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Online Photography Exhibit Featuring the San Francisco Bay area
GALLERY 03
Legion of Honor - Public Holocaust Memorial
"Looking at George Segal's Sculpture with a New Photographic Eye"
photography by KEVIN DAY
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
Nikon D5000, 55mm focal length; f/11, 1/1000, ISO200
© 2011, Kevin Day
© 2011, Kevin Day
Where to begin? This is a striking - make that arresting - photographic work of art. There's so much to be said about this very expressive and expertly-composed photo by Kevin Day. SOME BACKGROUND: In 1984, pop artist George Segal dedicated his Holocaust Memorial located at the Calafornia Palace of the Legion of Honor. It is an important, yet bleak and somber reminder of an awful page of the 20th century book of history. On a foggy day, a good bet on any day in San Francisco, the outdoor memorial is even more unsettling. It's meant to be that way. It's comprised of a bunch of lifeless stark white bodies on the ground, punctuated by a sole 'living' Jewish prisoner standing behind the barbed wire fence.
What's most interesting about Kevin's photograph is his choice of focal point. So much comes together to purposefully craft a message. When George Segal sculpted this memorial, his focus was not on the sole surviving prisoner, but on the stark, cold, ugly reality of the situation. The barbed wire focal point is perfect in this photo, as it emphasizes the painful captivity and hopelessness that was a reality during World War II; not just for one person, but for multiple millions of Jewish people from different parts of Europe.
The soft focus resulting from post-processing derived shallow depth of field further emphasizes the barbed wire. Look, also, at the diagonal line shadows that move across the scupture. It's as if even the shadows tread upon the downtrodden figure.
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Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
"Newly Restored Jewel of San Francisco - Couple in Love" Photography by KEVIN DAY San Francisco, California  Nikon D5000, 24mm focal length; f/8, 1/250, ISO 200 © 2010, Kevin Day Although Kevin took this picture before the $21 Million restoration project was complete, the exterior walls and columns of this beautiful public theatre had already been returned at that point to perfect condition. In fact, when you consider that this stately example of Greek-inspired architecture was built as a mere temporary part of the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition, it's quite a bit more structure than was initially planned or built. The original structure was made from wire, plaster and burlap - not exactly a recipe for longevity! We received many different photo versions of this inspiring landmark from talented photographers and amateurs alike, but we decided to include Kevin's image for a few reasons. First, we couldn't help notice the people element in his photo. Most of the other Palace photos that were submitted had either no people (ie. focused on the architecture exclusively) or showed multiple persons milling about in tourist fashion. This one is different. Notice the couple lying on the grass in the foreground. It's a quintessentially relaxed moment, complete with the bottle of white wine and a book to read. This more genuinely sets the mood of this landmark more than any of the other photos we received. The ironic part of all of this is that Kevin mentioned to us that he prefers to take pictures of structures and landscapes more than people. However, the human element is the very thing that persuaded us to choose this particular submission over others! Another photographic observation is that the natural frame created by the weeping tree branches and the soft focus provide for a idyllic scene. Bravo Kevin for seeing this photo op and for participating in San Francisco EXPOSED! Well done! |
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A Familiar Chinatown Scene
"Cultural Colour"
Photography by DAN HARTFORD
Palo Alto, California
Canon EOS 40D, 33mm focal length; f/7.1, 1/125, ISO 1600
© 2011, Dan Hartford
© 2011, Dan Hartford
The Setting - the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest Chinatown in North America. You're standing on the corner of Grant Avenue and Bush Street, about the walk through the main entrance to San Francisco's Chinatown. Prepare yourself, because you are entering a completely different world in a very literal sense. And talk about senses! It can be sensory overload; it's often said that the kaleidoscope of bright colours, interesting smells (some deliciously enticing and others quite foreign), exciting sounds and authentic accents can carry one to a different level of consciousness.
We did select a few other Chinatown photos for this exhibit (see Gallery 5), but this one is a bit different. If you've been to Chinatown, you realize that there are always people milling about; whether they be Chinatown residents, shop owners, tourists or native San Franciscan shopping for exotic foods and goods. What struck us as unique in Dan's photo above, is that you have the color, the culture and the overall feel, but the statement comes without the usual foot traffic.
Don't you just love his perspective? The little girl Chinese dresses hanging on a line are shot from an angle that make the viewer feel as if he or she is about to walk under the display and into the shop. The colours are vibrant, richly saturated and, yet, realistic. The negative space at the top right corner gives the eye some rest, while the neon Cantonese characters at the bottom left provide further context.
In Dan's own words: "In this chaos of shoulder to shoulder marketing, each owner is desperate to find places
to showcase their goods so as to entice customers inside. This particular store, as do many others, display
their merchandise above the street as well as in displays at street level. I found this image of brightly colored
children's traditional Chinese clothes quite compelling. The bright colors, 'cute-ness' of the children's size
and the spacing of them on the line evokes a feeling of the time and place."
to showcase their goods so as to entice customers inside. This particular store, as do many others, display
their merchandise above the street as well as in displays at street level. I found this image of brightly colored
children's traditional Chinese clothes quite compelling. The bright colors, 'cute-ness' of the children's size
and the spacing of them on the line evokes a feeling of the time and place."
With a background in IT Management, Dan Hartford finds his creative expression through photography. He has given a lot of thought to his photographic journey, telling us that he began photographing in the early 1970's with an Olympus half frame camera (72 shots on a 36 picture roll) shooting mostly vacation and family. He got his first SLR in the mid 80's at which time he started to approach photography more as a creative art process rather than as simple documentation of a vacation. As his interest in photography and skill level increased, he went through several styles as well as cameras and lenses.
He tells us that he tends to shoot in easily accessible locations, where even though thousands of other photographers have preceded him, his goal is to capture images that show a different take on well known subjects or to select subjects in those locations not normally photographed. We agree that Dan has accomplished this very goal in the photo above!
Dan says he uses well-honed aesthetic and technical skills to produce images that convey the sense and feeling-of-place he had when he was at the scene shooting. An ever-evolving creative person, he says that this process never ends as he continue to discover new ways to look at things, and new perspectives and techniques on how to capture them in the camera.
Beautiful workby a photographer with a sharp eye! You can see more of Dan's fine photo work at: http://www.danhartfordphoto.com/
He tells us that he tends to shoot in easily accessible locations, where even though thousands of other photographers have preceded him, his goal is to capture images that show a different take on well known subjects or to select subjects in those locations not normally photographed. We agree that Dan has accomplished this very goal in the photo above!
Dan says he uses well-honed aesthetic and technical skills to produce images that convey the sense and feeling-of-place he had when he was at the scene shooting. An ever-evolving creative person, he says that this process never ends as he continue to discover new ways to look at things, and new perspectives and techniques on how to capture them in the camera.
Beautiful workby a photographer with a sharp eye! You can see more of Dan's fine photo work at: http://www.danhartfordphoto.com/
Diversity Abound; Big City Skyline - Peaceful Nature Spots
photography by ERIC MELOCHE
Dublin, Ireland
 Sony DSC-W5, 114mm focal length (SLR equiv.); f/10, 1/200, ISO 100 © 2010, Eric Meloche |
 Sony DSC-W5, 38mm focal length (SLR equiv.); f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 100 © 2010, Eric Meloche |
A very talented chef, Canadian-born Eric Meloche lives his passion as an Executive Chef with the Ritz Carleton Powerscourt in Dublin, Ireland. But, as you can see from the pictures above, his creativity overflows in different ways whether wearing his apron - or not! Eric has had the opportunity to move around with the Ritz brand and has had a hand in creating delicious entrées and menus for guests, previously, in San Francisco, Jamaica and Amelia Island (Florida). While working and living in San Francisco, Eric managed to get out of the kitchen from time to time and explore his magnificent surroundings.
The waterfront picture above left is a real gem of a scene, highlighting the countless sailboats at Pier 39 with the Transamerica Building and other background architecture serving as mere context for the boats themselves. We really love how the masts stick up so randomly and remind us that the waterfront has many different sides and many different faces. The virtual horizon, cut along the lower 1/3 of the photo is perfectly composed, as is the off-center placement of the Transamerica pyramid. Well done Eric!
Contrasting big city glitz, we see the rustic beauty of the hillside bluff trail leading to the ocean in the photo above on the right. What really caught the collective eye of our Submissions Review Team, was the way the craggy hillside counters the soft vegetation on the opposite side. Although the wood staircase goes directly down the center of the photo, our eye seems to be drawn in more of a curve toward the lower left. The layering of the hills, enhanced by the vertical lines in the rock face, tricks the brain into swaying to the left, to the extent that the viewer feels drawn in a non-linear sweeping curve. The choice of a monochrome mode is also a positive decision, as it highlights contrast, shapes and curves.
Eric's photography is certainly yummy...just imagine how delectable his food must be!
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