From My B/W Portfolios
"Silence of the Night (I/II)"
(1995, 1996)

The tonality here is of course not of such quality as with 16*20" prints...

Email Stan

This is a relatively old page and is no longer being updated.
For new (and better) travel images with fun stories, click here.


1996

Star trails somewhere in the Californian Central Valley. This was on my first field trip in the Winter Quarter 1996 for my new night portfolio. I just felt like leaving far away, and it was not till I hit my final destination that I realized that it was completely new moon... But even then, I didn't realize how dark it was. I mean, no light pollution, no anything. When shooting the picture (which took about half an hour), I came up with the name "trees behind a fence". Needless to say that there is no fence visible... Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, about 25 minutes at 3.5 January 1996

Same night, just facing east to Fresno (that's where the light pollution comes from). First I looked through my 70-200 lens at what it possibly could be there at the horizon, then I aimed my 20-35 at "it". I was somewhat surprised when the presumed trees turned out to be a farm house... Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, about 15 minutes at 3.5 January 1996

Ocean Cliff Pier. My photo professor, Robert Dawson of San Francisco, went ballistic when he saw an 8*10 of this. I really mean it. He was not just happy, he went ballistic. So did the class. I could not make them give me any comments on the other prints that day... And I don't even like the picture that much!

I'd like to stress though that this PhotoCD scan is really, really bad. It is soooo bright it's hard to believe. You should be able to see the lights of Monterey back at the coast, but it's just all washed out... Sorry! Canon 1N, 28-70L, Kodak TX400, about 2 minutes at 3.5 January 1996

From under the Pier. When I was taking the picture above, it was just starting to rain. But I wanted to get down to the pier... Because I respect handicapped parking even at 2am, I parked where I was supposed to, walked with my tripod all the way over, and shot this picture. People say that it's a common shot, but where I come from we have no piers, so I like it -- it's my first of this kind! Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, about 3 minutes at 3.5 January 1996

The $2000 picture. Now it was starting to rain for real. So I thought, let's get out of here as long as you can. But I could not resist this log. It was there so peacefully, in the very very peaceful Pacific...

It could have been the most expensive shot I have ever taken (hence the title). By the time I set up the tripod in the ocean (now call me stupid) it was already pouring and storming, but I wouldn't give up. Then, a big, I mean big wave came and swept just below the tripod head (Bogen 3221 with a 3047 head). Fortunately, it was heavy enough; the original picture (not shown here) was badly shaken, not stirred. This was the second attempt. Note again that these are bad PCD scans; the 16*20 looks great. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, about 1.5 minutes at 3.5 January 1996

Another Star trails. Well, this one was actually constructed so that the stars go in the same arch as the trees. The PCD operator cut about 30% of the picture away -- apparently it was too hard to tell where the picture began :-) Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, about 10 minutes at 3.5 February 1996

Some trees in Marin County, CA. I forgot the precise location; I shot them when I was coming back from a friend in Santa Rosa. I forgot that I had TMX in the camera and so I hopelessly underexposed the whole bracketing series, and just this one made it (kinda). Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TMX100, about 8 minutes at 3.5 February 1996

1995

A Farmhouse somewhere near Modesto, CA, around 4am. The absolute silence and peace at that place was almost frightening. On the large representation you can clearly see the stars in the clear sky. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 60 sec at 3.5 April 1995

A tree in the fog about 5 miles east on CA-17 of San Jose, CA, then off-road in the hills, around 4am. When you watch closely you will see the hills dividing the Silicon Valley from the Pacific rising on the very right. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 20 sec at 3.5 April 1995

Coastal highway CA-1 with approaching car between Pigeon Point and Pescadero Point, about midnight. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 20 sec at 3.5 March 1995

Rock in the Pacific at Pescadero, about midnight. It was soooo cold! You have no idea! I was wearing a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, a winter sweater, a jacket, gloves and a hat; it was windy as if there was no tomorrow, and I had to watch the tripod all the time not to fall over... Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 30 sec at 3.5 March 1995

Pigeon Point (CA) Lighthouse on a rather clear, calm night. You can see the clouds passing by. Here, too, what you don't see is the freezing temperature which I had to be in in order to take this picture: The wind coming from the Pacific is rather cold at that time of the year! Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 15 sec at 3.5 March 1995

Twin Peaks radio antennas in San Francisco on a surprisingly clear but extremely chilly night, about midnight. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 20 sec at 3.5 May 1995

San Francisco Exploratorium, or better the lake in front of it, with trees on the right and a street to the left, about 3am. Canon T90, 20-35L, Kodak TX400, 40 sec at 3.5 March 1995

Email Stan