Alcatraz #4

I really don't know why, but somehow Alcatraz seemed more humane than I was expecting. Now, that's not to say that I'd fancy doing a 20 stretch in solitary there - or frankly getting banged-up for a stay at the Her Majesty's pleasure (or whatever the equivalent is here in the USA) in any federal, err, facility - but given when this place was built then it seemed, well, reasonable, I suppose. A bit short on privacy, perhaps, but just think of the location! The views would be fantastic ... if only you could see them.

Given all that, how then to capture the essence of a place built for incarceration of the most notorious criminals the US has to offer - and let's face it, the development of extreme and hardened villains has become a world-beating industry here over the years so there were plenty of candidates to chose from - locked up for decades at a time in the same cell?

My shot at answering that particular question is shown above!

Alcatraz #3

Something a bit different this time. Walking around the cell block, you'll find that a few of them have been staged in one way or another and the one above caught my eye because it had been set up to show some inmate drawings. I'm not 100% sure the cross-processing effect I used here really works so will likely take another stab at it in black-and-white at some point. Still, it does serve to highlight the drawing above the sink (as well as the headshot above it), which was why I went that road in the first place, it's just that the coloration of the cell door doesn't really seem to work so well. Still, I do like the arrangement of objects in the cell, and in particular the way they are delineated by the bars of the cell door.

Alcatraz #2

Following on from the picture yesterday, here's a classic example of making sure you always turn round and look at what's happening behind you! I did this one in HDR, partly because of the extremely high dynamic range, covering as it does strong and direct sunlight though to deep shade, and partly to get detail into the staircase. Kind of worked, but ultimately this shot went a different way than I was expecting!

Alcatraz #1

Rain. Lots of it. It was pouring, and yet we were booked to go to Alcatraz on the first ferry of the day. Therefore, we went!

Although people were getting soaked waiting in line for the ferry at Pier 33, and then were destined to get wet again walking from the dock on Alcatraz up to the main building, nevertheless the boat seemed full. In addition, it's clearly a popular spot for photographers on a Sunday morning because we weren't the only ones toting backpacks and tripods.

Upon landing, our photo group headed straight to the main cell block to begin shooting in the prison showers, which is basically the place where the tours start from. Given that it was wet then the normal course of events - tourists collect right on the dock where the boat lands to hear an introductory docent talk - wasn't really followed and it was clear that there would very soon be a lot of people milling around the buildings. Therefore, I headed off to photograph the main cell block before there were too many visitors a'visitin'. I found the above spiral staircase at the end of the block and spent quite some time shooting it from all angles, but liked the one above (and maybe one other I'll post too), even though it's a very functional, square-on sort of shot. To me, it's interesting because of its basic symmetry, offset by the mirror reflecting the prison cells in the adjacent corridor. Note, too, the difference between areas worn dark by the passage of countless footfalls in and those bits of floor, under the staircase, for example, where the stone looks much more pristine.

Baker Pier

Back to night shooting, this time of the Golden Gate from the end of the pier at Fort Baker. Alas, not much in the way of success to report here. The wind had really strengthened by this time and in reviewing the shots I took afterwards then far to many of them were blurred. It was also difficult, I found, to find unique views that would make an interesting shot. There is a large rock under the bridge that can provide some foreground interest but I just couldn't get something that really worked and the above was about the best of the bunch.

Oh well - tomorrow we are set for a trip to Alcatraz! Never been there before so I have to say I was very much looking forward to it.

Battery Spencer

After a quick pit-stop back to the hotel, we caught up with the rest of the group at Battery Spencer, the next stop after Point Benito lighthouse. From a strategic standpoint, when it came to protecting the Golden Gate bridge then Battery Spencer won the top prize. The location, high on the headlands and right in front of the bridge, meant that it had the perfect field of fire in order to protect the approaches to the Golden Gate from the Pacific. And that also means that today, anyone visiting, will also have an incredible view of both the bridge and the city beyond.

It would heave been fascinating to see the battery fully staffed, armed and ready for action, but it seems that it only flourished (if that's the right word) for some 45 years after construction was finished in 1897. However, you can get a good idea of what it was like here and from the image below which is of one of the three, 12 inch guns that formed the main defensive artillery (image found here as part of another detailed article on the battery.)

After spending an hour or so it was time to take a break, get some food and head off to Baker Pier for some night shots.

Sentinel

As augured, the weather progressively got worse as we headed out of Muir Woods, so much so that by the time we reached Point Benito it was blowing hard and starting to rain.

For those of you who have never been there, access to the lighthouse is via a tunnel that can be closed, followed by a wooden suspension bridge of such age that no more than two people are allowed on it at any one time (NB: it's due for replacement in the next 12 months but that means access is likely to go away for a while during construction).

Fortunately, there weren't too many visitors when we were there, although having said that it had become much more crowded by the time we left in the early afternoon.

I still find photographing these kinds of landscapey things to be tough going, especially when the light is nothing special. This means you are forced back to find different takes to take, other ways of doing something unique. The other thing I find is that now I've been there once then next time around I'd have a much better idea of what I wanted to shoot. Alas, I cant' quite yet figure out how to make that happen while I am there!

Standing Stone

Saturday morning dawned, so we headed off early to Muir Woods to begin the photo-workshop. I've not been there before so was interested to see what was in store for us.

Getting there early when the park opened (8 am) turned out to be a good move. The place was absolutely packed by the time we left a few hours later with cars parked all along the access roads into the woods. Not sure if this is usual or down to some sort of event but regardless the message is clear: get there early on the weekend!

We spent close to four hours working our way around the paths and trying different views. The above was taken on the first bridge overlooking a small stream. Yeah, it's a little overdone, and I'll take another go at it at some point, but at least it gives you an idea of the whole slow exposure/moving water thing (an effect that's overused these days, usually to try and add something of interest to an otherwise uninteresting scene.) Overall, though, it was a diverse mix of old and new growth forest, was easy to walk around (boardwalks or paths the whole way) and interesting enough to offer-up many different photographic challenges, not the least of which was avoiding the "too wide/too busy" view of trees and shrubs!

Lunch was a sandwich at the visitor's center (really quite reasonable) and then off to the next stop: Point Bonita lighthouse. Alas, the grey morning had by now developed in to a grey, rainy morning with evidence of a stiffening breeze. Far from promising, in short, especially given where we were heading.

San Francisco Skyline

On the way back from dinner in Sausalito, we stopped off to try some night time photography. S knew of a location that offered the opportunity to get some foreground interest into the frame by including old pilings into the view, so that's where we went.

Getting things sharp is always one of the challenges with long exposures - the one above was 25 seconds long - but with views like this you also have to deal with other hazards like planes and, as shown here, boats! Looking at the original file then it's sharp ... ish, but could be better. We were on decking out in front of an office building (that's presently unoccupied) and it wasn't 100% vibration free, especially if anyone moved at all during the exposure. Next time I will try using mirror lock up as well as being more religious about using a remote for firing the shutter to see if that gets the final image to be that little bit crisper. However, not much I can do about passing container ships other than be a bit more patient!

On the plus side, at least the seagull stayed fairly still!

Cavallo Point, Marin

Having barely got back from Death Valley (and I will return to posting some more shots from there shortly) it was very soon time to head off to Marin and San Francisco for a photo workshop.

In addition to the workshop, we were looking forward to spending a couple of nights at the Cavallo Point hotel, set in the National Park Service's Fort Baker. (I actually spent some time photographing here at the other San Francisco workshop I did back last September with Chris Honeysett.)

The weather on Friday was glorious. Thanks to some nifty booking work by S, we were granted early check-in and so arrived around 1 pm. And really, I have no idea why hotels do do this more often because we immediately headed to the restaurant where, thanks to a lunch bill of around a hundred bucks, the hotel was immediately in-the-black on the whole deal. (In fact, the restaurant bills we saw were all around that level or higher, except for breakfast which was included in the room rate on the package that we had.)

We stayed in one of the modern rooms, set in blocks above the main hotel buildings. The view was a fine one - smack across to the Golden Gate Bridge - and the room was very comfortable (though neither of us were fans of the sliding door on the bathroom!)

It was fun to stay in a location where there were built-in activities: walking round the harbour, going out onto the pier where people were crab fishing, climbing on the old fortifications and gun emplacements and strolling up to where work was being done on the bridge. All that is a definite plus, especially as it allows more leeway for a glass or two of wine with lunch without then having to fret about driving somewhere. Bliss.

For dinner we went into Sausalito, a ten minute drive up the coast, to eat at Sushi Ran. Once again, not cheap but still a great place to eat. Would highly recommend this place to anyone who loves sushi/sashimi/sake. They say on the menu that some items are flown-in daily having been bought that morning at the Tsukiji market in Tokyo, a claim I can well believe. Price? Easily over $100 for two - but well worth it.