San Francisco
 EXPOSED
Part of the "Great Cities Exposed"
Online Photo Exhibit Series

Online Photography Exhibit Featuring the San Francisco Bay area
GALLERY 05

 
"Watching TV or TV Watching?"
Willy's Barber Shop, Mission District

photography by LORRAINE CASTILLO
Northern California
Picture of Willy's Barber Shop, Mission District, San Francisco. Part of FreePhotoCourse.com's
Nikon D80, 120mm focal length; f/5.6, 1/15, ISO 200
© 2011, Lorraine Castillo

On 22nd Street, just a half block from Mission Street, stands a tiny old-school barber shop by the name of "Willy's".  Known by a throng of loyal customers as a hidden jewel among the high-priced, high-brow coiffeur salons, Willies has been around for a LONG time.  Insiders tell us that the original Willies was established in this very spot about 100 years ago.  (Is this possible?)  The original Willy the Barber has long since departed Mother Earth, but the tradition of professional, honest haircuts, hot-towel shaves and no-nonsense efficient service endures.

The fact that this picture is as much about history as it is about a real moment in San Francisco Mission District time is appealing to us and that's just one reason why our Submissions Review Team selected it.  Lorraine Castillo is an amateur photographer with a keen eye for what's really important in street photography, as seen previously in San Francisco EXPOSED Gallery 4 and in other pictures on this page as well.  This image isn't perfect - for instance, the framing is a rotated a bit too far clockwise and the garbage can at the bottom front is a bit distracting.  But then again, these imperfections, along with so much photographic "clutter" in the scene, really speak to the truth of the real-life situation.  Bottom line - it isn't meant to be perfect and prissy.  What you see is what you get and that's why the place is so busy!  It's real life.

Lorraine realized, upon creating this wonderful example of Mission District life, that the woman wearing the red jacket on the TV screen above the chair, appears to be looking at what's going on inside the shop.  You couldn't have asked for a better juxtaposition; the TV woman (a news anchorperson?) has her hand on her chin, casting  her eyes down upon the really important show...the haircut!

This is yet another photograph that is so much a part of the overall San Francisco landscape that it would be a shame not to include in this exhibit!


"The Embarcadero Ball"
Gold Ball at the Bottom of the Spiral Staircase

Photography by CATHY YIH
Alamo, California
Picture of the Embarcadero Center Staircase and Gold Ball. Part of FreePhotoCourse.com's
Nikon D90, 36mm focal length; f/5.6, 1/200, ISO 800
© 2011, Cathy Yih


Cathy Yih knows that San Francisco's Embarcadero Center is an important and highly recognizable part of the San Francisco 'landscape', and its spiral staircase with the gold ball at the bottom is, also, uniquely San Franciscan!  We received more than a few versions of this same scene in response to our call for submissions, but this one caught the eye of our Submissions Review Team because of its very attractive composition.

This is not merely a 'photocopy' of an interesting and artistic architectural design.  Cathy's photograph goes beyond that of just documenting something that's really eye-catching and contemporary.  Instead, she went to work with her creative eye and her Nikon D90, with the mission of creating something different from the elements, so that the result is aesthetically stunning beyond that of the architecture.  You can't ignore the curves that draw your eye to the ball.  But it's more than that.  Notice how the stairs in the top portion of the image are completely linear?  The juxtaposition of the curved and linear stairs create an interesting quandary for the brain to solve.  The two opposing stair portions are not necessarily disharmonious, but pique the viewer's interest.  The rhythm of the stairs is broken by the huge diagonal concrete beam, creating even further interest for the brain.

We see basic geometric shapes that are like eye candy for the brain.  Circles, swirls, rectangles and even a giant "Z" pattern running throughout the entire frame.  Add to that the two huge triangles on either side of the concrete beam.  There's a lot going on here and Cathy nailed it!

Brava for a very artistic addition to this exhibit!















"It's all about the View...Or is it?"
The Coit Tower, Telegraph Hill, North Beach

photography by MARILYN DALTON
San Francisco, California
Picture of the Coit Tower, San Francisco. Part of FreePhotoCourse.com's
Canon Powershot A520, 36mm focal length (SLR equiv.); f/4, 1/250
© 2012, Marilyn Dalton

Marilyn Dalton has been busy with her camera, documenting many of the historically and architecturally significant buildings throughout the San Francisco area.  She's photographed everything from the Castro Theatre to the Mish House, and everything in-between and around them!  In addition to maintaining a blog that's chock-full of architectural pictures from the area, her photography has also been published in numerous places and can be found hanging on the walls of many offices throughout the City.

Of all of her interesting photos, we wondered what it was about this particular image that motivated her to submit it for this exhibit?  It is a pretty picture, no doubt about it.  But then it occurred to us.  The Coit Tower, a popular tourist destination, is generally used, photographically-speaking, for two purposes.  First, the tower is photographed constantly, but mostly from a distance as part of the skyline.  Second, it serves as a popular vantage point for taking spectacular sweeping cityscape pictures FROM its observation deck.  In fact, one could photograph so many different SF areas and districts from the Coit Tower, using anything from a wide-angle lens to a high magnification zoom lens.

But Marilyn's picture is a completely different idea.  Instead of photographing the tower from a distance or using it to photograph its surroundings, Marilyn chose to photograph the tower from its base, which emphasizes an interesting perspective while allowing the viewer to appreciate the scalloped vertical panels that run up the length of the structure.  The sun creates shadows around the edge of the tower, allowing us to see the relief of the raised edges of each panel.  This is not what most people see when they look at the tower.  But it is something that is an important aspect of its design.

While the tower does offer amazing views of the City, it's really not that tall.  At 210 feet, it's about the height of 10 average 2-story houses stacked on top of one another.  Not a giant in the world of towers.  Then again, it's on the top of a very tall hill, which was a very smart move and effectively adds many stories of height.  It was built in 1933 as a bequest by Lillie Hitchcock Coit who loved San Francisco and wanted to leave a mark that would beautify the area for others to continue appreciating.  And, well, that's exactly what her donation did and continues to do some 80 years later!

The Coit Tower is one of those favorite spots for tourists and locals alike, for photography, day trips, nice views and even...we've heard...marriage proposals.

By the way, if you visit Coit Tower, be warned that weekend traffic to the tiny parking lot at the top of the hill can prove to be a nightmarishly long wait.  Better to take the shuttle up there.  As well, once there, you'll likely encounter a life form you never expected.  Wild parrots have thrived there for decades.  Just don't feed them because there's a city ordinance prohibiting that.

Thank you Marilyn for the excellent picture.

More creative San Francisco photos from Lorraine Castillo:
Columbus Tower/Sentinel Building at Night
Picture of the Columbus Tower, San Francisco. Part of FreePhotoCourse.com's
Nikon D80, 70mm focal length; f/8, 2 sec., ISO 100
© Lorraine Castillo, 2011
When Lorraine Castillo took this whimsical long-exposure night picture on the corner of Columbus and Pacific, she captured more than merely an historical flat-iron building.  Although the Columbus Tower has a rich and storied past, its present can be just as intriguing.  Before we get to the background, let's take a look at this fantastic example of night-time photography and the surprises that can occur.

Lorraine tells us that after reviewing the photo, she was most intrigued by the street car lights appearing to swoosh along, high above the lights from the passenger vehicles.  We also noticed the street car cables, as invisible as they are in the night, they seem to sparkle as they reflect the various night lights.

Despite the fact that the Transamerica Pyramid plays a distracting role in most daylight pictures of this tower, the right perspective at night reveals the tower as something to behold singularly.

Most pictures of this building feature the familar green copper clad exteriorm, but this monochrome night photo is something quite different and extraordinary in its own way!

Whether day or evening, the tower has an interesting past and present.  Construction of the tower began a year before the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but due to slow progress, the quake did little damage, so builders were able to pretty much pick-up from where they left off.  Depending on what you read (and what your believe) the delicious Caesar salad was born here.  Legend has it that the original restaurant in this building, "Caesars", founded its namesake salad.  (Then again, many other food historians claim that Ceasar Cardini who was a chef at the Cesar Hotel in Tijuana, Mexico, first created the famous salad...)

Regardless who first made the salad, the tower was eventually purchased and renovated by famous filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola in the 1970's and continues to be his corporate diggs and the home of his Cafe Niebaum-Coppola, where it's said that you can eat one of the best Neopolitan pizzas outside of Italy.
Balloon Boy??
Picture of San Francisco street art near Union Square. Part of FreePhotoCourse.com's
Nikon D80, 55mm focal length; f/14, 1/640, ISO 1600
© Lorraine Castillo, 2011
Looking out from an alley near Union Square, San Francisco's financial and theatre district, one might catch a glimpse of a few interesting examples of street art.  This particular mural caught Lorraine's eye as something that's a bit mixed-up!

While we customarily put a limit of one or two images per photographer, in terms of our selection process, we ened-up selecting four of Lorraine's photos for this exhibit.  What we liked most about her work is that she doesn't fall into the trap of trying to make something look different.  Instead, she works hard to find things that are right in front of our eyes and that are interesting but rarely noticed.

This is an important characteristic in urban or street photography and it suggests that most people really don't take the time to notice the amazing things that are in and along their path on a daily basis.  Take the picture above, for example.  One must ask, "Why is the boy (man) floating above the balloon, as if he is the balloon?"

You might also notice that guy's expression is contemplative, while his right hand points forward as if he's in the groove of a superman-like flight.  Lorraine tells us that she has shown this to many friends who have all enjoyed interpreting what's going on here.

We also wondered about the lower 'balloon' that's anchoring the balloon guy.  When you look at its shape, it becomes more clear that it has to do with WWII...but why is the heart painted on it?

A whole lot is going on here, not just in the mural and its possible interpretations, but in the context as well.  Brava Lorraine!


Did you know that you can learn to use a DSLR camera, get professional photography tips, get desktop wallpaper pictures and get answers to your photography questions...all for FREE?  It's true.  FreePhotoCourse.com - Love Photography, Live Photography!






PREVIOUS  "San Francisco EXPOSED"  GALLERY



Great Cities EXPOSED Home                    "NYC Exposed" Gallery                    FreePhotoCourse.com Home




THE SAN FRANCISCO EXHIBIT IS NOW CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS.

WE WILL BE LAUNCHING NEW PHOTO GALLERIES AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITS IN THE COMING MONTHS.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BEING PART OF ONE OF OUR NEW EXHIBITS,
VISIT FREEPHOTOCOURSE.COM REGULARLY
FOR UPDATED INFORMATION ON UPCOMING CHALLENGES AND PHOTO EXHIBITS.
 



Please read our Content Download and Use Agreement if you have any questions regarding content rights for images appearing in this gallery.  Please respect the rights of the photographers whose work is featured in this online exhibit.  Photos in this exhibit are the property of the named photographers.  Copying, storing, transmitting or otherwise using any of these images without the express permission of the named photographer is prohibited.



LINKS:

HOME     PHOTO TIPS INDEX      FULL COURSE INDEX      "HOW TO" INDEX      PHOTO FORUM

SITE SEARCH    CONTRIBUTOR'S GALLERY    PHOTOGRAPHER PROFILES    FREE DIGITAL IMAGES
 

© 2011, FreePhotoCourse.com.  All rights reserved.  Reproduction, storage, copying, publishing, manipulation, digitizing or selling of any of the text or photos on this website is strictly prohibited.  Under no circumstances shall any part of the content on this website be plagiarized or referenced as the work of an author or photographer.  Re-selling of any of the content on this site is strictly prohibited. 
Browse, learn, purchase and explore with confidence. 
Certified  virus-free, malware-free, spyware-free, scam-free and spam-free.

Associate-Sponsor Disclosure        Content Download & Terms of Use        Privacy Policy         Contact Us        Contributor's Gallery Terms of Use        Forum Terms of Use