YouTube Live concert photos

On November 22, 2008 I attended the YouTube Live event that took place at Fort Mason in San Francisco.  It was a lot of fun, and challenging from a photography perspective.  Some of the performers I was able to photograph were: Akon, Joe Satriani, Funtwo, Esemee Denters, WILL.I.AM, Katy Perry, Soulja Boy, Lisa Lavie, and a special appearance by Gavin Newsom and his wife Jennifer Siebel.  Photo info is included below each image.  Lenses used: Nikon 70-200mm  2.8 and Nikon 85mm 1.4.

Akon
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1600, 70mm

Akon
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1600, 105mm

Akon
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1600, 102mm

Esmee Denters
f2.8, 1/800, ISO 1600, 70mm

Esmee Denters
f2.8, 1/800, ISO 1600, 200mm

WILL.I.AM
f2.8, 1/1000, ISO 1600, 70mm

WILL.I.AM
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1600, 70mm

Gavin Newsom & Jennifer Siebel
f2.8, 1/640, ISO 1600, 175mm

Gavin Newsom & Jennifer Siebel
f2.8, 1/15, ISO 1600, 130mm

Soulja Boy (Soulja Boy Tell 'Em)
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1600, 70mm

Soulja Boy (Soulja Boy Tell 'Em)
f2.8, 1/250, ISO 1600, 70mm

Lisa Lavie
f2.8, 1/250, ISO 1600, 180mm

Joe Satriani
f2.8, 1/320, ISO 1600, 160mm

Joe Satriani & Funtwo
f2.8, 1/1000, ISO 1600, 70mm

Katy Perry
f2.8, 1/400, ISO 1000, 85mm

Lone Horse

Napa, California.

f5.6, 1/650, ISO 100, 23mm

The many faces of Sammy

Our son Sam, at 3 weeks old. Photos were all taken indoors with natural window light and Sam laying on top of a white baby blanket as the background.

Roger & Gem Wedding

My old friend Roger got married at the Hans Fahden winery in Napa, and I went to it fully prepared to take a ton of photos. I usually do this whenever I go to weddings, mostly for the benefit of the bride & groom so they can have some immediate gratification before getting their hands on the photos from the professionals. And, of course, I like to take photos. But this time around there were so many people with serious camera hardware at the wedding that I decided to relax and not go overboard. Nonetheless, I'm happy with how a few of them turned out.


I happen to catch Gem looking right at me as Roger delivers a toast.
f/1.4, 1/50s, 50mm, ISO 160





The girls looking sophisticated while eating Rock Candy.
f/2.8, 1/50s, 24mm, ISO 160





Roger & Gem make their first appearance after the ceremony.
f/2.8, 1/125s, 17mm, ISO 200

Golden Gate Bridge at dusk

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, as seen from the Marin headlands.


f/8, 17mm, ISO 200, 10 second exposure

Watermelons!

While driving in San Francisco around 17th & Florida I spotted this colorful mural painted by Pico Sanchez on a stretch of wooden fence, and instantly knew that I would have to return with my wife and camera for a little portrait session. Turns out that we went back to the mural twice, the second time with me insisting that we bring a slice of watermelon along with us. Fun was had by all, including the curious and amused passers by (especially the observant guy who yelled "WATERMELONS!!" from his car window as he drove by).

Here are a couple of my favorite shots from our second visit.


f/2.8, 1/1000s, 19mm, ISO 200


f/2.8, 1/600s, 24mm, ISO 200

Joe McNally visits Google

On May 15 had the pleasure of hearing Joe McNally speak at Google. It's quite an honor as he is a prolific photographer who's been at it for over 30 years. He's worked for Time, Life, Newsweek, National Geographic, and Sports Illustrated to name a few of the high profile publications he's contributed to. I read his just-released new book, The Moment It Clicks and thought it was a great read. His book is written in a similar style as his blog, which is very conversational and often self-deprecating in a very funny way.

Joe has already written about his appearance on his own blog, and here's what he came away with about the work environment at Google:

"Thing is, it doesn’t feel like a big company. It feels very human. It feels like a place where people (and their pets) are valued. The array of food options (for free) is astonishing. There are more cafes and eateries per square yard than Little Italy in NY. Seems management figured out it is cheaper, happier and more productive to take care of their employees and create a positive work environment than to burn them to a crisp, make them afraid of the future, and send them off into the highways and byways of California in search of a Taco Bell for lunch."

Here's the YouTube video of his appearance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Av6gCq_awQ

Ferry Building - San Francisco

f/10, 13 seconds, 17mm, ISO 200
Shot at dusk from the Hyatt hotel across the street.

Doe Mountain Trail Mesa - Sedona, Arizona

Taking interesting pregnancy photos isn't easy, I've come to realize. It's a bit of a tightrope act of trying to show the belly in all its glory while at the same time taking extra care to show it (and mom) in a flattering way.

I like how there are three distinct 'formations' to look at in this photo. You have the baby bump of course, the small stack of rocks that someone created, and the grandeur of the mountain valley.

m
f/8, 1/200sec, 20mm, ISO 200
Doe Mountain trail mesa
Sedona, Arizona

Fun with textures

Inspired by my friends over at the image is found photography, I thought I would take a crack at introducing some textures to my images. Here is my first experiment.



f/2.8, 1/80s, 17mm, ISO 800

For reference, this is a sample of the concrete texture I used (the original is too big to display here). I flipped the texture horizontally so the crack you see there would appear on the right side instead of the left as it is below.

(I found this image on some free texture site.)

It's in the eyes

f/2.8, 1/100sec, 22mm, ISO 800

View from the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco

f/8, 8 seconds, 17mm, ISO 200

Grace Cathedral can be seen, and if you look carefully, you can see the Golden Gate bridge on the far right.

Arizona dreams

1/4000 sec, f/2.8, 35mm, ISO 200, center-weighted metering
Shot from drivers side window into rental car side-view mirror

Coit Tower, Alcatraz / San Francisco

Having lived in or around San Francisco for a long time has caused me to take its beauty for granted. I've been trying to change that, and these dusk shots of Coit Tower and North Beach were taken from the highest floor of the Hilton on Kearny street, which offers the unobstructed view you see below. Thanks to Thomas Hawk for the tip on the Hilton.


f/11, 13 seconds, 50mm, ISO 200

Broadway & Columbus, North Beach / San Francisco

f/8, 1.3 seconds, 55mm, ISO 200

silhouette

f/2.8, 1/80, ISO 3200, 55mm

VW Beetle

f/4, 1/30, ISO 3200, 31mm

Drive Slow Sound Horn

f/2.8, 1/80, ISO 1600, 30mm

Picetti-Cadillac 62

f/4, 1/125s, ISO 800, 17-55mm@19mm

Overlooking Fort Mason

f/3.5, 1/640s, ISO 400, 17mm
Fort Mason, San Francisco

F Train, Fisherman's Wharf

f2.8, 1/25s, ISO 1600, 34mm

2007: The year in pictures

This is a list of 'photos of the year' collections by many of the news outlets. Credit goes to Rob Galbraith for this list, I just took it and cut it down to a more terse bulleted list that's easier for me to read.

There are some stunning photos in these galleries.

• Time's Year in Images
• MSNBC's 2007 Year in Pictures
• Reuters' Pictures of the Year 2007
• Washington Post's Best of Post 2007
  
• Sports Illustrated's 43 of its best photos
• San Francisco Chronicle's Year in Pictures
• USA TODAY's 2007: The year in pictures
• New York Times' 2007: The Year in Pictures
• Los Angeles Times' Best of 2007: Photography
• International Herald Tribune's 2007 in Pictures
• National Geographic's Best Wildlife Photos of 2007
  
• AOL's People's Choice gallery and Editor's Choice gallery
• European Pressphoto Agency's (epa) Yearender 2007
• Canada's National Post's photo galleries on Faith and Mirth and Joy