West Coast and Back Again

Below are a bunch of photos from Chicago and the Bay Area that I've accumulated over the last few months that don't fit into any particular category. Enjoy! 

An L overpass in Chicago.

A man walks his dog in Chicago's Humbolt Park.

Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago.

Mt. Diablo seen from the Berkeley Hills.

Birds floating on Lake Merritt.

The bird sanctuary at Lake Merritt, Oakland, CA.

Rockefeller Chapel the night before the first polar vortex hit Chicago.

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Emeryville Docks

Two photos from downtown Emeryville, a largely industrial and commercial area east of Oakland, CA. The large cargo cranes are iconic elements of the East Bay waterfront. Growing up in the Bay Area I was always told that were the inspirations for the AT-AT Walkers in Star Wars, but apparently that is not the case. More photos from the summer soon to come!

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Lake Merritt

Just ten years ago Oakland's Lake Merritt was in a state of disrepair: the water was polluted, trails were poorly maintained, and the surrounding buildings were dilapidated. After the passage of Measure DD in 2002, however, $115 million was allocated to improving the Lake. Ten years later, Lake Merritt has been transformed into one of Oakland's most valuable public spaces. The water is clean, the the trails are chock full of runners and walkers, and then surrounding buildings have been repaired. When I was back in California over winter break I took a series of photos of the Lake trying to show the improvements that have been made over the years and what a gorgeous place it is now. Hope you enjoy!

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Tilden Views

   I'm back in Chicago now but I have yet to post my last set of images from the Bay Area. These are from the Sea View trail in Tilden Park, where my photography bud and I witnessed a stunning winter sunset.   My telephoto lens was very handy for getting images of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco. Enjoy! 

Occupy Oakland Port Shutdown

    I made it down to today's Occupy Oakland protests, which involved a long march from downtown Oakland to the Port of Oakland. Of course, I brought my camera with me, but didn't get as many good photos as I would have liked because I was also on bike, and couldn't really lock it up anywhere. Lesson learned: next time I'll go without a bike (although it made getting home from the port much easier). In any case, the protest seemed to attract a pretty sizable crowd (I think I saw an article online that said there were 2,000 protestors, and that seems about right to me). I heard that some of the night shifts were called off because of the protests, so it seems that they were at least somewhat effective.

Occupy protestors march through Oakland on their way to the port on December 12th's day of action.

Occupy protestors stretch out along Middle Harbor Rd. during Dec 12th's march to occupy the Oakland Port.

Occupy Oakland protestors race to Berth 32 to support a bicycle blockade preventing trucks from loading their cargo.

An Occupy Oakland protestor at Berth 32 supporting a bicycle blockade preventing trucks from loading their cargo.

Occupy Oakland protestors rock out on the back of a truck during Dec 12th's move to occupy the Oakland Port.

The Mormon Temple Revisited

Unfortunately it was raining for most of my spring break, but I did manage to get out and shot one sunset from the Mormon temple. The Mormon Temple in Oakland has a great view of the bay, and I found that having a telephoto lens opened up a whole new set of possibilities. Enjoy!

Also, here is a random shot from winter in Chicago. 

Lake Merritt Glow

    I've been wanting to get a shot of downtown Oakland in the blue hour ever since I got home. Unfortunately, it has been raining most of the time. Luckily, there have been a couple of nice sunsets, and I was able to get a few shots I was happy with. I aso got a long exposure of a blue heron and an obligatory Christmas tree bokeh shot. Enjoy!

I usually don't do much bird photography, but as I was shooting at Lake Merritt there was a blue heron just standing still in the water. It was dark out so I needed a long exposure (luckily I was already using a tripod). I don't think 5 seconds is par for the course when doing bird photography, but the heron stood still enough that it came out pretty clear.

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Oakland in the Dark