Day 17: Curling in Oakland
Day 17: January 17, 2014: Curling in Oakland
I ventured over to Oakland this evening for a group outing to the Oakland Ice Center for a curling lesson and match, in honor of a friend’s birthday. Honestly, I had no idea that one could go curling in the Bay Area. It turns out there is a small (but growing) group of dedicated curlers here making up the Bay Area Curling Club. They meet a couple times a week on a few multipurpose ice rinks around the bay in Oakland, Fremont, and San Jose toward the end of the evening for league night, lessons, and other group events.
We showed up for our lesson during league night, with 3 sheets dedicated to league play and one for us to play around with our enthusiastic instructors. This crowd is clearly very into their curling, with specialized curling gear and curling club jackets with patches and all, yet they were incredibly welcoming too. As serious about the sport as they were, everyone was there to have a good time, and no one was too serious to welcome the newbies and invite us back for a league night. Though it’s too far for me to make it out there regularly, they seemed like a fun crew, and I’d love to make it back one of these days. Interested in curling? Wondering what curling is? Go check them out!
(Shot with the EOS 650 SLR on Kodak Portra 400)
Day 16: Well Now, This is Interesting
Day 16: January 16, 2014: South San Francisco
Well, this is a bit unexpected… A fantastically pink sky drew me out from work this evening to take a little break and watch the sunset. While out here, I took a couple shots with that same 25+ year old Fotomat film that I was using up on Twin Peaks, and I ended up with these.
It was quite pink out (a shot from another camera just came out looking like I maxed out the magenta filter in photoshop), but I don’t know where all of the greens and such come from. The photos from the other day came out pretty normal as far as color goes, so maybe this end of the roll aged a bit differently than the earlier photos? It seems that film is always an adventure. Let the experiments continue!
(Fotomat 100 color film, expired in 1990, shot as ISO 50 in the thrift shop EOS 650)
Day 15: Castro Mornings
Day 15: January 15, 2014: Castro Mornings
An early morning moment spent waiting and observing.
We’ve all got somewhere to be in the morning. We’re artists, tech workers, scientists, students, restaurant workers, bankers, city workers, business owners, a thousand other things, and every combination of the above. Whether by Muni, Caltrain, BART, corporate shuttle, bike, or on foot, we’re all making our way and we’ve got a lot more in common than we sometimes realize. Everyone is out here doing what we can to afford and build a life in this beautiful, and expensive, city. And at this point in the morning, I think most of us would really just love to make it to our destinations without being run over by a car or a bus.
I’d particularly like to get there without being run over by my own company’s bus…I mean, can you imagine the comments that story would collect on the internet? It would just be ridiculous.
(Taken on Fuji Velvia 50 with Canon Sureshot A1 SLC P27)
Day 14: South San Francisco Sunset
Day 14: January 14, 2014: South San Francisco Bay
A little bit of sunset action today from the scenic corporate campus. With some time to kill between experiments, I stumbled upon a sunset, low tide, and full moon, all at the same time! What does it mean‽
This area is interesting, and these photos have me thinking about it’s history. A former industrial area before being overcome by the biotech boom, some of the past begins to emerge at low tide. Wandering through the mud this day, I came upon a series of concrete structures that are typically submerged. My guess is some sort of former pier, based on the orderly rows, but I could be completely wrong. From what I’ve been told, this particular spot used to be the home of a paint factory. Could these structures be related to that, or do they predate even this former purpose? How many times has this land changed purpose before it ended up as a biotech campus today? So many changes, so much history. Thoughts and wonders: I has many.
The pinks of the sunset sure were pretty, though.
In other news: I have a photo in the upcoming “Home” Exhibition at Dickerman Prints in San Francisco. The show runs March 22-April 10, with an opening reception tomorrow from 6:30-8 PM. I’ll be there tomorrow, so come on down and stop by!
(Taken with waterproof Canon Sureshot SLC P27 snow leopard cam, using an expired roll of Fuji Velvia 50 slides)
Day 13: Eureka Station
Day 13: January 13, 2014: Eureka Station
Here’s a question for all of you out there: Is this interesting, or is this a throw away? What do you think? I’m having a little debate in my head here, and would love some additional input.
I would have originally told you that this was a quick shot on my walk home, just to have a photo for the day, but now I find myself questioning my assessment. I’ve been told that this one is far more interesting than I would have given it credit for. Now I’m here wondering if this one really is so interesting: Is there a story in this photo that I’ve taken for granted? Maybe I’ve lost hold of it because I’m so familiar with this space. I’ve been walking past this spot for years, and I know so much history behind it. Maybe it’s gotten too familiar. I do notice that I have far better luck finding interestingness in new locations than in those I’m familiar with. This raises even more questions: Am I just taking for granted other great things around me? Do I get so caught up in the day to day routine and the things I know that I miss the wonder around me every day?
That’s probably not too far off the mark. I think that may be a bit in my nature. I find myself seeking out the new, the unseen, the unusual. These things fascinate me, but is this causing me to ignore something else important just because it has become familiar? Wow, who would have guessed that a photo a day would lead me into such weird depths of my head?
Anyway…back to the question at hand: Does this raise a curiosity or a fascination in the viewer, or is it a routine shot of average routinenessitude? I’d love to know your thoughts.
For a bit of history, this is one of the entrance ramps to the Muni Twin Peaks Tunnel in the Castro. These unused ramps lead down to the former Eureka Station, which has been abandoned since the construction of the Muni Metro in 1972. This station was replaced by the Castro Station a block or so away, but was never demolished and still exists as an abandoned platform, visible when passing through the tunnel on today’s metro. I would love to have the chance to wander down there and see what remains.
New things. 🙂
(Taken with waterproof Canon Sureshot SLC P27 snow leopard cam, using an expired roll of Fuji Velvia 50 slides)
Day 12: On Top of the World With 25 Year Old Film
Day 12: January 12, 2014: Twin Peaks
Hello! I’m back with some interestingness today. My friend Lorrayne gave me some strange old (real old) 12 shot expired film found in the back of her parents’ closet. This particular one was a Fotomat branded 100 ISO color film that happened to expire in 1990. Now, I don’t really have a clue how far out they set those expiration dates back in the day, but I figure it has to be at least 25+ years old. I overexposed it by one stop, because the Googles told me to, and I’m quite pleased with the results. Obviously, there’s some funkiness there, but what can you expect? Seriously, this film has been sitting on a shelf since the days of Hammer pants and Twin Peaks, and has likely been there longer than the Hubble Space Telescope has been in space. Think about that for a second. Crazy, huh?
Who would have guessed back in 1990 that this simple little roll of film would be used to capture a scene of the future 25 years later? Yet, here I am now, using a little piece of history to capture the present. It kind of blows my mind to see my world appear on this little strip of material from so long ago. As I try to wrap this up so I can get to bed, I’m left thinking about the world of photography past, wondering if our present is anything like any future that could have been imagined in those ubiquitous developing shops that are now long gone. I suppose nostalgia would be the right word, but having never really used film outside of the cheap point and shoot cameras I had as a child, can I feel nostalgia for something I was never really a part of? Maybe it’s more of just a connection with the past that I’m feeling. It’s something, though. Something I’ve never felt from digital. Will my digital SLR today still be taking photos as we approach 2040? I doubt it, but what do I know?
Honestly, 95% of the time, I could personally get a better image with a modern digital camera than I can with any of my film. I certainly have no plans to ditch the digital, but the film has it’s own unique energy. There’s something special there. Something tangible that I’m having a blast exploring.
I have a lot of film scanned now, and some fun stuff coming up. Stay tuned!
🙂
Caruso’s Dream
Drawn here by a post from the Sunset Pianos organizers, I had the chance to attend the unveiling of Brian Goggin’s and Dorka Keehn’s new artwork “And My Room Still Rocks Like a Boat on the Sea (Caruso’s Dream)” on 9th Street off Market this evening. Funded by the 1% for Art program, which requires all construction of a certain size downtown to provide public art totalling 1% of the construction cost, the piece is a collection of 13 glass pianos dangling off of a new uber trendy apartment building at the location.
Tonight, a chorus of 12 grand pianos, conducted by Mauro ffortissimo (the man behind the delightful Sunset Pianos) was followed by an performance from the Extra Action Marching Band, while three women in red rappeled from the roof to take the wraps off of the artwork. Good show.
Day 11: Sutro Forest
Day 11: January 11, 2014: Sutro Forest
On this day, I lost myself in the forest, amongst the trees, shrouded in fog. I was alone out here. Directly in the center of San Francisco, yet completely isolated from it. Just me, my thoughts, and the moisture dripping from the treetops.
This is my home. This is my quiet. This is my time to dive into my head and get out all of the stress and unrest. This is my clarity. Funny how the best clarity just seems to come around when things aren’t so clear.
Did I mention that I love the forest in the fog?
This spot has me thinking about my portrait project again. I haven’t been off to the speediest start, and am still working out the kinks, but I would love to solicit any volunteers who might be reading this. Do you have a place that makes you feel at home, that centers you, that makes you feel balanced, or that just has some special meaning in your world? I’d love to spend some time there with you taking some portraits and hopefully learning why that place holds a particular meaning to you. I’m reaching out to those who I am able, but please feel free to reach out to me if you’d like to participate.
(Photos taken with my thrift shop Canon EOS 650 on 7 year expired Kodak Gold Max 400 with a super wide angle lens that technically isn’t supposed to fit on the camera, but seems to do so)
Day 10: Clarity Above the Fog
Day 10: January 10: 2014: Twin Peaks
Mornings like this, wow, these are my favorite. I could have missed this. I could have slept in and gone straight to work. Normally, I would have. How many days have I slept in and missed an amazing morning? This is why I love a project like this one. This is why I do it. It pushes me when I need a push. Sure, some days I’m not happy with what I find, or I just don’t want to do it, but the pressure keeps me going. It forces me into places and situations that I wouldn’t reach on my own. It pushes my boundaries and expands my horizons, while showing me how much beauty is out there, and how much more I have to discover.
Many people can lead a perfectly happy existence without ever pushing their boundaries. Hell, I did it for a couple decades without seeing anything wrong with it at the time and would have been perfectly happy to continue indefinitely. However, that was not to be.
I blame California.
Moving here on short notice, I knew little about the place or what I wanted from the world. The only certainty was that this would be a short-term stay: 1 or 2 years max. Now, 7+ years later, looking back on a wealth of experiences that I wouldn’t trade for the world, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. My experiences here and beyond have pushed my limits in ways I could never have predicted.
No matter how many of these boundaries I cross, the next one doesn’t come any easier. I’ve come to expect that it will always be awkward, stressful, exhausting, painful, or all of the above (and trust me, I do awkward REALLY well). The difference comes in knowing that there is something better on the other side: knowing that it will be worth it in the end.
What drives you? What frightens you? What wonders are your self-imposed limits causing you to miss in the world? Are you willing to take a chance to find out?
These were my thoughts on a morning above the fog. A morning that could easily have been lost to sleeping in, or even worse, a commute.
(Mix of Fuji Velvia 50 shot with Canon Sureshot A1 SLC P27 and expired Kodak Gold Max 800 shot with the thrift shop Canon EOS 650)
Day 9: Trying Something New With Something Old
Day 9: January 9, 2014: Twin Peaks
Trying something new with something old today. Or maybe that’s something old with something old, in a new way. Or trying a new way to do something old with something old that is new to me? Now I’m confused…Let’s start over.
The hardest part of this project so far has been the limitations of film in low light. I’ve been less than satisfied with the dark grainy nothing I’ve been finding in many of my negatives, so it was time to try something different. Today was a day of experimentation. Taking my new old film camera up to Twin Peaks, I set out to see how my old long exposure night tricks would translate to film. There will be much learning to continue, but I’m pretty optimistic, given the turnout from my first try on expired film.
(Expired Kodak Gold 400 from 2007 in my Canon EOS650 from the late 80’s)
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