Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill

Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Kathy and I were staying at the Hilton Financial District right on the edge of San Francisco's China Town. We had been out shooting and decided to head back to our room. On the ride up to the 20th floor, the elevator suddenly slammed to a stop with a loud bang. There were about 5 other people in the elevator but we were the only ones that decided it was time to exit. Kathy got the door open on 19 and out we went. Since we were on the wrong floor we headed for the fire exit. We opened the door and this is the scene we saw. Needless to say we setup our tripods and started shooting.

Wakeup with a Bang

Wakeup with a Bang, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Kathy and I were walking around Chinatown during Chinese New Year and were shooting HDR sequences of a cable car where the California Street line crosses Grant when we noticed that all the lights on Grant were off. In a few minutes we heard sirens and several fire trucks drove by at high speed. While walking up Kearny we were crossing Commercial Street and saw that the fire trucks were at the end of the street which was only being illuminated by their red flashing lights. We decided to investigate and I spoke to this group of people who said they were all sleeping when they heard a loud bang and the ground shook. Then all the lights went out.

Do Not Cross

Do Not Cross, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This was taken on Commercial Street near the intersection of Grant. Kathy and I took a bunch of photos this night. The lighting was really interesting! We could smell something burning. Maybe a transformer exploded or something like that.

Beautiful Chinese Calligraphy in Portsmouth Square Plaza

Beautiful Chinese Calligraphy in Portsmouth Square Plaza, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Kathy and I were walking through Portsmouth Square Plaza and noticed a large crowd gathered around a table. Being a tall person, I could peer over the shoulders of the crowd and glimpsed a calligrapher creating some beautiful artwork. After a while we were able to get a little closer and we both got a few shots though I think Kathy's were better.

The New Americans

The New Americans, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Once during a photography class I attended, legendary shooter Joe McNally said "whenever you are setup for your shot, look behind you because what's back there may be more interesting". He was right. I did look behind me when framing a shot down Grant Street and saw a tour group momentarily paused quite improbably in front of this touched up American flag. Several of them were looking toward the left side of the scene at this old Chinese man standing on a short ladder, holding up a sign with a lot of small text on it. He was shouting "Say hi to your mommy, Dalai Lama is bad" over and over. I only had time to take 6 exposures before they walked away.

I really like how the flag is reflecting on the roof of the car in the foreground. Kinda interesting.

Lesson learned. Check your six o'clock every now and then or you might miss something.

She Calls the Shots

She Calls the Shots, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

My wife Kathy takes a break from schooling me and looks over her shots. While I tend to shoot wide angle, her favorite optic is a 20 year old Minolta Maxxum 100mm F2.8 Macro lens. This is a very sharp, fast and contrasty lens and she really knows how to use it to maximum effect. You can see her photographs here.

Streetcar Layover

Streetcar Layover, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

One of San Francisco's amazingly restored streetcars is pictured here while on a layover. This stop located near fisherman' wharf is my favorite spot to photograph these indcredible rolling works of art.

This is my playground

This is my playground, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

Golden Gate Park's Carousel in San Francisco

Giants Stadium Panorama

Giants Stadium Panorama, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

"Everybody hold still and smile!"

Outside looking in

Outside looking in, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

The Fisherman's Wharf Walgreens store is reflected in the windows of this San Francisco Municipal Railway streetcar. All of the F line cars park at this spot for about 5 to 10 minutes making this a fantastic place to take photos of them. I can setup my tripod and in an hour capture images of several different streetcars.