Shaman in the Moonlight – Photography stopped being a solitary act for me the first time Ann joined me on a photo adventure and she shared the first of many, many good ideas. When Marcus was born, I found new joys in expressing the musical notes he wove into our fabric. When we’re all together and sharing a good vibe, the photographic output is always richer for their input – intended or circumstantial.On a trip to Mt. Diablo Marcus got a sudden yen for rock climbing which took us to Rock City. As he ran from one formation to another, he led us under an oak tree that framed the rising moon through a twisting core. Maybe it’s because I just started reading Carlos Casteneda that I got distracted by a shape that reminded me of cliff carvings of a dancing shaman – with the moon over his right shoulder.

Mt. Diablo State Park, Danville, California January 7, 2012.

Exposure was 1/400th at f/5.6 at ISO 400 with a Canon 400mm f/5.6 lens. Processed in Adobe Lightroom.

Thanksgiving Day sunset looking through the Golden Gate Bridge from Berkeley’s Cesar Chavez Park. November 24, 2011. Made just after holiday dinner and before the tiramisu for dessert.

The highly variable weather in the Golden Gate makes the winter months a fantastic time to make images of San Francisco Bay and the bridges with dramatic clouds near and far. Cesar Chavez Park provides gret views of the GG Bridge, as well as the possibility of having soaring seagulls fly into a scenic frame at any time. At this time of year, the sun setting behind the bridge can be seen from the next town over from behind the Albany Racetrack which has a large, convenient area of accessible shoreline you can access from 80 from Buchanan St or on a bike from the Gilman exit.

This image is a high dynamic-range composite of three consecutive frames made using varied exposures (-2, 0, +2). Image was processed in Photomatix 4 and Lightroom.

From a February 2011 shoot at Marin County’s Rodeo Beach.  The light of sunset reflected off the post-storm waves churning along the coast.  This image was selected for the 2011 Emeryville Art Exhibit held October 1 – 23 at 1480 64th St in Emeryville. Two other images from the same visit are available online in my Abstracts Gallery on Smugmug.com.

Bull elk on a ridge in Lamar Valley at sunset. Yellowstone National Park, October 2009.

Sunset hitting El Salto and the mountains around Taos. Seen from El Salto Road, Arroyo Seco, New Mexico, February 2008.