Looking In My Archive

I sure have lots of undated prints.  My lab at this time printed LOTS of numbers on the back, but no dates.  Dates would have been nice.  (I can guess what year it was based on the address I used on the order envelope, in this particular case.)

I hope I have scans of these somewhere.  (Perhaps this stack of unlabeled CDs? Gah!)  These are images from Desolation Wilderness, up near Lake Tahoe, here in California.  It is a relentlessly gorgeous, high elevation, roadless wilderness with stunning lakes, snow still piled on the peaks in summer, and (at that time) a remarkable number of mosquitos.

Yes, I am the kind of gal who hauls an antique twin lens reflex camera and medium format film into the high Sierras.  But you knew that.

Historic Fire Escape Shadow Obsession

I have boxes and boxes of photos that no one but my photo lab tech has ever seen, and found this representative example from a test roll to see if my Target Brownie Six Twenty works. 

Conclusion: it works!  It is a very old fashioned box camera, and has a little window that pretends to be the viewfinder, with little angled mirrors that more or less tell you where you are aiming.  More or less: the boundaries aren't especially accurate, and I'm a full frame composer, so it was vexing.  I wasn't sure what its focusing range was, so I have a stack of out-of-focus close ups of signs in this stack.

This print (from somewhere in the Mission, maybe on Bryant?) is a good example of  "things that are so detailed I don't want to draw them, but which I LIKE."  For some reason, which I never explain, fire escape shadows are one of those special things.  And you are lucky I don't post more photos like this.

Note that, if I drew this scene accurately, you would be convinced that I got the shadow of the ladder wrong, because the treads aren't visible from the side. But look!  The shadow makes sense!

The redness of the fire escape and alarm bell are satisfying.  I also like the inconsistency in my test rolls - I really AM testing cameras when I wander about.  I don't think I used this camera again, however, mostly because I have to respool film for it onto smaller "620" rolls (which take 120 film, but are just small enough to be a pain).

Fish bone bridge

One of the liberating things about posting on one's own site is: you can post whatever you like. 

By which I mean: I have very few friends who would find this bridge interesting, and if this were social media, this image would have no "likes," while someone's photo of their lunch at some fashionable spot would be racking up approval (if the lunch poster is a frequent liker in the endless cycle of liking that occurs on those sites).  But I'm out to please myself, so I don't have to worry about this particular bridge competing with baby photos, or cat photos, or lunch-in-restaurant-requiring-waiting-in-line photos.  It's so... easy this way!

Away from it all, or at least above it

A lush green escape from the office, if only for a short while.

Upstairs plaza sun

It was surprisingly cold today, especially in the shade.  It didn't help that the fog was reluctant to lift, and hung around the Bay Bridge until well into the afternoon.  But when it did clear, people went out to enjoy it! 

The park atop Salesforce Transit Center was considerably warmer than the streets three-plus levels below.

Urban bird

A captive tropical plant atop the Salesforce Transit Center, which is open for commuters yet again!  (And now I'll need to orient myself, because I'm used to the "temporary Transbay Terminal," which we have now had for years...)

Spiraling up

It is finally clad!  It's hard to photograph it without reflections, because there are so many angles.

Sailboats and smog

This would be a more charming scene without the thick, brown haze in the background...  Yes, the East Bay hills are in there, somewhere...

Calm Lake (November 3rd)

Me and my pal M enjoyed a long walk in the park, and were charmed by these reflections...  She and I both work long hours, and it was good to be away from our screens!

Too colorful evening (October 29th)

Briefly violet sky (October 29th)

The only upside of pollution, especially from fires, has been extremely VIVID skies.

Layers of visible air (October 29th)

Don't breathe anything below that line...

New look, old station

After an eternity of looking at exposed fireproofing over the Powell Street station's top level, a grid and new lights have appeared! 

This was the first time in years that I've passed through this corridor without it looking like a medical ward, and I sincerely hope that the folks that would otherwise be there are benefitting from the new tax we passed, to provide more services to people who need them.

Looking back: October 27th

Things have been rough in California this month.  Major fires broke out around the state, and wind storms whipped them up into dangerous infernos. 

This photo was taken during a break in a wind storm that briefly, so briefly, cleared the smoke-filled air while allowing me to step over fallen trees, branches, leaves, and other wind-blown debris.  It was good to be outside while not feeling in danger of being blown down.

Thursday evening 2/2

I'm probably into this more for the clouds than anything else, but I'm okay with admitting that.  (I think I'm easy to please, subject-wise.)

Thursday evening 1/2

Sunsets are kind of easy-crowd-pleasers, yet it always makes me happy when other people get so excited to witness one IN REAL LIFE.  They are suddenly really paying attention!  It's good for them. :)

Monday clouds

We have had ALL the seasons over these past few days, sometimes two seasons per day!

London is still Londoning

I've been to London on business several times (five?), and have rarely had time to just SOAK in it.  So, as my third city to meet my third friend, pre-Brexit London seemed like a fantastic choice.

Ultimately, she didn't come, but I had a great time, in a mix of hot-to-rainy weather, mostly indoors.

The UK (or at least the British element of it) brings to mind images of tea and teacups, the Queen, British New Wave bands (I can finally visit without having ABC's Tower of London, the Clash's London Calling, or the Smith's Hairdresser on Fire on endless loop in my head), and various other icons from an earlier era. 

Yet, London is an extremely modern, international city, and so I focused this trip on experiencing ultra-modern things: contemporary art by living artists (Studio Olafur Eliasson, whose work is always so fantastic, have a show at the Tate Modern!! YES, I did plan around this!)  , design award shows focused on making the quality of life better for us, and on the constructs that AI systems create, and street art.

There are so many flavors of London to experience!

2019.09.19-23 London, UK

Photos of London, UK by A. Elizabeth Graves

Amsterdam is also lovely

After a lovely time in The Hague, I took the train to Amsterdam. 

I see Amsterdam all of the time in movies much as you likely see my hometown of San Francisco in movies: as a backdrop for international intrigue and the occasional car chase. :)  I was sure that the same few parts of town were always in movies (true!), and wanted to branch out and escape the crowds. 

Happily, I had a German friend with me (CM), and she had always stayed in the tourist core and was ready and eager to branch out and see the shiny NEW districts.  So we had a pleasant set of adventures.

2019.09.13-19 Amsterdam, Netherlands

Photos from a first visit to Amsterdam, Netherlands by A. Elizabeth Graves

The Hague is lovely

Yes, I left my travel-heavy global position at the end of last year, and have been posting LOCAL photos (mostly) since then.  Also, I've used my time off to take care of others after their surgeries, or to have dental surgeries of my own.  (INSERT NUMEROUS SAD FACE EMOJI HERE)  I haven't taken a real vacation all year... until this month!

I wanted to use miles I earned during my business travels to enjoy myself, booked everything in April and May, coordinated my visits with three friends in three different countries... and then the airline I was relying on had a labor dispute, and cancelled my flights. 

I managed to rebook and still take the trip, so I am lucky.

My first stop was The Hague, which has always been famous in my mind for the tribunals where global justice plays out.  It is also a charming city.  Here are some touristy photos from my first visit, during stormy weather.

2019.09.10-13 The Hague (Den Haag), Netherlands

Just over fifty photos taken in The Hague, Netherlands by A.E. Graves