shot with a 5D and a 24-105 L f4 ISO 1600 f4.5 1/80 sec, pushed 2/3 stop.




These are moon jellies. Pushing it with this shot. ISO 3200 f4 1/8 sec, pushed 1 1/3 stops.









I had reached the Deep Reef display and put the camera away because it was just too dark - think theater dark. Had one of those Real Men of Genius shots. ISO 3200 f4 1/4 sec pushed 1 1/3 stops. Man those cell phone cameras must have really come a long way!

Maybe Stephen King Would Like This

I was cruising around Cape Cod one afternoon and saw this sign in front of someone's home. I immediately thought of Stephen King. It looks like it would either be a) a title of one of his books or b) a scene out of something he would write. Well, it's in New England so I at least have the right part of the nation in mind.

Eric

Land of the Giants

The Embarcadero in San Francisco has some new sculptures. As you can see, they are rather tall. Took a strange photo of some guys standing beneath them.

I used the Canonette and some Ilford HP 400 speed film.

Eric

A couple of photos from San Diego

I saw some cloth hanging outside of a store in Old Town San Diego. It was selling Mexican goods. I took a variety of photos but thought this one was the best.











I saw this sculpture of glass fruit in Balboa Park in one of the museums. I liked the exhibit and took a snapshot. I thought it was kind of fun.


Eric

S.F. Art Institute Celebration & Exhibit Sept. 25-30

Hi Gang,

The SFAI's Photography Department is celebrating its 60th birthday. It was founded by Ansel Adams and staffed by famous artists such as Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model, and Edward Weston. It was the first fine arts photography department in the U.S.

Read about it HERE.

On Friday the 29th, I'm planning to go to the 6pm reception and the 7:30pm lecture on "The Moment of Seeing: Minor White and the California School of Fine Arts". Admission is free.

I may also go see the exhibition some other day during the week.

--Warren

Obligatory Picture:

(Nikon D100, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI)

"Museum Visitors":

The Rest of the Presidio Session

Nikon D100, Nikkor 35mm f2.0 AI

For your viewing pleasure, here are the rest of my shots from yesterday's brief session at the Presidio of S.F. I took about 30 minutes to walk around this one location looking for shots.

So, which ones hit you and which ones missed :)? Hey, this is a great opportunity for you lurkers out there to speak up!

--Warren

Photos:

"Broken Barriers"



"Cracked"



"Army Regulation Hose Hanger"



"Framed"



"GG Bridge Framed by Doyle Drive Approach"



"Shed Door #24"



One side of the building had 2 rows of these cages. I'm thinking that this must have housed dogs or some other animals. I don't know what's the deal with the barrels in the holes. Maybe they offered more snug cubbyholes, but it seemed oddly non-integrated. Does anybody out there know what these cages were for? Just curious.



"Discarded"



"What Went On Here?" (This was next to the cages pictured above)