Thursday, December 12, 2013

[ 50 / 52 ]

Week Fifty: In That Moment
Week Fifty

I stepped out of a reception for student leaders to take this shot. The view just got better and better every time I caught a glimpse out the window as the sunset until it reached the point where I had to excuse myself, grab my camera, and step outside.

I love love love sunsets, but they are tricky to shoot. It's always hard to know when they're at their best and, once the moment passes, they can drop off so quickly. I invariably find myself with a ton of shots and have to dig through them to find the very best of the bunch. This was the last of the series I took and I wonder if I wouldn't have been better off giving it a minute or two more, just long enough for the blues to darken up a bit without losing the boldness of the oranges at the bottom. I probably could have messed around with the colors in Lightroom to get the effect, but I like trying to keep my photos true to what my eyes really saw.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

[ 49 / 52 ]

Week Forty-Nine: Ol' Blue Eyes
Week Forty-Nine

North Berkeley is home to a lot of cats. It's hard to tell how many of them are strays and how many are just being let run around by their owners. In any case, my roommates Andrew and Shawna have started naming their favorite ones. They dubbed this little fellow Frank because he was like Ol' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. On top of being a long hair, he's also a chubby little guy and has no collar or tags. He was munching on some grass when I came across him, so it's hard to tell if someone is keeping him well fed or if he's just doing a great job manicuring people's lawns. Either way, he was super friendly and just chilled out while I fired off a bunch of shots. I look forward to the next time our paths cross.

Monday, December 9, 2013

[ 48 / 52 ]

Week Forty-Eight: A Splash of Red
Week Forty-Eight

The Vintners Market is a wonderful event that happens at Fort Mason in San Francisco twice a year where winemakers from all over California come to show off their stuff. Though a ticket will run you $50-ish, all of the winemakers offer free tastings, which makes for a boozy four hours. You hop from table to table, chatting up the people and trying all kinds of wines. Most of the wines are solid (as long as you aren't a fancy pants wine snob) and everyone is more than happy to sell you a bottle on the spot if you really like something you try.

This particular wine was an impulse (read: intoxicated?) purchase that I'm quite pleased with. It wasn't cheap but it will be a wonderful bottle to bust out when a special occasion comes up. It's also a lovely bottle, so I'm more than happy to have it sitting in my room in the meantime!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

[ 47 /52 ]

Week Forty-Seven: Some Things Last Longer
Week Forty-Seven

Right around the time I first started actually thinking about what I wore, my grandma starting giving away a lot of my grandpa's old clothes to the grandchildren. He had Parkinson's, which caused him to lose a lot of weight, so most of them didn't fit him anymore.

My grandpa was a doctor back in the days when doctors wore suits and was always a well dressed man, so there were a lot of great pieces in his closet. Many of them were the first truly high quality clothes I ever owned and I remember wearing his old Hugo Boss shirts and silk socks, feeling like I was dressed to the nines. I loved that feeling and I think my experience with his clothes was really influential to the relationship I have with clothing today.

One of my favorite items that came from my grandpa was a red jacket from Ralph Lauren. Nearly ten years later, I still wear it fairly regularly in the colder months. I can only imagine how long he owned it before me, but that it is still in great shape and doesn't look at all dated is a testament to both its quality and timelessness. It has been more than six years since my grandpa passed away, but it still reminds me of him. I hope it will be around to continue reminding me for many more years to come.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

[ 46 /52 ]

Week Forty-Six: Up above the static, up above the racket
Week Forty-Six

I have a favorite secret place here in Berkeley. It's usually very quite there with few people passing by and it offers an amazing view of the city and the bay. On one of the rare days where the fog isn't too thick and there are actually a few clouds in the sky, it's a spectacular vantage point to watch the sunset from.

It's also a great place to slip away to and escape life for a little bit. Sometimes that's even more important: a place away from it all where the sounds of every day life fade away and I can just be alone with my thoughts. Life can feel a little overwhelming at times and having a place to step back and take a deep breath is really wonderful