Sunday, April 5, 2026

Three images of Robert Woodward's Peacock Fountain (nicknamed Dandelion Fountain)


Peacock Fountain by Robert Woodward is well-known in my family: my father photographed it extensively in black and white in my childhood, and his photographs hung in his parents' home.

I think of it fondly.  Embarcadero Center casts a long shadow over it, which makes taking well-lit photographs difficult.  I spent time sitting in the shade, waiting for the slot of sun between buildings 2 and 3 to light it.  My patience paid off.  While it was never FULLY lit by the narrow shaft of sun, it was lit well enough for me to photograph it to my satisfaction. 


Views in and Around Embarcadero Center

Sky Tree by Louise Nevelson; Transamerica Pyramid; another view of Sky Tree; a view of the upper levels of Embarcadero Center

I had an elaborate discussion with my Cousin based on how NEW Louise Nevelson's 'Sky Tree' sculpture (the dark, shiny one) looks, before he concluded that it has been retreated (re-anodized?).  It looks so clean!  So new! I didn't recognize it, though I have images of one side of it in my archive. 

Levi Plaza

Coit Tower above Levi Plaza; sky bridges within the plaza, SuperGraphics

Designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon has been such an influence in California!  Not just her amazing work at Sea Ranch, but also at SFMoMA, and now Levi Plaza.  

So many flowers!

Six views of flowers; orange poppy, yellow peony center, purple iris detail, fuzzy protea, spiral aloe, succulent red/fuschia flowers

I had expected rhododendrons, and there were some in their glory, but there were also many other glories.

Saturday in GGP

Scenes in Golden Gate Park; two women on a bench under a tree; underside of elaborate cornice; view of the deYoung tower; blooming violet wisteria

I stopped believing the weather forecast last year: this was supposed to be "cloudy" all day... 

Saturday, April 4, 2026

Fast lights on an inky bay

Photo of 15 Instax Wide prints of long exposures on San Francisco Bay

Coming on the heels of long exposures of cars, I decided to create some long exposures of boats.  San Francisco Bay is VERY deep black at night, and there are some evening ferries that pass near a fishing pier, so I could get reasonably close to them before the bright lights of their piers flooded them.  So last night, after dinner, I grabbed my tripod and Lomo Instant Wide Glass camera (with fresh batteries!), and headed to that pier.

The way light scatters on the surface of the water, reflecting more brightly than their source shines directly, is quite interesting to me. 

This was a fun experiment, and I'm glad I tried it with bright, close boats rather than with more distant ships at night.

Echoes sculpture by night


The sculpture "Echoes - A Voice from Uncharted Waters" by Mathias Gmachl looks fabulous at night!  

(This installation is part of the Port of San Francisco's Big Art Loop.)

The Refreshed 'Bay Lights' are even brighter!

Top: Bay Bridge with vertical Bay Lights art; bottom: night view toward SF from Pier 14

So bright! So vivid!  I'm delighted that the Bay Lights installation has returned, and looks so wonderful.