Full Moon over the Capitol

While living in San Francisco, I was always inspired by Chronicle photographer Frederic Larson's full moon shots. I was lucky enough to sit in on presentation Larson gave to SFBAPA. His full moon photography is not the result of chance encounters. Instead, he methodically researches when and where he needs to position himself to create a preconceived photograph. 


I have wanted to give Larson's method a go for years and finally got around to my first try on Wednesday evening. All things being equal, I'm pretty happy with the result. Actually, I was just happy the moon came up when and where I had planned (more or less). It might be considered cheating that I had my friend Jesse along. He teaches map and compass navigation classes (thanks Jesse).


Of course, being a first try it was also a learning experience - a later moon rise would have been better. The sky exposure changes rapidly as the sun sets. There is a big difference between this shot and those taken only seconds earlier, when the sky was still pretty bright. There was not enough contrast between the moon, clouds and sky in the previous pictures. Even at this exposure, it would be nice if the moon popped a little more. A darker sky would make that happen. This technically isn't full moon. The full moon came up a little later on Thursday and would have been better, had I been able to see it through the clouds. 


I also knew I wasn't lensed correctly. The real oooh - aaaah shots require big glass, but before investing in or renting a 400mm/500mm lens, I needed proof-of-concept (and maybe a winning lotto ticket). Now that I know I can do it, maybe I can convince the family CFO, I need a new lens, maybe, hmmmmmm...

Muddy Branch Tree

Spontaneous Portrait??? - (or give them what they want, not what they ask for)

It’s nice when a portrait presents itself from a real situation.

The assignment was pretty nebulous, as they often are. I was asked to take pictures of a new holiday market, but from the request, it was clear the story was about this local business man and his “entrepreneurial spirit.” While shooting the safety shots of people shopping at the market, I noticed that Christopher was on the sidewalk trying to drum up business like a modern-day carnival hawker. A couple of minutes later, and I have a shot that really tells much more about the subject than a contrived picture of him standing stiffly with the market in the background. And I get a great quote as a bonus - “It’s a little Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey, but whatever it takes takes to to get people out here,” says Lancette. Remember, it’s photoJOURNALISM.

Moral(s) of the story -
1. Read between the lines of the photo-request and give them what they want, not what they asked for (well, along with what they ask for - just in case).
2. If time allows, natural behavior trumps a posed portrait hands down.

How To Say Goodbye To A Season - (when it doesn't end in jubilation)

One of our local high school football teams made it to the state finals. After dominating the first half, they lost the game in a heartbreaking overtime - no jubilation shots for me. I really wanted shots that respectfully expressed the disappointment to go with the usual game action shots. While there were a lot of tears on the field, none of those shots really worked for me.

This was my favorite shot of the night, and it shows how sticking around a little longer can pay off. The team has a rabid fan base - the Raider Nation has nothing on these guys and gals. While everyone else was on their way to the showers, this player went to the stands thanking the fans for their support throughout the year. I think it tells the story well.

Although a picture of a coach talking with his team isn't unusual, with a little reporting - as in grabbing a quote from the huddle - the third effect kicks in and the picture means a little more.

"You are winners to me. I'm proud of you."

And I just love this shot. Local press focus so much attention on the teams and less on the supporting characters. It was the last football game for the senior cheerleaders, poms and band members as well. Including one very exuberant drum major.

And the action...

Old Rag Mountain - Leaves

Kayaking Jug Bay with Dave

Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary - 11/01/2011

Going it on their own - or - Will internet kill the television star?

Oprah Winfrey and Howard Stern lead the way for content producers to distribute directly to the viewer – maybe.

It appears Winfrey is ready to leave network TV and start her own (partially anyway) cable network - (http://bit.ly/1TXVPI and http://bit.ly/2j1uAo). If the move is successful, how long before she considers going solo? She already owns the production infrastructure, why rely on the cable companies for distribution. Video is quickly following radio down the internet rabbit hole – podcasting, Last FM, Pandora, Lala, HULU, Netflix streaming… I’m not talking about watching on a computer screen - as broadband penetration increases, internet streaming is becoming ubiquitous on living room electronics like TVs, DVD players and DVRs.

Will the audience follow, and more importantly could she monetize those eyeballs? Howard Stern has already proven the model by bucking the conventional wisdom that the audience will not pay for something that was once free. How many people do you know that keep a Sirius subscription primarily for Stern’s show?

Stern already left the terrestrial airwaves for Sirius in a huge deal that gave Sirius an instant audience and Stern a ton of money.  The latest rumblings are that Stern is considering completely cutting out the middleman and distributing directly to his audience over the internet (Jeff Jarvis discusses the possibilities here - http://bit.ly/4829cJ).

Of course this only leaves us with more questions. What does this mean for traditional TV and cable companies? Will they become channels on YouTube? Will the cable deliverers be content as internet providers?

More importantly, there are forces at work shaping this future right now that are happening pretty much under the radar. Most people probably don’t see the connection between the television they watch now and the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules (very, very basically – to stop providers from favoring some content over others). Nor do most people understand the future implications of John McCain’s completely misnamed “Internet Freedom Act,” that seeks to tie the FCC’s hands. Here is a good article from CNet’s Maggie Reardon explaining - http://bit.ly/rzwEa.