One of the best modern traditions in San Francisco is the Bring Your Own Big Wheel event held every Easter Sunday afternoon. Having photographed BYOBW 2007, BYOBW 2008 and BYOBW 2010 you’d think there would be nothing new to see, but in fact each year it keeps getting better. Last year the die hards endured cold San Francisco rain, but this year the sun came out making for a great day of tricycle carnage and whacky costume revelry. One nice touch to this years event was a heat dedicated to attending kids and a sign of the event getting bigger and more formal was the requirement of each rider to register and sign a waiver. Still a great time to be had by all. Here are my Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2011 photo highlights plus a video to give you a sample of the BYOBW experience:
Highlights from Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2011 in San Francisco, California. This years event was held Potrero Hill on 20th Street and Vermont Ave. on Easter Sunday April 24, 2011.
San Francisco is an easy town to fall in love with. The views never cease to amaze and the weather conditions give the city a new look each and every day. No look is more dramatic or romantic as a blanket of fog laying over the bay and around the iconic Golden Gate Bridge & skyline of San Francisco.
This photo was taken this past February when lighting and weather conditions were perfect, The two frequently are not in alignment frustrating photographers who visit for short periods of time on their travels. If you look closely you’ll see Coit Tower in the top opening of the Golden Gate Bridge Tower. There used to be a lookout with a bench that you could capture this view quite easily from the Marin Headlands. On this visit I found that that lookout/turnout has been completely removed. Now if you want to align the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower in a photo you have to do some searching by foot.
Every so often the sunsets in San Francisco hardly seem real. What amazes me is how beautifully the entire city will light up from such light shows. San Francisco… always a humbling experience with every viewing.
Below is my final set of images from my time at the Lands End Labyrinth last Tuesday. My favorite photo is below, but I invite you to explore my other photos of the evenings that were not included in my previous post, Lands End Labyrinth Luminaries. Enjoy!
This past Saturday I led the Sutro Baths Photo Walk here in San Francisco and was joined by a group of great photographers from all over northern California. This particular photo walk was one of many held on Saturday as part of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk event. The weather was typical for San Francisco summers and ideal for longer exposure photography. For those that stuck it out there were great photo opportunities to be found. The photo walk started at 6:30, ran past sunset and I believe I was one of the last people to leave at 10pm. For those that joined me thank you so much for your participation and perseverance.
It’s that time of year again. July 24th I’m going to be leading a photowalk here in San Francisco as part of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk mega-event. Last years photowalk through North Beach was a lot of fun with lots of great photos taken, but this year I’m going to be sharing a favorite spot of mine… Sutro Baths and Lands End. We’ll be meeting in front of Louis’, a small restaurant, and then exploring the Sutro Bath ruins, walking on the Lands End trail for great views of the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge and returning to the ruins for sunset dusk shooting.
If you’re in town on July 24th join me by signing up. Space is filling up fast. At last check the photowalk was half full after 1 day.
I recently photographed my elusive “white whale” photo subject, a fog enveloped Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise. You might expect I’d be happy with capturing dozens of photos of this amazing phenomenon, but I’m eager to photograph it again to get a different take on it. I should clarify I am very satisfied with the photos captured including the one shown below, but I have an incredibly strong desire to try something new next time.
What might surprise you is that I almost missed this opportunity out of sheer laziness. I knew conditions were lining up to be good the evening before and I set my alarm for 5am… 40 minutes before sunrise. I had been working on photos until about 1am that morning and when my alarm went off I had a tough time getting my butt in gear. I got up, looked out my window and I could see a clear view above a fog layer in the valley beneath the hill I live on. What this meant is that the fog was receding and hugging the coast making the odds the bridge would be poking out of the fog a near certainty. Even still I got back in bed and after much internal debate I got myself up and out of the house. It should be noted to minimize my own internal resistance I had my gear ready to go the night before so no extra effort was needed… I just needed to get on the road.
To say I’m happy that I eventually got up is an understatement. The conditions turned out to be perfect and the rate at which the fog receded was astonishingly quick. With in a matter of 90-120 minutes the fog lowered in level from the top of the Golden Gate Bridge towers to below the bridge span. The morning air was cool, filled with the sound of birds chirping and of course foghorns. Beyond getting photographs of this phenomenon it was just fun to witness. Heck even the drive back was exciting as the fog was barely spilling over the bridge.
Easily one of the three most recognizable landmarks in San Francisco, Coit Tower is often lit beautifully by artificial and natural lighting. At the right time of day you can use both of these lighting types to capture dramatic photographs of this commonly photographed subject.
One thing I’m quite embarrassed about is the fact that I’ve yet to visit Coit Tower and enjoy the view from the top of the tower. After living in San Francisco for nearly 10 years you’d think I’d have visited all the classic locations. One of these days I’ll make it to Coit Tower and to Alcatraz too.
