In October, I took a trip to Nevada City, California. Even though shooting fall color wasn't the reason for the trip, I thought I might find and photograph some there. So I got up before sunrise and went scouting. I didn't find much good fall color, but I did find, or rather, was found by, [...]
A make-up artist named Skip was at my granddaughters' combined birthday party in early October. The party had an "animal" theme, and the kids came dressed as their favorite animals. Skip is a talented face-painter, and the girls' outfits and painted faces were great subjects. Here's Skip painting Eva as a rabbit. And the finished [...]
I drove up to Penngrove to shoot the Third Annual South of Heaven Filthies Humdinger Car Show. I had such good luck at the lowrider show in San Francisco, I figured I'd give this one a try. It was smaller, and in a park vs. on San Francisco city streets, but the vibe was similar. [...]
I prefer portraits where the photographer and subject plan a shoot together ahead of time. But I rarely do that. I still like portraiture, though, so I take street portraits. These are somewhere between a planned session and a candid shot. I talk to the subject ahead of time and ask them to pose for [...]
For the fifth year, I went to Carnaval in San Francisco over Memorial Day weekend. It's ideal for street portraiture and event photography. The participants are in colorful costumes and are all willing to pose for pictures. Despite that, there are challenges. The overcast day provides even, soft light, but it's also a flat, dull [...]
I take photos of my granddaughters when they're at my house on Thursdays. Many are not good, for various reasons. Some are mediocre, a few are valuable for documentary reasons, and, very occasionally, one is special. Like this portrait of Eva. I took it with my 28mm fixed-lens camera, when I was seated just [...]
I was in New Orleans on the Friday night before Halloween. I'd heard that Bourbon Street was crowded and loud, so I went to Frenchman Street, which was more sedate. I walked up and down only a short stretch of the street, but there were plenty of revelers out in their costumes. Here are [...]
Up Your Alley (also known as Dore Alley) is an annual leather and fetish event in San Francisco, known as the little brother to the much-larger Folsom Street Fair. This is the second time I've gone there to photograph the day. The attendees are friendly, and without exception, happy to pose for portraits. This year, [...]
I went to a workshop taught by Mark de Paola, a New York-based fashion photographer and filmmaker, whose style for his personal work—and often his commercial work—is to take photos where the main subject is out of focus. You can see examples on his website. His justification is that science has shown that "the entirety of [...]
Last Sunday I went into San Francisco to photograph Carnaval. I've done it four times before, and each time I learn something I can apply for next time. The event always yields great photos, including portraits of the performers before the parade, performers during the parade, the backdrop of the Mission District, and [...]