Inside the Ferry Building
One of my favorite spots in one of my favorite cities…
Every time I visit San Francisco, I make a point to get over to the Ferry Building. It’s just a lovely structure and something about it just draws me in, every time. I have shot here before sunset and after sunset, and at all times in between. Regardless of the time of day or the associated crowds, it’s just a lovely place to see and photograph. Highly recommend if you are visiting this beautiful city!
Morning in San Francisco
Blue hour at the Ferry Building in San Francisco…
I love to get up and wander in the early morning hours when I travel. It’s generally always peaceful and quiet, and I can enjoy the beauty of a city without all the crowds getting in my shots. :-) This was taken before sunrise in San Francisco one morning. This is the Ferry Building, which is one of my favorite spots in the city, which is full of great spots by the way. I just love the look of this place, inside and out.
In the Ferry Building
Inside the Ferry Building in lovely San Francisco…
My favorite building in San Francisco is the Ferry Building, which is just lovely. I adore the place. This was taken on the 2nd floor a few years back. I just wandered up there and fired away. Easy!
San Francisco graffiti
I love graffiti - it's often interesting, beautiful and well-crafted! In today's post, I share some of the wonderful urban art I found in San Francisco - check it out!
There is some seriously awesome graffiti in the City by the Bay!
If you have been here to the blog before, then you know I have an affinity for graffiti. I love it. In my opinion, it's just another form of art, and some of these pieces are just amazing. Seriously, these artists are simply incredible. On one of my trips out to SFO, I made it a point to get out and grab some shots of the fabulous graffiti there - and there's quite a bit. Although I found some of it in Chinatown, most of this was captured in the Mission District in a place known as Clarion Alley.
As the name implies, it's simply an alley, but it's completely full of graffiti from one end to the other. It's great. I wandered up and down the alley a couple of times that afternoon, as I was enjoying the art as well as photographing it!
If you have some free time one day in San Francisco, be sure and head over here and check out this amazing graffiti - it's both interesting and really fun! Enjoy this selection of carefully curated graffiti! :-)
Sunset at the Palace of Fine Arts
I return again to San Francisco in today's post - a gorgeous sunset at a gorgeous location, the Palace of Fine Arts. Oh, and I walked nearly 18 miles that day. Whew! Read on and enjoy the pics my friends!
Such a beautiful spot in San Francisco!
As I mentioned in my last post, I recently spent some time in San Francisco and got out to shoot a decent amount, considering it was a fairly brief stay in the City by the Bay. One destination I had in mind was the Palace of Fine Arts, which is the subject of today's post.
I had been there and photographed it way back in 2010 on my first photo outing in San Francisco, but I had arrived at midday and the light was very bright and pretty unforgiving. I never really liked the shots all that much, and always told myself that if given the chance, I would return under better circumstances and reshoot the whole thing.
I finally got the chance.
On this day I had begun in Haight Ashbury and after a reasonably quick photo tour in that area, I set off on foot for the Marina District, which is where you will find the Palace of Fine Arts, nestled in front of a beautiful lagoon and just a short walk from the San Francisco Marina. Heck, you're actually not far from the Golden Gate Bridge either. So much awesomeness there!
It was late afternoon when I left The Haight and I knew I had enough time to get to The Palace of Fine Arts on foot, assuming I didn't waste any time getting distracted - which is a pretty hard thing to do in San Francisco, actually. There are a LOT of things to distract a photographer - and I'm easily distracted anyways!
So I hustled along and made good progress, until I got to The Presidio. While I didn't spend much time chasing photos there, I did end up cutting through a field and clambering down a steep hill (marked with signs that warned me against walking there) and then over a stone wall. It was not a graceful exit. Let's call it a shortcut, and I had to take it because I could see the light was getting nice, and I still had a little bit of a walk to go. You make rash decisions in times of need, right? And I apologize if I trampled anyones plants! :-)
After that, it was a straight shot to my destination.
I arrived a few minutes later and was able to wander a little while I thought about the shots I wanted to take. I had only taken my Sony 28mm f/2 prime lens on this trip, so it required some thought and planning to capture what I wanted to capture. I wanted a few shots of the whole scene as well as some of the smaller details. When you have a prime lens, you zoom in and out with your feet, so I did a lot of that. It was fun.
I wandered in and around the structure for a bit, shooting this and that, and by the time the light got just right I was across the lagoon staring at the structure while the sun set behind it. Timing was excellent - way better than my previous visit in 2010 - and I am rather proud of a couple of these shots.
The only "issue" per se is that thanks to all the birds that make this lagoon their home, there were about 300 million feathers and other things floating in the water. While I could sit there in Lightroom and spend hour upon hour working to remove everything, I opted not to do so. I took out the most distracting ones, but didn't have it in me to do any more. Call me lazy if you will, but I generally refuse to spend more than 30 minutes on a photo, and even that is pushing it.
Every once in a while, I see a great photo online in which the photographer talks about spending 2-3 hours working on it, with more layers than the movie Inception. I can completely understand and respect that someone wants to do that, but I can't help feeling like it's a waste of time for me. I would much rather move on and process 10 other images in that amount of time. I guess that's a personal thing. Anyways, I digress.
a view that distracted me for a couple of minutes - can you blame me? this was right after I scrambled out of the presidio area!
After getting all the shots I wanted here, I walked over to the Marina and got a few sunset shots as I continued my lengthy walk. I skirted the edge of the water all the way to Fisherman's Wharf, which is where I found myself at blue hour. I have shot blue hour there many times and absolutely love it, with all the great neon signs and lights on. I just had to visit again. Once darkness arrived, I decided I had better eat, so I popped into Boudin Bakery for a clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl and a couple of well-earned beers! Damn, they were good. :-)
I will return another time with photos from Fisherman's Wharf, as well as the rest of that evening, because I kept walking and shooting, eventually making it all the way back to my hotel on the other side of town. And yes, this was the longest walk of my life, I think. I have been using a Step Counter app on my phone (sort of like FitBit) to keep track of my activity level. Here's a screenshot of the ground I covered that day. Pretty impressive, right?
And yes, the next morning my legs did not want to move!
That's almost 18 miles people! Someone get me a beer!
So all in all, it was a very successful trip to San Francisco, photographically speaking. I came away with about 1500 images, which is not a goal in and of itself (the quantity, that is). While it's a loose sort of yardstick for letting me know if I did get out and shoot much, I am not hung up on quantity to the extent that I was earlier this year.
Am I going to keep firing away? You bet! I'm just no longer measuring the success of a photo outing on quantity. I still take a lot of photos, but have slowed down somewhat in hopes of getting a better focus (no pun intended) on capturing the images that I think will serve the viewer the best.
That's it - thanks for stopping by today!
that is alcatraz island in the distance
A walk through Haight Ashbury
Ah, San Francisco - full of beauty and interestingness and some weirdness, too. Yep, the City by the Bay has a few spots that are a little different, and today I transport you to one of them. This is Haight Ashbury, which was at the center of the hippie counter-culture revolution way back in the 1960's. A lot has changed since then, but you can still feel the vibe in this most interesting district in San Francisco. Enjoy!
Hippies and graffiti and weirdness, oh my!
I've been to San Francisco many times, and absolutely love to go there. It's probably my favorite US city, though there are plenty I still haven't been to. Well I've been to a lot, and nearly all of the big ones, but you know, there's a ton of stuff to see. It's a big country out there! I better get busy, I guess.
And it seems like there's always some place I want to go see. That's the challenge with having wanderlust - you can never really quench that thirst. It just lingers.
A couple of weeks ago, I had two nights in the lovely City by the Bay, and though I had limited time to shoot the city, I made the most of it. Like every trip I take, I had a long list of stuff to shoot while there. I have my favorite haunts in San Fran of course, many of which are on this list, and I love to shoot them, returning again and again (can anyone say The Ferry Building?? I just love that place.). In fact, I returned to several of those spots while I was there, but I also got out to shoot some new stuff.
Because of my work schedule that week, I had to squeeze in my photography in the morning before work and of course in the late afternoons and evenings too, but luckily those are my favorite times to shoot, so it all worked out. Well, except for the super early wake-ups. I always have that problem when I travel West. It's great to get up and go shoot, but I sure get tired after a few days of it. It's just hard to sleep much past 5:30am when I get to California, since my body is still thinking it's 7:30am or something. Anyways, that's why I brew up a big cup of English Breakfast tea. It's a good way to start the morning, in my opinion. Caffeine is my friend, especially at 5:30am!
One particular place I had always wanted to see was the Haight Ashbury district, which is the subject of today's post. It's the center of the hippie counter-culture sort of thing from way back in the Summer of Love in the 1960's. I had heard much about it, and had seen photos online, but being who I am I just had to set my own eyes upon it. There's nothing quite like being somewhere yourself and getting a feel for a place. Haight Ashbury is one of those famous areas in a town that is full of them, and so I set out one afternoon after work to explore it.
Considering I started in the Financial District side of town (which is a LONG way away from The Haight), I took a cab to the corner of Haight and Ashbury Streets, which is sort of like the center of the area that bears its name. Immediately I knew I would like the place. It's funky and weird and full of all sorts of stuff that some would consider strange. There are people playing music on the corners and looking for tips. There are some homeless-looking folks just hanging around and checking things out, with a sign in front of them asking for donations. There are a lot of people sitting in coffee shops or cafes. In many ways, it's like any American city these days, actually.
Coming from Austin, which is proudly "weird", I enjoyed the area a lot. I will admit that it's not a huge destination for photographic purposes, but considering I love to shoot a lot of randomness in my travels (signs, graffiti, etc), this area clearly fit in that category. It was fun and what I would consider an interesting diversion from chasing the "big stuff".
Yes, there are many other spots that you "HAVE TO SHOOT" when in San Francisco - the city is full of them, really (Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, Ferry Building - to name a few). But if you have some spare time and are interested in spots that are a little different, Haight Ashbury fits the bill perfectly. It seemed like the perfect place to wander with a camera, and I can imagine some would enjoy the shopping there too. Or just fueling up in a cafe and people-watching.
I spent about an hour wandering around here and shooting, and then took off on foot to the Palace of Fine Arts, which was a hell of a walk, honestly. Man, that town is bigger than it looks on Google Maps! Well at least I got in some exercise. I arrived there at about sunset, and have some lovely shots from there coming up next week. See you then!
And as a side note, I shot everything in San Francisco this time with the 28mm f/2 prime lens attached to my lovely Sony A7II. That 28mm prime is really a wonderful lens, capturing great detail and being just wide enough without being too wide. I used it exclusively on both this trip and my recent trip to New York, and am really impressed. It's perfect as a walking-around lens for general purpose use. Small, light and capable - perfect for travel!
Thanks for stopping by today!
San Francisco in blue and gold
I'm a big fan of the city of San Francisco, and always enjoy my visits to the City by the Bay. I also love the Ferry Building there, and that's the main subject of today's post. I caught a wonderful blue hour there one morning on my last visit, as well as some other cool shots from a sunset or two. Take a look at this collection of 12 pics and enjoy!
This city looks so great in blue and gold!
I spent a week in San Francisco back in June and collected quite a few pics on that trip. Since then I traveled to Nashville and OKC and then launched into this wonderful summer holiday that I am still enjoying (and still on). In other words, my camera has been busy.
But my keyboard has also been busy, as I have been working hard to edit a lot of photos and get them published. If you want to keep up with the full library of my published works, you can do so on my portfolio site or follow me on Flickr. All my work ends up in those two places (and you get an early peek at things on Flickr because I put my iPhone images there while I travel - or at least the ones I really like).
One part of the San Fran trip that I was dying to edit is all the shots I am sharing here today. They were all taken of, in front of, behind or beside the Ferry Building. Let's just say that area is a target-rich environment.
I find San Francisco to be just an absolutely gorgeous city. Every time I am there I love it even more. I can understand why so many people love it too. It's way more my style than say some place like NYC. Nothing wrong with NYC of course - it's amazing - but I could never imagine living there, whereas I could see myself in SFO.
As I have written here before, the Ferry Building is one of my favorite things to shoot in San Fran, and I have shot it inside and out several times over the years. Many of today's shots are also of the Ferry Building, since it's really to close to where I normally stay and being on the water too, it's just a natural draw for me.
One morning I got up early (my body is used to Central Time, so I always wake up early there) and decided to go grab a few shots before work. My hotel this time was literally across the street from the Ferry Building, so that's the first place I headed, and I am glad that I did! I just loved the lights reflected on the street and of course I always love blue hour.
It's always great to get out and shoot San Francisco, but in the cool early morning air when the streets are mostly empty - that's just really special. As you can see, I also captured a few pics from another day, right around golden hour and sunset. I thought I would just throw them into this post, since they sort of fit the theme. Call it a bonus! :-) The last two pics at the bottom are from my hotel. Not from my room though, unfortunately. I had to work to find that view but it was well worth it!
Thanks for stopping by today!
A bit of this and that from San Francisco
I love San Francisco - it's really a beautiful city. I spent a week there recently, and was lucky enough to get out a few times with the camera (and the prime lens) and fire away. Here are 26 photos that give you a good idea of what I was looking at - and shooting at, of course. Enjoy the tour!
There is just so much to shoot in San Francisco!
As I highlighted in a recent post, I spent a week in San Francisco recently, and despite a very busy work schedule, I was still able to get out and fire away to a pretty significant degree. That always makes the week better, doesn't it? :-)
Of course, it required me to sacrifice a little sleep here and there (my meetings ran into the evening, so it was easiest for me to shoot at sunrise, which is WAY early this time of year), but that's why I always stop at Starbucks while I am out and fuel up (a venti Awake tea, thank you very much!). Honestly though, I would rather shoot sunrise anyways. I always say that, and it's true. You can walk around the busiest cities at sunrise and nearly have them to yourself. It's amazing. And oddly, I don't see as many photographers out that time of day.
As everyone knows, San Francisco is a beautiful city. I really love it there. There is a lot to see and do (and photograph), and it's just gorgeous. It's one of my favorite American cities, that's for sure. There is a lot of diversity, despite what I read in the news about Google and other companies "taking over" old neighborhoods and driving out the locals.
To be clear, I'm not saying it doesn't happen, as I am sure it does. I'm just saying I still notice a lot of diversity, which is good and in my opinion it makes a place more interesting. For example, I spent some time one day in the Mission District, which I had never been to before. It has some excellent graffiti, which I just love, so I wanted to go see it. Well that area is much different than down along the Embarcadero, for example (which is normally where my hotel choices are - because that's where my work happens). Vastly different, in fact. (And yes, I will do a future post of the excellent graffiti I shot that day.)
Since I go to San Fran several times per year, I end up with a lot of photos from there as well (oh darn). And while I am addicted to the new, so to speak, there is a lot of enjoyment I get from revisiting a place time and again - especially one so interesting. Because of my constrained work schedule, I only brought my tiny little prime lens, so that I could travel fast and light.
I wanted to force myself to look at things somewhat differently than if I had a collection of lenses to choose from. While I wouldn't do that if I was going to a new place, it is a great creative exercise. It forces you to work the scene with your feet before firing away, instead of just zooming in on something. It may not sound like it's a big difference, but it feels like it is.
And in addition to shooting with only the prime, I also decided to just shoot whatever caught my eye, anything I observed that I found at least somewhat interesting. So I have some street scenes I captured as well as some bits of this and that. I did shoot at the Ferry Building quite a bit, but I just can't help myself since I love that place so much. Oh yeah, and I grabbed some shots of the Bay Bridge as well. It's a beauty!
Well, I hope you enjoy this little tour of San Francisco, and come back for more soon! I have a lot of graffiti to share as well as some stunning blue hour photos I caught one evening after a rain. I will get all those processed and shared as soon as I can!
iPhone fun in San Francisco
I spent last week in San Francisco, and despite being really busy at work, I still got out and fired away quite a bit! I came home with around 1100 photos, which is a pretty good haul when my time is limited. I shot all over town, too, and hit some new spots. It was great. Today's post is a bit of a teaser though, as these are all iPhone pics from the trip, since I haven't had time to process anything yet. More on that later. For now, enjoy the beauty of the City by the Bay!
I spent last week in San Francisco, and it was great!
This is the Bay Bridge, which I love to shoot!
I go to San Francisco several times per year (I work for a company that is based there), and I always enjoy the visit - even if I don't bring the camera. In fact, I have been there many times without the camera, and just shoot with the iPhone, assuming I have time. Even that is fun, although of course I prefer to have my camera with me!
And although last week was very busy with work (and I knew in advance that my shooting time would be very limited), I did find some time to get out and shoot. I brought along my trusty sidekick on this trip, my Olympus OMD EM-1 mirrorless camera, and just because I wanted to travel super light, I only brought one lens: the Panasonic Leica Summilux prime lens.
Some cool graffiti I found while walking along market street
one of my favorite spots in chinatown - i think i have shot here at least 5 times! and I will probably shoot it again some day!
I love the combination of that lens and camera - both are very light and quick, and having the prime lens really makes me think about what I am shooting. Obviously there are some things you just can't get to with a prime (this one is a 15mm, so not-quite-wide but pretty-far-from-zoomed), but I still find it very versatile. It may be my favorite lens. Being able to shoot all the way wide open at f1.7 is one of the many great things about it (and in using it, I don't use a tripod, allowing me to further travel light).
However, I have not had any free time since returning home to process the photos (I took about 1100 with my Olympus), so today's post is a bit of a teaser: these are some of my favorite iPhone shots that I took in San Fran last week. As usual, I took a bunch of iPhone pics, and since I have the ability to process those on the go, I obviously have quite a few to share. These were all taken with my iPhone 6 and processed in Snapseed, which is just about the only app I use for processing iPhone photos these days. It's that great.
a closer look at that graffiti from chinatown
that is the ferry building - just loved the light here!
how cool is this? this was in clarion alley in the mission district.
this is city hall, and it is magnificent!
looking down from the 2nd floor of the ferry building
these stairs were in the embarcadero complex, and i loved them!
In terms of subject matter, I shot a lot around the Ferry Building (my favorite spot in SFO) and along the Embarcadero, including the Bay Bridge. I got a great new vantage point of the Ferry Building from my hotel, too, which was awesome. I wandered one morning over to Chinatown, which is always fun for me. After work one afternoon, I took a taxi over to the Mission District. I have always heard there is some great graffiti there, and there really is (it's in a spot known as Clarion Alley). It was a gold mine. I walked from there over to City Hall, which has an incredible staircase. Lots to come from there. And I ended where I began the week - shooting the Ferry Building, although this time at sunset (and I have a little story to share about how I got a better view there). So I guess I did have a little time to get out and shoot, after all. Yay for me LOL!
You may have seen these on Flickr already, if you happen to follow me there. If not, then these will be all new to ya! Either way, I hope you enjoy this little visual tour of what I encountered while wandering around the City by the Bay last week. As soon as time allows, I will be processing and sharing a bunch of stuff from last week, so stay tuned!
Thanks for clicking by today! Let me know if you have any questions!
a shot of the city hall stairs from down below
this is the second floor of the ferry building, which is fun to wander around, although it's not really a public place.
ah yes, isn't this a great view of the ferry building?!! and isn't that a lovely sunset?!!
here's a pic from the same spot as the last shot, although under lesser conditions - still a beauty of a view, though!
i found a lot of stairs to shoot on this trip! these were in the embarcadero center somewhere. I was just wandering and looked down - click!
San Francisco scenes
San Francisco is a lovely city, and a great one for photography. Today's post is a little tour of a few spots that I have photographed there on my travels. A little bit of this and that, if you will. Take a look and enjoy the tour!
I love San Francisco - such a beautiful city!
The bay bridge at sunrise
I travel to San Francisco several times per year, and usually get out and shoot a bit while there. It's a very beautiful and diverse city, and I find a LOT to point the camera towards. And while it is fairly compact as far as cities go, there are a lot of distinct neighborhoods, and I am sure I will never get to them all - though believe me, I will certainly try!
In fact, I haven't even gotten to all the spots in Austin I want to shoot, and I live here.
So when I am in SFO, I do my best to cram in a lot of shooting. I often just pick an area, do a little research before I get there, and try and plan out a route to wander and shoot. That usually works, though I never feel like I actually "finish". That's pretty much how I feel about every photo outing though. :-)
Alcatraz Island during a deep and wonderful blue hour
City Lights Bookstore in North Beach, famous for being a hangout of the Beat Poets.
I have shot there probably 5-6 times (I don't have time on every trip, sadly) and have thousands of photos in my library from those various trips, which means you will see a lot more San Francisco photos here as I get time to process and share them. If you are interested in some highlights, I have a list here on the blog of what I consider the best places to shoot there.
You can also find all my SFO pics in this Flickr album, if you are interested.
So today's post is a collection of shots that I have had processed and ready to go for a while now, and am finally getting around to sharing them. These were taken on a couple of different trips out there, and from a couple of different spots around town.
Thanks for stopping by today, and hope it's a great one for ya!
Exploratorium, along the Embarcadero, after a brief rain
Pier 7, looking out at the bay
Pier 23 cafe
another view of Pier 23 cafe
the stinking rose in north beach, where everything contains garlic - even the ice cream!
A visual tour of Grace Cathedral
Grace Cathedral in San Francisco is just incredible. Today's photo essay is a collection of 10 photos and 1 painting that summarize my visit there...and a little story about luck, perseverance, and why you should always tell the truth. Be sure to add this place to your list if you are planning a trip to San Fran!
This is one landmark in San Francisco that you don't want to miss! (oh, and perseverance is good)
If you visit here often enough, you have probably heard me say how much I love shooting the grand churches in Europe. I find them beautiful and fascinating - not to mention photogenic. I swear I must have been an architect in a former life, because I am just drawn to this stuff.
Your standard center-front shot of Grace Cathedral - doesn't this belong in Europe?
Anyways, whenever I visit a town for the first time, I always Google their churches, since they are often rather grand. But here in the US, I don't always strike it rich like I do there. We just don't do churches the way they used to do them in Europe.
So that's what makes Grace Cathedral in San Francisco so special - it really is reminiscent of a grand European church. It sits atop Nob Hill and it's hard to get in view of it without uttering at least one "Wow". It's beautiful.
So on one of my many trips to that lovely city by the bay, I made it a point to get up early and head over there for sunrise. I had checked their opening hours, and since it was a weekday morning I felt fairly confident that I could be the first one in when they opened, and I could shoot undisturbed for a bit. That was my plan.
So I shot the exterior for a while during sunrise, and continued to check the doors for signs of opening - but they never came. I started to think I had read it wrong online, and considered giving up and heading back to my hotel to start my work day. But I just HAD to keep trying. I had WALKED up to Nob Hill from down below - that's some serious hard work!
So I walked all the way around it, and finally came to a little entrance through their garage area that led into an underground passage. At this point, I was beyond curious. More like desperate. So I went in.
The labyrinth outside the front of the church
I found an elevator that said it went to the chapel, but it wasn't working (I assumed), since I hit the button several times and it never came. The light didn't even light up. So I wandered a little more and found a staircase that went up, and I climbed it - but alas, the door at the top was locked, so back down I went.
I finally figured it was all over, so I started to leave. As I passed the elevator, it opened and a maintenance man came out. I mentioned that I was trying to get in and take some photos, but he said it was closed. I figured it was worth a shot to ask again, in my nicest voice, because what did I have to lose?
The interior labyrinth, before you get to the main center aisle
So I did. I just told the truth. I told him I had been here a long time ago, and remembered how beautiful it was, and I was hoping to take a few pictures. That I loved the cathedral, and the architecture, and I found it inspirational. And that I would be quiet, and respectful, and leave when he told me I needed to leave.
It worked.
What a grand interior! There was an art installation in place, which is what all the ribbons are.
He took me upstairs in the elevator - the church was apparently still closed - and let me shoot to my hearts' content. So here are the pictures, Mr Maintenance Man - and thank you so much. It was an honor to meet you and photograph this magical place.
And perhaps telling the truth really is always the right choice - and doubly so when at church!
Viewing the front of the church, including the altar
A close-up of the section behind the altar
You just have to get that straight-up-the-center shot
A slightly different version of the center aisle shot
This may be my favorite - just loved this POV!
I couldn't resist turning that last pic into a painting in Topaz Impression - read my review of it under "Software Reviews" on the top drop-down menu.
Going prime-al in San Francisco
Today I share some thoughts on a new lens - a prime lens, no less. It's way out of character for me, but it's an awesome little tool to add to the arsenal. Oh and did I mention it's a Leica? Well, it is, sort of. And it takes great photos. I just show up and it does all the work. Well, not exactly. I do a little more than show up. But hey, showing up is half the fun! Click on in and check out 22 photos that I have for you today!
I recently bought a prime lens - and I'm having a blast with it!
primal (adjective) - basic, elemental, essential, fundamental
I've never been one to use a prime lens in the past. I always figured that it was just something else I would have to lug around, and that I wouldn't use it very much. Plus, I always figured that I could get to the same focal length on a zoom lens, so why bother?
But with my Olympus mirrorless camera, I have been experimenting more and more. I've been experimenting with lenses, f/stop settings, and even my processing style. Basic stuff, but I was a serious creature of habit with my old Nikon gear. I shot everything at f/13 on a tripod, as a 7 exposure HDR. Then I used the same software and the same settings to process my shots.
But I am changing, and change is good.
I wanted something that would be small and light, and that I could use as an all-around lens for those times when I may not have time to shoot on a trip, but wanted to bring the camera "just in case". I wanted it to fit easily into my bag without adding to my weight very much, and something that would go pretty "wide open" (low f/stop number) so I could shoot in low light without bringing my tripod. If I plan to travel light, I want to go handheld.
And I wanted something that would allow me to get back to the basics of photography - a focus (no pun intended) on composition and shot selection without the encumbrances of modern photography. The ability to use it in various situations, for various types of shots. Something that was flexible, and good across a wide possible spectrum of shots. However, I wanted it to be "simple" and straightforward.
So I decided that a prime lens would tick all those boxes for me better than anything else, with the added benefit of really having to focus on composition, since it's a fixed focal length. That was one of my 15 Tips for Better Photos in 2015 that I wrote about recently.
When I decided to try a prime lens, I knew I wanted something that would stretch me as a photographer but also offer me something I can't get from my normal go-to lens, the Olympus PRO 12-40mm f/2.8. And while I LOVE that lens, it is fun to switch things up and experiment.
Initially I thought I would get the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, which gets great reviews online and since it goes down to f/1.8 that seemed to be a good fit. But when I went into Precision Camera here in Austin to buy it, the guy working there started talking to me about the Panasonic Leica Summilux 15mm f/1.7. It was on sale for the same price as the Olympus, and I liked that it was 15mm instead of 17mm, and f/1.7 instead of f/1.8.
And let's face it - I was attracted by that word "Leica" on it.
While I believe that gear isn't everything, it's obvious that Leica has an incredible reputation for quality. This lens is designed by Leica but manufactured by Panasonic. So it's a bit of a hybrid in that sense (ie, not a "pure" Leica). It's small and light, it's a f/1.7, and since it's a fixed focal length at 15mm (about 30mm on a full-frame, so very close to a traditional 35mm camera), it definitely causes me to "work the shot" instead of just zooming in and out. Hey, that's exercise! See, photography is fun AND good for you. :-)
So on a recent trip to San Francisco, I had the perfect opportunity to put this lens to the test. I walked around during sunset and blue hour and shot like crazy. The lens performed perfectly, and just for the heck of it I left it at f/1.7 the entire time, just to see how the shots came out. And, I left the tripod at home. This was a handheld adventure.
I think the shots came out great.
So here's a HUGE collection of shots from 2 days in San Francisco, right before Christmas. All shot with my Olympus mirrorless camera, all with the Panasonic Leica Summilux 15mm f/1.7 lens, and all shot at f/1.7 in various light situations (inside and outside) - and all handheld. The outdoor shots are from the area around Fisherman's Wharf, and the interior and closeup shots are from The Ferry Building.
I hope you enjoy the shots as much as I enjoyed walking around and taking them. I believe I now have a lens that will work great for me on those quick trips when I am not sure if I will have time to get out and shoot. Now, I can pack up this camera and lens combo, and travel light and shoot fast (if I have time).
Look for more photos as I get more opportunities to get out and shoot with this little magic piece of glass. And if I get around to it, perhaps I will write up a review of the lens too! (maybe)
(click any photo to embiggen)
Cupid's Span
Cupid's Span is an interesting (and large!) sculpture along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, CA - well worth a visit to this part of a fabulous city!
There's just so much to photograph in San Francisco!
I really enjoy visiting San Fran, and (no surprise here!) I find it to be a great town for photography. Whether you like bridges, museums, architecture, graffiti or something else, there is something for everyone in this town - there's even a large bow and arrow sculpture. Go figure. They have it all! :-)
And yes, I have a list of my favorite spots to shoot in SFO!
This thing sits toward the end of the Embarcadero, right next to the Bay Bridge (part of which you can see) and the Ferry Building. It's pretty massive in person.
On my last trip out there earlier this year, I took along my trusty Olympus mirrorless camera (since I was just getting started with it then) and grabbed some shots. It performed quite well and I of course was loving the whole traveling light thing for a change!
Anyways, if you find yourself in this part of town, be sure and stop by for a couple of photos - just one more unique thing in a town that's full of them!
Blue hour at Fisherman's Wharf
I love San Francisco and find it to be a very beautiful town. In the blue hour light after a good, solid rain...well, it's beyond beautiful - it's downright amazing!
San Francisco is always gorgeous in my eye...
I find San Francisco to be a very beautiful city. I doubt that is a revelation to anyone. Most folks know it's a special place. I consider myself lucky that I am able to travel there a few times per year, and doubly so that I find some free time to wander with the camera.
On one of my visits earlier this year (back in April), I was holed up in my hotel after a long day of work. It had been raining all day, and things did not look good for photography. I was pretty bummed.
But, the rain was lighter than earlier in the day, and so I ventured out with a camera backpack, an umbrella, and a heart full of hope.
It worked out pretty good.
I wandered along the Embarcadero for a long while, and the rain let up. One great thing about rain is that it clears out all the people. The other great thing is that it leaves everything all shiny, with puddles here and there that give you an opportunity to capture some reflections. Oh yeah, there's another great thing about rain - dramatic skies!
Yes, storms are our friends. It's true. They bring interesting skies, and that's a good thing.
At some point I ventured to Fisherman's Wharf, and by then the blue hour was looking pretty darn incredible. I shot a lot, and loved every second of it.
Sunset at Pier 39
I love San Francisco, and I love sunset.
It's so hard to predict what is going to happen at sunset on any given day. I always look at the sky and the clouds (if there are any), and my mind starts wandering, or racing, depending on what I see. If there are good clouds out, I get all excited thinking that I am going to have a fabulous sunset. Then many times, it just fizzles and nothing exciting happens.
On the other hand, there have been plenty of times when it looks like a complete crap sunset, and something amazing happens and it gets all awesome on you! Those are the best ones, since they come as a surprise. Everyone like a surprise. Well, a good surprise, anyways.
And that is exactly what happened on my recent trip to San Francisco.
It had rained a lot that day, and after work I got out to shoot, starting at the Ferry Building. From there, I just wandered down the Embarcadero, taking all sorts of photos along the way. I ended up at Ghirardeli Square during blue hour, which was great.
But a little while before that happened, I was walking past Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf area. The sunset was coming together and the flat, gray skies from earlier were just bursting with color. It was great!
So I did what I always do - I aimed my camera at everything and fired away incessantly. It was crazy but so much fun. I was in a hurry since light can be so fleeting, and it seemed like there was something interesting to aim the camera at everywhere I looked. This was San Francisco, after all, which is a gorgeous city.
Hope you enjoy these shots. I still have many more to get to from that trip - it was very productive!