Sutro Baths

June 2012 was my first trip to California. Chris and I wandered San Francisco for several days, hitting many of the usual tourist sites: Lombard Street, Coit Tower, Chinatown, Japantown, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate Park, the Mission District, Delores Park... It was glorious, but overwhelming. After a few days, we both craved solitude -- or at least a reprieve from the constant crowds.

I'd wanted to visit Sutro Baths for years. The concrete ruins are all that remains of what was for decades a thriving center of entertainment and society. The Baths, which opened in 1896, comprised seven swimming pools (mostly saltwater pools) with the combined capacity for 10,000 people to swim at one time. Can you imagine? They also housed an amphitheater, art galleries, restaurants, an ice skating rink, arcades, shops, and in later years, even amusement park rides. The Baths burned down in the 1960s, and were never rebuilt.

We arrived on a dark, misty day. Winds chopped the water into whitecaps. Hardly anyone else was there -- a strange thing, considering it's a National Historic Site and listed among the National Parks -- leaving us to wander alone the ruins.

For me, it was the highlight of the trip. I can't wait to return, preferably on a similarly ethereal day.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Part 3: Water

The glacial lakes in Jackson Hole are stunning. Clear and reflective, with a perfect blue cast. I'm not sure I've ever seen such pure water in nature. I grew up on Lake Erie, and I've been to the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the Aegean Sea. I've seen the Pacific Ocean from near San Francisco and of course, I live on Long Island, with the Atlantic Ocean half an hour from my door. In my experience, nothing compares to the glacial lakes for clarity and reflectivity.

Lake Jenny, at the foot of Cascade Canyon.

Not all of the water in Jackson Hole is the result of glacial melting. The Snake River is the main water feature. Below is a view of the Snake from the Oxbow Bend.

Probably my favorite glacial lake is the one we encountered on Mount Glory. Surrounded on three sides by mountain, this (as far as I know) nameless crystal lake feels secret and special. It took a two-hour uphill hike to get to it. We spent an hour walking the perimeter, taking photos, and basking in the quiet.

There's very little distortion from the water. You can see the rocks below the surface in great detail from far away.

Try as I might, I couldn't fit the whole lake into the scope of my 210mm lens. That little blue speck on the shore on the right? That's Chris. It's that big.

It wasn't all clear. There was some algae or something clouding the water here.

from a technical point of view, not one of my best photos. The lake was more blue than green. Still, amazing to look at.

In my next installment, we'll wrap up with some close-up flora and a few people. I hope you're enjoying this little travelogue as much as I am.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Part 2: Mountains

Buildings in the Mormon Row Historic District

Jackson Hole is big. Really, really big. The buildings in the photo above are big ones, but they're dwarfed by the mountains in the distance and swallowed up by the open prairie. We didn't get to approach the houses and barn -- this shot uses a telephoto lens -- but we saw enough to be impressed by the isolation here.

The Tetons are technically taller than the Rockies. Though the Rockies have higher altitude, their base is much higher than their younger neighbors. The Tetons are significantly larger, measured from base to peak(s). Being younger, less erosion has taken place on the Tetons, allowing them to retain the inverted-triangle shape that most of us imagine when we think of mountains.

I used a telephoto lens for most of these photos. Photographing mountains up close is a lot like trying to take a picture of the Empire State Building from Fifth Avenue and 34th Street; all you see is a tiny portion of the base, with no sense of scale to see how big it actually is.

The mountains are literally miles away. — The mountains are literally *miles* away.

More next time. For now, I'll leave you with my attempt at recreating the famous Ansel Adams photo of the Snake River. I'm no Ansel Adams, but I think it came out okay.

Experiments in bokeh

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time in my garden in the early mornings. Because my new Sony Alpha 6300 has excellent dynamic range, I've started experimenting with bokeh, using my 18-200mm telephoto lens.

The telephoto makes it easy. In most of my shots, I'm actually 3-4 feet away, using a 100-140mm focal length.

Another tulip. I don't really have many tulips in my yard -- it's just that they're highly photogenic (even when giving up the ghost, as this was).

I'll post more flower photos as spring progresses. For now, here's a spruce branch, waving goodbye (until another day).

Nina Paley on top of the world

Artist, animator, cyclist, and general Renaissance woman Nina Paley

Friday, I got to have lunch with the amazing Nina Paley at Google NYC. Nina is an artist extraordinaire, and I was lucky to get a couple of hours with her for lunch and a photo shoot on the rooftop terrace of the Google building in New York City. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

Just the Right Amount of Kooky?

I was very fortunate this past weekend to have helped take photos of Bettye Rainwater for her blog Fashionschlub.com. Bettye's a terrific photographer in her own right, and I learned a lot in just an hour! I can't really take credit for these photos -- she lined up the shots, I just made with the click -- but it was a thrill to be involved in such a cool and body-positive project.

Thanks, Bettye! Let's do it again soon.