Re-examining Sutro Baths

There are lots of misconceptions about photography.  Most people have this misleading notion that it's difficult to find interesting things to shoot in one's hometown, and that one must travel somewhere new and exotic (like a third world country) in order to find entirely fresh, compelling subject matter.  I disagree.

I bring up this issue because of what someone said to me recently: "You have the opportunity to take great photos because you travel all the time."  OUCH.  That felt almost like an accusation.  So of course I had to prove to myself that much of my photography is attributed to hard work and a dose of talent, as opposed to sheer opportunity.  I needed to show that I could create interesting landscape photos without having to travel beyond three miles. 

So here it is, Sutro Baths, a tourist destination also popular among amateur and professional photographers.  The abandoned ruins of San Francisco's old bath house, nestled against Ocean Beach, is eerily beautiful, especially after the sun sets.  I was lucky to have a full moon this week, which cast a nice glow over the ruins and allowed me to reduce exposure time for these night shots.
 
I initially photographed Sutro Baths a little over three years when I was a photography student (images below).  This was a fascinating exercise for me because it allowed me to compare and contrast these two sets of images (taken 3.5 years apart) and examine whether I've shifted the way I see and compose things over the years.  Do you notice the differences?

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Red Rocks Adventure

Most people go to Las Vegas, Nevada to gamble away their hard-earned money at the casinos, but few ever venture off the strip to explore the Red Rocks Canyon located 15 miles from the city.  Too broke to travel abroad for Christmas this year, and too impatient to spend the holidays with family, my friends and I decided to spend our precious vacation climbing Red Rock's famous sandstone rocks. We encountered surprisingly warm sunny weather at the beginning of our trip, but a storm eventually moved its way in, bringing dramatic fiery sunsets.  With tripod in hand, I took multiple exposures for the sky and the land and rendered the images through an HDR program to create these "realistic" landscape images.  Why yes, the sunset colors are genuine, and I was lucky to have witnessed this rare occasion.

Okay, enough landscapes photos. 

I've mentioned rock climbing several times in my earlier posts,  but haven't yet posted any pictures.  So finally..... some climbing pics of my burly/badass friends Steve DeLuca, Thomas Gronkbukt, Skippy Gaunt, and Isabel Von Rittenberg at Stratocaster Wall in Red Rocks.  Facebook friends may have seen these already, so I apologize for the redundancy.

 By the way, have you met my husband, Aaron?  He's pretty dorky looking when he boulders/climbs, but I've always had a soft spot for dorks.

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Passing Through Joshua Tree

 I love road trips.  My Dodge Sprinter van, with a built in bed for two, and expansive storage room, makes it incredibly easy to just pick up and go.  We loaded up our car with rock climbing and ski gear,  then made our way to Las Vegas to spend the Winter holidays with friends.   A quick detour to Joshua Tree proved to be rewarding.  Unlike other times of the year,  such as Thanksgiving, when the cooler weather draws out rock climbers in droves to battle over available campsites and climbing routes, Joshua Tree was surprisingly empty on the days leading up to Christmas.  The warm weather, brilliant sunshine, empty campsites, and lack of crowds, made for a pleasant experience, and we were reluctant to move on after only one day and night in this desert paradise.

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The Makeover

My dog Belay (top photos) turns 11 next week and I worry quite a bit that 2011 might be her last year.  Her dog breed, the Bouvier de Flanders has a life expectancy of 9-12 years.  To her disadvantage, she is large for a typical female Bouvier, weighing in at 100 pounds.  Her arthritis is already limiting her mobility and the simplest task of jumping into the car or walking down stairs is an increasing ordeal.  It's morbid of me to already be thinking of her death, but I'm making a conscientious effort to ensure that whatever remaining time she has with us is filled with lots of love, treats, and adventure.   I specifically got Butters (bottom photos) last year because I heard that getting a puppy may have the potential to stretch an older dog's lifespan.  I fear, however, that Butters' spastic exuberance may be driving Belay bonkers.

Lately I've been photographing Belay as much as possible because I want to make sure I capture her personality, her expressions, her joys, and everything I will miss about her when she's gone.  The most memorable thing about Belay is her nasty beard and hair. The only time you could really cuddle with her is when she's freshly groomed.  The same applies to Butters.  The transformation they undergo after they've been bathed and cut is quite dramatic and I wanted to make sure I documented this aspect of their life.

I took these photos before I took them to the "dog spa" and immediately after.  They don't seem too pleased with their makeover.  I'm sensing a "_uck you, mom" look in their eyes.  So much for unconditional love and adoration!

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Yosemite Fog

Although I’ve spent the past 12 years rockclimbing in Yosemite Valley, I’ve never bothered to photograph this picturesque place until a few days ago.  Ansel Adams, in a way, had ruined Yosemite for me.  I never felt compelled to capture a place that had already been so well documented by Adams and a gazillion other landscape photographers.  And truth be told, I never thought I could bring Yosemite any justice after seeing Adam’s classic work.

So what changed my mind about photographing Yosemite?  Boredom and the lack of desire to participate in a threesome.  No, silly, I’m not talking about a menage a trois.  I’m back to the topic of rockclimbing.  There’s a time and place for a threesome, but not when you are trad climbing.  Having three people in a traditional climbing party is slow and inefficient, and with the brief amount of daylight these days, I opted out, and allowed my husband and his friend to get more climbing in for themselves.  Yes, I know, I’m a very kind and thoughtful wife. 

So for the first time ever in Yosemite Valley, I got to spend the weekend hiking and exploring, rather than be strapped into a rope and harness.  The weather was surprisingly gorgeous; t-shirt weather in fact, if you happened to be in the sun.  The warm air, and snow-covered ground created an interesting fog layer, and I loved the way it hovered around the trees.  Naturally, this became my photo theme.  Who needs yet another photo of Half Dome and the Nose on El Capitan anyway? 

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Character Study

I like to pick up strangers.  Sometimes I’ll walk into a room, usually a cafe, and my eyes would fall on someone, and I’ll get fixated.  I tend to believe it’s their energy I’m drawn to.....their quiet confidence.

Then I’ll spend the next 10 minutes mustering the nerve to go talk to that person.  As I introduce myself, I study their face, their eyes, the tiniest shift in their body, and then somehow I see beyond their physical presence.  I get excited because there’s something intriguing there, and I want to see more, and know more.

Then I pop the question, “Would you allow me to do a character study of you?”

A character study allows me to do more than merely capture a person’s face.  It enables me to dig deeply into one’s personality and gain insight into the essential nature of the person.  Their movements, their expressions, all reveal an unspoken story.

Aaron, my subject in these photos, is amazing.  He laid his emotions bare before the camera, and I was rewarded not only with these photos, but also with stories of his incredible life of fortitude.  But most importantly, we both walked away from this photo shoot with a genuine friendship.

Normally I edit my portraits down to 1-4 images, but I think it’s important in a character study to show a series of images to examine the process of unveiling....a process in which the subject (Aaron) grapples with the question of personal identity and gradually sheds his external layers to find the core of his being.

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