1/400
f/11

I love this image for many reasons, especially the contrast in color and light. You might almost think I had the kids wearing those short on purpose. But I was just walking down a pier and these kids kept jumping off just as a wave would pass by, making it deep for only a moment. What I love are the brightly colored red and blue shorts, coupled with the dark shadows created by the angle I’m at in relation to my light source (the sun) and the boy jumping in the water. I am shooting perpendicular to my light source, such that the light falls across sideways, creating graduated shadows and visual depth.

In my travel photography workshop, we will discuss this image at length, including the settings used and why.

1/40
f/5.6

This image was made early in the morning on August 28th, 2007 as the moon set over the Golden Gate Bridge, from the deck of my house. I knew it was going to be a glorious full moon, so I set my alarm for 4 in the morning, but it was still way too high in the sky. When shooting the moon, you have to include something closer to you in order to provide a sense of scale in the frame. Here, I used a telephoto lens and cropped in post-production, in order to fill the frame with as much of the moon as possible while still holding on to the bridge. I knew sunrise was at 6 but I was hoping the moon would set over the bay while it was still totally dark. I should have checked the moon set time. It hung high in the sky all night only to come down shortly before dawn. I have a shot like the one I was hoping for already, so no biggie and here’s a great addition to the set. Look for our landscape photography workshop this summer and join us at the house for a sunset photography and cocktail party.