Carrying the loadSan Francisco, CA
July 2008
[Click to enlarge]
It's hard not to feel small as you stand in the shadow of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. On this morning, the low, gray skies threaten to swallow the tops of the towers. The weather is leaving a uniformly gray pall over everything along the waterfront. I've taken pictures from here before, and the contrast between this visit and the last one couldn't be more extreme.
Strangely, I find this murky morning even more beautiful than the brilliantly sunny, blue-skied afternoon on my previous trip (see here , here, here and here for entries/photos from last year's walkabout.)
Different strokes, I guess.
Your turn: The first three words that come to mind as you view this photo are...?
One more thing: This week's Thematic Photographic theme is monochrome. I hope you'll share your own black and white photo or link. Click here to get started. It's easy and fun. Promise.
Three words: light, end, tunnel.
ReplyDeleteI love your photos...especially the black and whites.
i love san francisco...and i even love rainy, monotone days now and then...
ReplyDeletegoing somewhere sailor
ReplyDeletethree words: "rule of thirds"
ReplyDeleteBeautifully composed, but then your shots almost always are.
I find more photographic moments seem to present themselves more on gloomy overcast days, and enjoy them more because of that...Especially if shooting a roll of B&W.
Ok, 3 words: No earthquakes, please. I have an uncomfortable relationship with bridges --- long, high, suspension bridges. I cross over them because they are often between me (point A) and where I want to be (point B). God bless the engineers who build them.
ReplyDeleteFirst three words?
ReplyDeleteHome....can't wait.
I love grey days...when I'm inside and the light is warm and bright, or the lights are out and there's a fire lit...or candles...there's something about the contrast that makes rainy days lovely ones.
I, too, love SF. The heart and soul of this quirky town lies in its intimacy. I also lost my heart - to a trumpet player on Pier 39, at Earthquake McGoon's. Wonder if it's still there.
(Maybe it was Pier 41....can't remember now)
"Very good composition."
ReplyDeleteFor a change, I am actually going to respond to what you wrote and not just comment on your photo. I know, strange huh? The three words that first come to mind for me are:
ReplyDeletecottony, heavy, and warmth. The first two you can probably understand readily. But I will explain "warmth"...
Several months ago, I wrote about winters in California's Central Valley. After twelve years of that cycle, any time the weather is grey and heavy like that for more than a couple of days in a row, I'm ready to break out the holiday decorations. Heavy fog, to me, means a time for family and togetherness. Warmth. Which is so opposite to what it looks like. But I like it this way.
-smarmoofus
"Please don't jump!"
ReplyDeleteSorry if that's morbid. I read something recently about the number of suicides that take place there every year. There's even a crisis hotline phone on the bridge.
I always feel more at peace when the day is cloudy and gloomy. I don't know what that says about me but I do love that type of day.
ReplyDeleteI love this photo. There's something about your photography that is exquisite when it's gray and foggy. I love your final product. (I know I'm biased but I'm not the only one who loves your work.
ReplyDeleteAs for three words: When is this bridge going to end?!
You know me...I can't just say 3 words and you also know how I feel about being on a bridge!
Wrap me up!
ReplyDeleteThe last time I went to San Fransisco, Jeff and I rented bicycles and rode across the bridge to Sausalito. It's much cooler on the bridge than on land. When we rode off the bridge, it felt like someone turned on a hairdryer.