HOPE

Caught this on a walk near Santa Monica. You know when you think about it, if that were a picture of McCain or Palin instead of Obama, the message just wouldn't work. If you can think of one word for that campaign, what would it be?

Army Act

Note how the background matches the army uniform. Matching your subject's colors to that of the background is a great quick and easy idea for a better photograph.

Big Morongo Trail

The first hiking trail you get to after leaving Palm Springs, CA on Highway 62 on the way to Joshua Tree National Park is the Big Morongo Trail. The trail is in the Big Morongo Canyon Reserve a beautiful area that includes grasses that grow in marshes and ponds with pupfish. There's also this old car buried by the test of time.

Yes, indeed, I'm back after a long book-writing break. I'll be posting text and images as often as possible while finishing up my book the 50 GREATEST PHOTO OPS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

Matt Bamberg Gallery

Please visit my gallery to see a sample of my work.

If you have any questions contact matthewbam@aol.com

I'm Back

Hello everyone, I'm back. After a slew of projects, things are winding down a bit. Biggest news is my new book--"The 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in San Francisco."

The book comes out next year. Today, I'm working on landscapes for the book. I've been back and forth from the city four times so far and have had some very good days shooting. Lots of pictures with long shutter speeds and, of course, the great San Francisco fog.

More later....

Succulent with Light Purple Flowers

These purple flowers can carpet areas near the beach all over California. They're flowers of a succulent plant, which I don't know the name of. Some of these succulents have bigger flowers that are yellow.

If anyone has more info on these succulents, please comment.

This photograph is part of a larger one that I cropped out. The picture was taken with a Canon 5D with a Canon L series 24-105mm lens.

Under the Boardwalk

Hmmm, I know that tune...but what are the words? Picture is under the boardwalk at San Clemente, CA.

The Drifters
"Under the Boardwalk"

Season 5
"The Good Fight"

Oh when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof.
And your shoes get so hot, you wish your tired feet were fire-proof.
Under the Boardwalk, down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby, is where I'll be.

(Under the Boardwalk)
Out of the sun.
(Under the Boardwalk)
Man, we'll be having some fun.
(Under the Boardwalk)
People walkin' above.
(Under the Boardwalk)
We'll be falling in love under the Boardwalk,

Boardwalk.

From the palms you hear the happy sounds of the carousel,
and you can almost taste the hot-dogs and french fries they sell.
Under the Boardwalk, down by the sea
on a blanket with my baby, is where I'll be.

(Under the Boardwalk)
Out of the sun.
(Under the Boardwalk)
Man, we'll be having some fun.
(Under the Boardwalk)
People walkin' above.
(Under the Boardwalk)
We'll be falling in love under the Boardwalk,

Boardwalk.

Under the Boardwalk, down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby, is where I'll be.

Under the Boardwalk, down by the sea
On a blanket with my baby, is where I'll be.

Ode to a California Sunset

You don't always need clouds for a beautiful sunset picture. The sun setting way behind the marine layer in the Pacific Ocean can disperse light in all kinds of ways.

Just Fishing

There's something relaxing about fishing. You cast out your line and ... wait.

The pier the fishermen are standing on was built in 1928.

So what are fishermen catching? Here's an answer that describes what one can catch on each part of the pier:

"Inshore, anglers should expect to see corbina, spotfin croaker, yellowfin croaker, a few sargo, barred surfperch, guitarfish, various rays, and small sharks. The mid-pier area will yield all of these (but in a lesser number) and, in addition, offer white croaker, queenfish, halibut, sand bass, silver and walleye surfperch, sculpin (California scorpionfish), salema and jacksmelt. The far end of the 1,296-foot-long pier will see all of these but also yield up more bonito, mackerel, jack mackerel, barracuda and, in some years, even a few small yellowtail."

This information comes from pierfishing.com

Revisiting Myanmar

I'm always recalling my trip to Myanmar.
With nearly 10,000 dead from the cyclone, I feel for the people of that country. There some of the nicest people in all the world.

The following is from the CIA factbook, "September 2007 crackdown on prodemocracy demonstrators, including thousands of monks, further strained the economy as the tourism industry, which directly employs about 500,000 people, suffered dramatic declines in foreign visitor levels. In November 2007, the European Union announced new sanctions banning investment and trade in Burmese gems, timber and precious stones, while the United States expanded its sanctions list to include more Burmese government and military officials and their family members, as well as prominent regime business cronies, their family members, and associated companies."

Something's gotta give here. Things can't get much worse.

The Walter Pyramid

Who'd have figured that Long Beach would have had such weird architecture? This is the Walter Pyramid. It's a sports complex at Cal State University--Long Beach.

Don Gibbs designed the thing and the Nielson Construction of San Diego built it. It cost $22 million to build.

San Clemente Municipal Pier

Just north of San Diego are a string of beach cities, one of which is San Clemente. If you remember San Clemente was where Nixon escaped the hum-drum life in the White House.

I can see why he did, it's a gorgeous place, sweet breezes, swaying Washingtonian palm trees, and a great pier (see picture).

Downtown isn't far from the beach and there are dozens of shops to mill through.

While I wouldn't want to spend more than a day in San Clemente, it's definitely worth a stop for a great photo op.

Fire in Apache Peak area near Idyllwild

Here's the Idyllwild fire as seen from my home in Palm Springs. It's a 15 second exposure.

Tokyo Park

The good people at the Tokyo park system say: "The park is (the) living room in the city."

Above please find a picture of one of Tokyo's lovely parks.

High ISO Speeds

Here's yet another abandoned house from my abandoned home collection. This photo was taken at sunset. Don't you just love the color of the home (robin's egg blue).

I took this photo at 1000 ISO, that is at a film speed where you can get clear photos in limited light.

Many point-and-shoot cameras are coming with ISO controls. They tout it too, advertising that they have films speeds of up to 3200 ISO.

What they don't tell you is at that film speed, you're going to get tons of noise. Noise happens when you get those tiny multicolored dots in your image. You can really see it if you blow up your photos to full size on your monitor.

To see your photographs at full size, all you do is type in 100 in the bottom left of the window.

By looking at your photos in this way, you'll see all the little aberrations that appear when you print out copies of them.

At any rate about the highest film speed you can go is about 1000 in order to not get much noise.

Some cameras are better than others at not having noise at high ISO speeds. Canon really does a good job. When you take a picture at high ISO speeds with one of their dSLR cameras you get hardly any noise whatsoever, like in this photo above.

Chairs

Getting near that time of year, when you can sit for hours and pass the time doing nothing.

Where I am (in Palm Springs, CA) this is the last time you'll be able to sit outside during the day for awhile cause in a few weeks it's gonna get hot.

In May we get above a hundred toward the later end of the month. In June it can climb to 105 degrees F. In July and Aug, the average high can run up to 111 with days when it's 122.

No kidding!

Is This a Mobile Home?

Nothing really gets my goat than writing about mobile homes. There's so much stereotyping about who lives in them and why?

If you're going to say "there's no place like my mobile home" you might as well be in Palm Springs, CA, home to some of the most extravagant mobile homes in the world.

Take a look at the mobile home in the picture above. It's gorgeous. It's not what you'd think a mobile home would look like. (Usually one thinks of a mobile home as a long trailer made of cheap materials.)

If anyone wants to give me a good advance for a book about the mobile homes of Palm Springs, I'll take it and photograph and comment on all of the beautiful mobile homes that the city has to offer.

Convertable

This old car whipped around me as I was photographing in San Francisco last week.

I'm working on a new book, but can't divulge the title now.

As far as the picture is concerned, I can't figure out if I like the hazy light that covers the frame.

It was just before dusk when I photographed this car with a strong sun that was setting, sending blazing yellow light everywhere.

During postprocessing, I tried to clear up the haze, but when I did the photography just didn't look right.

So here it is just as I shot it.

El Portal Theater in North Hollywood

El Portal Theatre is a historic landmark in the San Fernando Valley city of North Hollywood. The theater was originally built as a vaudeville house in 1926, The theater has featured Vaudeville acts, silent movies, and then film

The theater was divided into three theaters when it was rebuilt in the late 90's. It hosts performers like Debbie Reynolds (who is coming there in July) and stage plays like the Wonderettes, which I happen to see and found very entertaining.

The Art Deco marquee has the traditional curved, colored neon lines that were popular during that era. The symmetry of the artful patters was terrific back then.

LA Skyline of Two Lakes

This picture that I took from a plane baffles me. What are those two bodies of water? Could they be Lake Matthews and Lake Elsinore?

Someone help please...

Photographing Sculpture

The moment you step onto the grounds of the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, you're awed by the sculpture on the front lawn.

Photographing a piece of sculpture requires that you hone in as close as possible so that even light is spread over the piece of art, picking up the details. This is especially true if the sun is behind the sculpture. If you photograph the sculpture when the sun is behind it and you include the background, which will be much brighter than the sculpture itself, you'll lose most of the detail on its surface.

If you get lucky enough to have the sun shining on the sculpture, you should lower your exposure compensation a bit to prevent white out. Under these circumstances you'll have the sun behind you (shining on the face of the sculpture), thus creating a bright blue sky behind it.

The Perfect Hour

See that beautiful sky in the background. That's the sky of the perfect hour, the time about 20 minutes after the sun's gone down till the time the sky turns black. It's during that time that the sky moves to shades of midnight blue.

It's the perfect hour for photography.

Japanese Dancing in San Francisco

San Francisco's weather has been mighty fine these past few days. Sunny skies and warm temperatures brought out hundreds of people to Japantown for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival continues tomorrow and next weekend.

There's a flower arrangement show at the Kubuki Hotel. The arrangements are stunning.

The dances went at it too on the stage at Peace Plaza (near Filmore and Geary).

The highlight of the day was the children performing traditional Japanese dances.

Wonderettes

The Wonderettes are playing North Hollywood. North Hollywood will never be the same. The show, which ends April 27, is a gas. It tells the story of a couple of gals who go to high school together in the 1950s and reunite in the 1960s.

The show is a medley of 50s and 60s songs strung together to unite each unique character in love and happiness.

To be sure there are a few bumps in their relationships on the way, but, hey, you know, girls will be girls.

The performance that I went to had a bevy of children dressed in 50s attire, a feat that their parents put together very well.

The sign for the play stands in beautiful downtown North Hollywood, the fledging theater capital of L.A.

Julie Andrews' New Book

I find it awkward writing about Julie Andrews because her name brings forth my youth.

Since last week her name comes up over and over again--

*I visited Grauman's Chinese Theatre last week and took the picture above.
*Last night I went to the bookstore and a zillion copies of her new memoir, Home: A Memoir of My Early Years appeared at the front of the store.
*I just realized that her role of governess in the 60s had her moving from family to family--from the Banks of Mary Poppins to the Von Traps of the Sound of Music.

Her image of wholesomeness litters my head as spoons full of sugar and hills that are alive.

The first thing I did when I saw the book in the store was turn to the picture plates (there are two plates of images in the book).

I was madly disappointed in what I saw! Very young Julie Andrews didn't look like Julie Andrews. From the freckles on her face on the front cover, to her curly hairdo in the pictures, Julie didn't live up to the looks that we know she presents today, which look strikingly like they did 40 years ago when she was in her early 20s.

I find comfort, though, that my thoughts are calmed when I think about starting things at the beginning, which is a very nice place to start. In knowing this I find a perfect cure for procrastination.

Paris Ferris Wheel

Amusement park rides such as the Ferris wheel are great subjects for long exposures, but part of an amusement park ride such as the one you see above shows construction detail.

I like taking pictures of pieces of things because it gets me thinking about how much work it takes to make things. Take the Ferris wheel, for example, like a bridge, it takes years to construct one.

Thinking about construction lets me know that life is complex as the things we make symbolize our lives.

Bowl, Obama, Bowl

Pennsylvania last week wasn't good to Obama. He scored only 37 when bowling in an effort to be just one of the guys.

He should of shot some hoops.

At any rate, this is a sign for a bowling alley in Santa Monica. Cool sign and one that I'm sure I'll sell many of.

Maybe Obama will see that I'm the photographer who sells bowling alley signs. I'd give him a deal if he'd buy it.

Depth of Field

The depth of field in photography is the part of an image that's in focus. It varies with the aperture (size of lens opening). If you have the focal length and aperture of the lens you're using and the distance to your subject as well as the size of your sensor, you can calculate an approximate depth of field.

In the picture above I can use the following values for the image above to calculate the depth of field:

camera sensor focal multiplier effect=1.6X
aperture=F5.6
focal length=77mm
focus distance to subject=15m

In the photograph above the depth of field is calculated to be nearly infinite, which, as you can see, is the case. The image appears clear through the background.

Toast

I have to say my favorite food is toast. The crispy bread with melted butter and jam on it makes it to my every meal (well, almost).

The word toast comes from the Latin word tostum, which means burn.

The toast in the picture above comes to us from a display window in Santa Monica, CA. I don't know what they are advertising here, but it sure is catchy.

Do you out there have any ideas what a wall of toast would relate to?

Opera Singer

While this image is only a snapshot, it shows a lot, therefore putting it in a class by itself. It's candid photography, which, according to me, doesn't have to be technically perfect. (Yes, I know there's a shadow under her chin.)

This image is good because you can identify what this women does by the picture. She's an opera singer. You can kind of just tell by her outfit (a shoulderless dress) and by the expression on her face (she's singing).

The amazing thing about this candid shot is that she's performing while walking around an art gallery--no music, no chorus to help here along.

She's on her own.

Zapcar

Is it a truck? A motorcycle? Does it need gas? Well the answers are no, no and no.

It's a Zapcar, the batteries provide 6.7 horsepower. The car travels 25 miles on one charge and can go up to 40 mph.

It's not the car you'd want for expressway driving, but for humming around town it looks like a gas.

This Zapcar was spotted in Santa Monica, CA.

Stuffed Animal Bike

The bike in this picture is real. It's a cuddly type bicycle that would draw lots of attention if you rode it around town.

The only thing missing from this picture is the person who rides this bike. Can you imagine what he (or maybe she) looks like? Picture it in your mind.

This picture to me is what photography is all about--catching the wild and wonderful aspects of what this life has to offer.

A Lost Art

I'm in one of those moods today. My question to you bloggers and blog readers of the world is, is this art? I think it is. Yes, I remember from art school that something you find that is artful is found art.

I found this clip of old-style handwriting at the Palm Desert Historical Society Museum. There was a huge table-sized scrapbook that detailed resort life and that was almost all handwritten. I decided that if I framed a piece of the page so that only part of the handwriting showed up in the frame it would make a cool image.

So what does all this mean a picture of a scrap of cursive? It's a throwback to a simpler era, where computers didn't make prose, people did.

Midwest Windmill

I attempted to frame this image correctly by using the rule of thirds. You can see the object of the photo, the windmill, is in the left third of the frame.

The haze in the image works too as it resembles what happens in the natural environment. The off white color of the image keeps the it from whiting out.

Safari Inn

It's about time I put a sign up here. I mean it's the subject matter that I photograph most.

I found this Safari Inn sign in downtown Burbank, CA last weekend. It's one of the best retro signs in tact that I've seen in a long, long time. Lucky I had my camera with!

My sign collection includes hundreds of brightly colored signs from all around the world.

I have the ability to print them big with my Epson 9800 printer--up to 44 inches wide and any length/height long/tall.

Email me if you like pop photography for more info--matthewbam@aol.com

Desert Wildflowers

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS BEGINS APRIL 9TH AT UCR--PALM DESERT.
The class is taught by Matt Bamberg, the author of this blog. To register go HERE.

Shoot 'em while they last. The wildflower in the Palm Springs area is about to end as temperatures soar toward 90 degrees.

From verbena to wild daisies, the colors are incredible and the scents are marvelous.

Drum Circle

PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS BEGINS APRIL 9TH AT UCR--PALM DESERT.
The class is taught by Matt Bamberg, the author of this blog. To register go HERE.



Venice Beach is filled with sights and sounds. Nowhere is that more evident than on the beach on Sunday afternoon. Dozens of drummers and dancers whip up sounds and sights, creating an atmosphere that looks like 1969.

The drum circle is located behind the workout area of Muscle Beach in the heart of Venice Beach.

Venice isn't the only place where there are drum circles. Many other places around the world have them.

The nice thing about the drum circle is anyone can bring a drum and participate. Anyone can watch too. You don't have to stand around, either as dancing is encouraged.

Venice Beach Freaks

The Digital Traveler presents...a look at the Venice Beach Freak Show...
It's true that a stroll down Venice Beach will have you seeing all kinds of freaks. Some of the people will be speed freaks, others crack freaks and still others, surfer freaks.

When you come to think of it the word "freak" can have a multitude of meanings. Yesterday's freak (meaning a freak of the '60s) was more meaningful than today's freaks. I mean today's freaks are limited to areas like Venice Beach and other places like it around the world (say, Amsterdam). Yesterday's freaks were basically hippie-like people who could have lived anywhere. Today's freaks are...like...something you'd see on the TV show 20/20.

The picture above is great for a photographer because it's so colorful and filled with symbols. It also makes you wonder what's behind the curtain. The first thing I thought when I saw the doorway was that there was something with multiple heads behind it.

And you know what? I was right.

Santa Monica Beach Wind Clears Out Atmosphere

You'd never guess this was Santa Monica Beach. It was an interesting day yesterday weatherwise.

The wind was howling so that there wasn't anyone on the beach itself. The skies were crystal clear because of the advection throughout the atmosphere, a weather feature that cleared out the smog at all levels.

With respect to photography, the fact that the wind was blowing the sand and that the shutter was open for long enough to catch it blowing, the image is blurred just a small amount above the sand layer.

Usually I don't think of wind as helping out my photography, but this time it did.

Red Wing, MN

Welcome to Red Wing, MN, that town that's been making pottery for decades.

There's a casino there too--the Treasure Island Casino.

History

Father Louis Hennepin, came to Red Wing in 1680. He was the first white settler to the region.

In 1805, Col. Zebulon M. Pike, a United States Army officer, landed in Red Wing and spoke to the Indian chief, Hupahuduta. Hupahuduta can be translated into an expression known as "a swan's wing dyed in red."

In 1823, U.S. Army officer Major Long made a visit to Red Wing, hoisting the American flag on the Indian Council House and proclaiming the place as "Red Wing."

In 1837 Rev. Daniel Gavin and Rev. Samuel Denton, Swiss Missionaries, came here to teach religion to the Indians. They remained for about nine years.

Under a treaty made at Mendota in 1851, white people were allowed to make their homes on the West bank of the Mississippi River.

Red Wing was incorporated as a city in 1857.

Shop

Hopalong and Good Grammar

Howdy Pardners! Here's Hopalong Cassidy (courtesy of the Palm Desert Historical Society).

Hopalong Cassidy was an idol to millions of children for over sixty years. William Boyd played the role of the Western hero known for all time as, "The epitome of gallantry and fair play."

Hopalong Cassidy was a true hero. "With non-stop action and spectacular stunts, the legend lives on as "Hoppy," as he is known to his friends, battles crime and upholds justice with his quick-draw shooting, clear thinking, fists of steel, and steadfast character," says Hopalong's site.

He began as a character in novels written by Clarence E. Mulford. Cecil B. DeMille brought Hopalong to the screen. There were 68 "Hoppy" movies and all went on to be broadcasted in one hour increments on television.

Here's what Bill Boyd had to say about his character: "I played down the violence, tried to make Hoppy an admirable character and I insisted on grammatical English."

Grammatical English! Wow, if that were only the goal of television programming today.

Trailer Trash

Trailers are great objects to photograph. Take this one found in Palm Springs, CA. The white trailer is accented by windows behind which colorful curtains blast the question: "What's going on inside here?"

Trailers conjure up images of white people who've lost their teeth (please have a sense of humor when you read this), people who could be deemed as tornado bait, or white trash.

Use those terms in a political campaign and you're finished.

Actually this trailer was in the yard of a middle class home.

Don't tell anyone, but I want one. I'd hitch it to the back of my Honda Hybrid and go camping in Joshua tree.

Parker Minimialism

The television show, The Parker, on Bravo network "takes viewers into the pampered luxury of the Parker Palm Springs hotel...and, more interestingly, into the personal lives of the staff and guests," says TV.com.

Above is the minimalist front wall of the Parker Palm Springs Hotel. This wall also serves a purpose. It acts as a sunscreen to protect the main structure from the blistering desert heat.

What goes in and out the door is probably dressed to the gills, rich and maybe even famous.

Please be warned: Don't make your camera obvious when you see a movie star here.

Transporting Rabbits

Asian markets fill my head with questions. Take these bunnies on a bike, for example. The first thing that comes to mind is where are they going to be taken on that bike?
Are they going to be people's pets?

After thinking about the above niceties, It comes to my mind that they are going to end up in some rabbit stew.

Now I don't want anyone to think I'm cruel, I mean by talking about killing and then eating rabbit. But it's done all the time. Back in 1990, the New York Times published an article that contained the recipe for rabbit stew.

As my train of thought moves to the next level, I recall when I ate rabbit. It wasn't in a rabbit stew, though. It was braised like a chicken. It looked like a chicken. It even tasted like chicken. But the bones, they were weird. It's like they were smaller than chicken bones--more brittle.

The thought gives me goose bumps (or should I say rabbit bumps). To this day, my pals tease me with the line, "you ate da bunny."

Circle of Light

A painter at Palm Springs Village Fest shows his wares while he works. The perspective of this image is deepened by the circle of light that surrounds the artist in ever direction. Think of the image as having, not only as two-dimensional with an x and y axis with the light reaching up and down along y and right and left along x, but also having a z axis which extends up throughout the picture, making it look 3 dimensional.

Just in case you wanted to know, in spite of the rather technical conversation above, the photograph was candid, that is I didn't even think about the dimensions. I just saw good light and then framed and shot it.

Patina

Buildings made out of wood then painted make great subjects. Add the sun baking the painted wood day after day and you've got patina.

Patina is when an object changes over time due to the elements. Painted wood is one of the most favorable to get a beautiful patina. That's because the paint often fades, blending in the woods color and texture to create a new type and even prettier surface.

Other surfaces such as glass and steel don't offer a good patina because the surfaces don't really move onto other more attractive colors like painted wood does. Steel rusts and glass can turn into an ugly off white color.

Bars that Won't Go Away

Don't you just love the bars that won't go away. It's like there's a predictable pattern that can tell you a bar won't or hasn't gone away.

1. An old neon sign out front.
2. Patrons in the 60s to 90s.
3. A bathroom that everyone from the street uses.
4. A bar made out of wood.
5. Carpet with patterns on it.

The Twin Peaks Tavern in San Francisco is just that bar. Now, mind you, this bar is gay, but a bar that won't go away can be straight too.

You can go to any American city and find at least a few bars that won't go away.

A Taste of Sweden

After a visit to Wisconsin and Minnesota, I'm missing Jack Frost.

The nipping at my nose has ceased and now all I can think of is a beautiful snow covered land that has a taste of Sweden.

I had stopped in Lindstrom, MN this afternoon, a quaint little town incorporated in 1894. It was settled by Swede Daniel Lindstrom. Many of the people are descendants of people from Sweden.

Here you'll find a taste of Sweden in the food and culture--a meatball here and loganberry there.

All this time the only thing Swedish I ever knew was the Ikea in Burbank.

American Barn

About two hours east of Minneapolis just inside the Wisconsin border, there's a town called Luck. It's charming, but even more charming are the barns around it.

Now I know barns have been overdone in photography, but there just so stately when empty and left to the elements, you can't help but get out of the car and trudge thorough the snow to talk to them with your camera. They fill a frame so nicely.

And when you take a peek inside the light through planks of wood illuminates right down to the small knots inside.

More tomorrow.

Another Paris Cafe

Paris cafes are an escape from the real world. Some there may go into the intellectual world, others a fantasy word, and yet still others into a world of the here and now.

Paris cafes are as varied as butterflies. If you look hard enough, many of them (like the one) are almost perfect in symmetry.

Some are casual, catering to the young or young at heart. Others are elegant, transporting sophistication to the masses.

Whether you go there to gulp expresso or to just sip from a glass of chilled water, the experience is ingrained in your memory for almost forever.