Posts Tagged: street
24th and York
Waiting for the doors to open, I tempted the twilight with the promise of neon.
Pop’s #2 (click image to view large)
St. Francis #2 (click image to view large)
Oakland Smile
Street Vendor, Oakland CA (click image to view large)
We finally made it back to Art Murmur this last Friday. It had been several months since the last time we made it down there. We probably would not have made it on our own, but the excuse of hanging out with friends we had not seen in a while was also irresistible. In the intervening time, the first Friday art gallery night in downtown Oakland has continued to grow. This night several blocks of Telegraph Ave were closed to traffic and filled makeshift stages, street vendors, buskers, food trucks, and drunks. It was also my first time shooting out on the street with the replaced D800, and I took couple dozen shots. This is my favorite one of the night. I saw her first and lined up to get her contrasted against that outrageous orange wall, and then she saw me and gave me this fantastic smile. That’s hella Oakland for ya.
Van with Tarp
An unusual route taken after biking my kid to camp and then stopping in at the school district office to again prove we live within the district for the coming school year. At least I saw some beautiful decay because of it.
Temescal Country Squire
Country Squire Wagon #1 (click image to view large)
The car reminds me of a girl I knew in high school. She used to go around saying that a fortune teller told her she would not live to be 21. Of course I didn’t believe her. But it turned out to be true.
Night Excursion
#2 (click image to view large)
A first pass at working with some night shots from earlier this evening.
#1 (click image to view large)
#3 (click image to view large)
Streetscape
Jay-Vee / © Neo Serafimidis 2011
Today was such a day of photography, it was almost like work. It started this morning with Albany Cub Scouts Pack 3 Pinewood Derby. That was over three hours of shooting. Then, after a little lunch, I went out to make some progress on the Albany Commercial Streetscape project. I started shooting the east side of San Pablo at the El Cerrito border and made it down to Solano Ave, before it was time to get home. My guess is that this is about half the length of it. I was pleased with the progress made today in terms of quantity. It remains to be seen what was accomplished in terms of the images themselves. Right now, I’m predicting that the two liquor stores are the most interesting subjects on the side. I thought I’d play with this one in black and white, even though I keep saying that the series won’t be. Maybe I’ll have to rethink that, too.
Albany Commercial Streetscapes
Albany Streetscape #143 / © neo serafimidis 2011
Among all the other things that were going on, I managed last weekend to finish photographing the west side of San Pablo Ave in my Albany Commercial Streetscape series. It took awhile because I wanted to do it during the morning hours. I only have weekends on which I can take mornings to go shooting. And often, it is hard to take a weekend morning with all the domestic tasks that must also be done. But shoot I did, this last weekend. So, now I’m approximately 25% done. I’ll shoot the east side of San Pablo late in the day. Then Solano Ave from roughly San Pablo up to the Albany border with Berkeley. The tricky part is knowing exactly where that border is–Solano eventually splits with one side continuing in Albany and right across the street becoming Berkeley. I’ve yet to really figure out shooting times. I’m actually hoping for some lightly overcast days to get more even light, especially for the south side of Solano, which is always in shadow.
Albany Bowl Bar Entrance
San Pablo Ave, Albany CA / © Neo Serafimidis 2011
This is another shot from the Albany Streetscape set but not selected to be included, since I took about three shots of this view. This is the southern end of the bowling alley, where the bar is. I have to admit I like these in black and white, and it is making me think more and more about picking up a medium format film camera of some sort. I’m not sure whether I would produce the Streetscape project in B&W. I like rather like the color. I suppose it will depend on what kind of feel I can get with color, especially printed.
Also, one of the reasons for staying away from B&W is to stay away from overtly calling attention to the “photography” and focus on the documentary aspect of the project. And since the genesis of the project is an examination of the notion that the commercial streetscape is a 1950’s streetscape, I don’t want to prejudice that examination by suggesting something one way or the other in the treatment of the work. The B&W does that.
Interestingly, I have never really been in the bar despite living within a few blocks of it for almost 10 years now. I always end up further down the road at HTC or Mallard. I’ll make an effort to visit this year.
West San Pablo
San Pablo Ave, West Side of 500 Block
Today I began photographing the Albany commercial streetscapes. Throughout I used a Nikon D300s with a 35mm-f/1.8 lens at f/16, and ISO 200. I began on San Pablo Ave., at the northern border with El Cerrito and worked my way south toward Berkeley, shooting only the west side of the street. I paced off about 18 to 24 paces between shots.
I didn’t quite finish the side because I ran out of memory near the end. I might have ten more shots to go to finish the side. As it was I came home with almost 200 shots, and it took me a little over two hours of walking and shooting. I have already managed to edit this down to about 130 or so. I think San Pablo will end up being a set of 300 or so. Perhaps Solano will be about the same. The shot above is near the north end, and the one below is at the south end, just below Marin Ave.
San Pablo Streetscape at the Gill Tract
Fastest Mailbox in the World
I’ve been going back to Fresno every couple weekends to fix up my mom’s house and get it re-rented. Driving from the house to the hardware store I passed by this mailbox. Each time, I was in a hurry to get something and get back to work. But by the third time, I could not stand it anymore. I had to stop and snap some shots.
I can understand the flames. I can understand embellishing the mailbox. But I just can’t quite grasp the exhaust manifold. Wheels? That I could see. Wings? No problem there. Conning tower? OK, maybe. But exhaust manifold? I guess I’ll just chalk it up to another aspect of the Fresno aesthetic that makes it such a strangely alluring place.
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