December 2009

Happy & Prosperous 2010!

December 31, 2009 Birds

I’ve never anticipated a number this much. Goodbye, 2009, thanks for the lessons. 2010, am I ever happy to see you. I’ll use your symbolic momentum to realign my world. If you happen to be stopping by the Quark during this annual switch-over, I wish you an incredible, transformative, beautiful year ahead. Happy New Year! [...]

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Stick People v. High Voltage

December 30, 2009 Birds

Stick People, the Series Hugh and I have been photographing these stick figures for as long as stick figures have been boarding the London Tube with no feet, or — in this case — meeting unspeakable ends in high-voltage utility boxes.

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 8: High/Low

December 30, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. High: Low: High and Low

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 7: Smooth/Rough

December 29, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Smooth: Rough: Smooth and Rough:

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 6: Much/Little

December 28, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Much: Little: Much and Little:

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 5: Moving/Still

December 27, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Moving: Still: Moving and Still:

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 4: Straight/Curved

December 26, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Straight: Curved: Straight and Curved

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 3: Transparent/Opaque

December 25, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Transparent: Opaque: Transparent and Opaque:

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Itten’s Contrasts – Day 2: Heavy/Light

December 24, 2009 Photography

Working my way to 2010 through Itten’s Constrasts. Heavy: Light: Heavy and Light:

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The 12 Days of Itten’s Contrasts – Day 1 (The List)

December 23, 2009 Photography

It’s an age-old exercise but I’ve never completed it . . . so, I thought I’d take the holidays to work my way through the list of Itten’s Contrasts, inspired by Michael Freeman and his book The Photographer’s Eye. (I wrote a bit more about Itten’s Contrasts here.) Itten’s Contrasts Here’s the list of Itten’s [...]

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season!

December 23, 2009 Holidays

I’ll be away from my usual nature haunts until the New Year, so I’m going to wrap up the year with a few Bay Area holiday lights . . . and an exploration of Itten’s contrasts, inspired by a reading of a Michael Freeman book (The Photographer’s Eye). If any shots grab my attention in [...]

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How to Detangle a Pigeon

December 10, 2009 Doves & Pigeons

When you’re helping out a pigeon, the reaction from people passing by tends to be polarized: “how sweet” or “disgusting.” Pigeons have such a lousy rap, some people are aghast that anyone would think to rescue one of these birds, let alone touch it.

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Super Raven

December 7, 2009 Corvids

I took this shot the day after Thanksgiving — just getting around to posting it. The 25-foot swells off Ocean Beach were camera worthy. But I found myself swiveling with lens toward the cliff’s edge, where ravens were striking these comical poses in the headwinds. I captured several such raven moments, but this was my [...]

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No Room at the Inn: A Quail’s Tale

December 6, 2009 Domestic Animals

Japanese Quail are known for shooting upward like missiles, and they can even kill themselves by hitting their noggins on hard surfaces. A Japanese Quail can shoot up and out through a space in the bag that’s narrower than my arm . . .

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A [Still] Golden Autumn

December 5, 2009 Flora

I realize it’s still autumn. But does this look like December 5? Our trees are still crimson, gold and amber — attributed to minimal rain and a mild autumn. We’re bracing for a storm next week which might send these leaves tumbling. But for now, fall lingers just outside my door. These photos were taken [...]

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What is Precious?

December 1, 2009 Philosophically Speaking

This post evolved from several unrelated events . . . connected only by the meaning I assigned to them. I watched Pirate Radio, a fictional account of a pirate radio ship broadcasting off the coast of England in the 1960s. I linked out from a blog post the other day and landed on a hunting [...]

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