December 24, 2018 — Sonoma County Coast. May 4, 2021, My office. I’ve done a lot of photogralogical* archive digs in the past months and have come up with an astonishing number of shots that were overlooked on first, second, and even third look. A number of my mentors have counseled not to even look at a shoot until days, weeks, or months after to shoot. They say it makes it easier to be objective. […]
July 13, 2018 — San Mateo County Coast I was asked to show the original shot from yesterday’s post. I thought I’d be able to update the post with a link to the original — but as it turns out there isn’t an original. So here, for the fist time, is my 2018 treatment of this shot. Discuss. (Canon G7X. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 2.0; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
July 13, 2018 — San Mateo County Coast; February 24, 2021 — My Office In exploring the essence of the essence, I reimagined a few old favorites. This was shot in the late afternoon/early evening as sunrays found their way through low clouds/high fog on the coast. The subject, really, is contrast, texture, and glow. The philosophy is adding by taking away. What isn’t the picture? Remove it or reduce it. Distill. (Canon G7X. RAW […]
December 9, 2020 — Big Sur Coast, California; Recently — My Office This is not what I saw from the deck of Nepenthe. This is what I saw from the deck of Nepenthe. (Nikon D850, Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. RAW processing and initial editing in DxO PhotoLab 4.1; Final editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
December 26, 2017. The Sea Ranch, Sonoma Coast, California. It had been stormy. We spent Christmas hunkered down. The coast had been battered with wind and rain. For the longest time, it seemed, we weren’t sure if it would go on and on or if the rage would finally be over. We drifted off into an uneasy sleep with nothing resolved. The morning was still unsettled. But then suddenly it was over. The midday brought […]
September 9, 2020 — Oakland/Berkeley Hills, California If you’re an Instagram user, check out my September 9 posts. @amagaphoto If you’re not, go to Instagram.com/amagaphoto. This morning at 8:40 a.m. the sky was a dim red-orange. Sunlight was filtered by fire smoke from a 350,000 acre group of fires in Mendocino county, more than 100 miles to the north. The red-orange light was then diffused through thick fog. Apocalyptic. It was so dark that we […]
August 16, 2020 — Sonoma County Coast, California A blindingly bright afternoon. Calm day — but each wavelet was its own mirror, each adding to the millions of tiny suns out on the water. ICM — Intentional Camera Motion — does wonderful things with time and space as they combine in the camera in myriad mystical modes. Then in the computer, more magic happens. (Nikon D850, Nikon 24-120mm f/4G VR. RAW processing and initial editing in […]
Note: If you are seeing this in an email, please click on the blog title in the body of the email. Your web browser will take you to the actual blog where the picture will look much better. July 10, 2010. San Gregorio Bluffs, San Mateo County, California — and last night in my office. This is an impossibly small crop of a much larger frame — a starting point for an imaginary stroll on […]
April 7, 1949 — The Majestic Theatre, New York Lt. Cable: “It’s not born in you. It happens after you’re born. You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear You’ve got to be taught from year to year It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear You’ve got to be carefully taught You’ve got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made And people whose skin is […]
June 28, 2018 — Puketeraki Lookout, Otago, South Island, New Zealand When the clouds part over New Zealand, there is a glow. I know the trek is not yet over, but it is being traveled with aplomb. Be well. Do good. Create. (Nikon D500, Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR zoom. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 3.2. Final editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
June 28, 2018 — Puketeraki Lookout, Otago, South Island, New Zealand Rescued from the archives. Here’s one that I kept coming back to, but in post-processing I could never get it to do what I saw. Tonight I could. And did. Persistence pays off in the end. This is for all the Kiwis who are showing the rest of the world how it’s done. In adversity, the light shines even brighter. Persistence pays off in […]
January 10, 2016 — Marin County coast, California Many years ago — longer ago by far than when this picture was shot — someone close to me was enthralled by music that was extremely minimalist, consisting almost entirely of texture and tone. Very little form, rhythm, or melody. Only texture and tone. Although I can’t really say I liked it, I had an appreciation for what he was hearing because he and I are cut […]
February 9, 2020 — East Bay Hills, California The San Francisco Bay Area abounds with breathtaking views. The views from the hills across the Bay from San Francisco are among the best — looking straight back across the Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge is an impressive feat of engineering and construction. When it was built in 1937, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. It has since been surpassed, but the main span […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland I think I’ve only done this once before: posted that same frame twice in a row, with the second being a re-do. There’s a story. When I posted this picture the other night, I decided at the last minute that the image was too dark. It was late and I was in a hurry, so I simply went back to the 16-bit Photoshop file and […]
January 24, 2020 — Londrangar View Point, Snaefellsjökull Peninsula, Iceland Beside the fact that it was his photography workshop in the first place, I have Gary Hart to thank for this one in another way. His blog post today* prompted me to go back and review my own version of the same scene, and when I did, I came across this shot made about fifteen minutes earlier. I’d overlooked it because the RAW file seemed […]
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