This Sunday I woke up very early (4:40 AM) to drop my wife off at the San Francisco Half Marathon in which she was running. Being up before sunrise I thought it would be worth a try to go out looking for wildlife photo opportunities. Fortunately wildlife abounds here in the San Francisco bay area and it only takes a short drive to get to an area you might cross paths with wild animals.
After dropping my wife off I decided to race the runners, rather get through town and across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin county before the race began at 5:30 AM. Getting across town was quite a challenge since many of the streets were shut down for the race. A few detours later and a groggy drive out of town I ended up in the Marin Headlands.
The lighting was poor, at least in the sense of magic hour lighting, due to heavy fog. As the morning progressed though the overcast skies provided for nice even lighting. Next up was to find a subject to photograph.
Driving slowly through the Marin Headlands it’s easy too come across wildlife. Drive too fast and you’re likely to either scare them off or worse run them over. The later definitely doesn’t make for great photography.
On this morning I happened across and tracked a coyote. Seeing as how coyotes have been in the news here in San Franciso it was very timely to be able to photograph one in the wild. They’re truly amazing creatures and are very timid. I was very lucky to be able to get close enough with out startling him/her and got some relatively decent photos. After photographing this coyote my feelings about the coyotes killed in Golden Gate Park became more intense. I look forward to seeing and photographing more wild coyotes in the future and home that the Department of Fish & Game adopt a more sound policy in their management.
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While in White Sands New Mexico this was one of the tallest dunes I came across. The late morning lighting seemed to really give this dune a great shape and tonal range. One of these days I have to make my way back to White Sands National Monument. Of all the places I’ve visited it still remains one of my favorite places to photograph.
Technorati Tags: White Sands National Monument, White Sands, landscape, photograph, photo, photography, dune, New Mexico
Photographing wildlife is an awe inspiring experience. With many subjects its easy to get lost in their beauty and power. When it comes to large predators if they look back at you, you instantly realize where you are on the food chain.
Technorati Tags: San Francisco, zoo, wildlife, photography, Sumatran Tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae
This evening I attended the Fotovision.org lecture on “The Legal Landscape of Street Shooting“.
The panel included:
David Greene, Executive Director of “The First Amendment Project“
Pondra Perkins is a Staff Attorney and Environmental Advocacy Fellow at “The First Amendment Project“
James Wheaton, co-founder of the “The First Amendment Project“
This was by far one of the best panel discussions I’ve been to. The $10 admission fee was a bargain. The panelists defined numerous key concepts, terms and laws with relevant examples from recent news. You’d think that a legal discussion would end up being stale and boring, but the panelists had a great sense of humor and outlook to the concepts discussed. A helpful handout included key forms and legal statutes to be aware of was handed out along with the discussion outline:
1. The Basics
2. Taking Photographs on Public and Quasi-Public Property
3. Taking Photographs on Private Property
4. Invasion of Privacy
- Intrusion
- False Light
- Private Facts
- Misappropriation
5. Obscenity and Child Pornography
6. Protecting Your Unpublished Work
7. Copyright
8. Trademark
9. Subpoenas and Shield Laws
The discussion format was open enabling questions to be asked throughout. Those in attendance, hungry for information, were well mannered so the discussion was orderly and civil. Those in attendance had a photojournalist slant, but that was to be expected considering the event was held at the UC Berkeley School of Photojournalism. Don’t be fooled by the audience or location, all the content discussed was pertinent to every photographer. Although more may know me for my landscape and nature work I still enjoy cityscape, street and travel photography. Awareness to the laws impacting photographers is a universal need and affects all genres.
On that note the discussion was recorded and is due to be released as a podcast. As soon as I’m made aware of its release I’ll be sure to post a link.
Technorati Tags: legal, law, photography, street, photography, shooting, photojournalism, review, First Amendment Project
23
Jul
Posted in Alaska, Arctic Refuge, California, Chicago, Illinois, Landscape, Locations, Philosophy, Photography, San Francisco, Washington, Wildlife by Jim |
No matter what type of photography interests you, whether its landscape photography, nature photography, street photography, people photography or any other type of photography its essential to always be prepared. Over the years I’ve learned that being prepared is itself an art form. The art of preparedness is seldom just a generic chore and can require quite a bit of creative thought. Read more… »
There are no shortage of Red-tailed hawks in my area, but getting a good shot of one has proven to be a real challenge. This weekend everything seemed to fall into place as I finally found myself in the right place with the right lighting. To say these birds are incredible would be an understatement.
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Sunset lighting on the Golden Gate Bridge as seen from Baker Beach. For those that are curious this was taken last year. More of my Golden Gate Bridge photos can be seen in my gallery.
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Technorati Tags: San Francisco, landscape, photography, Golden Gate Bridge, photo
A late afternoon view of the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in Mendocino County.
Technorati Tags: Point Cabrillo, lighthouse, Mendocino, California, light station, Department of Parks and Recreation
