I headed over here for a walk and do some people watching along the beach. I'm glad I did on account of the scenery and the spectacle people that where there to watch the sunset. I've mentioned before on the blog about how these crowds of people come to watch the sunset, but I still find it fascinating. Most of the people shown here are from out of town and just the thought of standing by the water watching a sunset is like a dream. Maybe even a dream come true. Its fun to take random shots of crowds. I didn't particularly know everything that was going on around me as I worked with my camera. Nevertheless I find it interesting to go back and look closer at the scene. There is no way to take it all in when there, everything changes from one minute to the next. We can see what each person is doing. An interesting study, so many lives and the only thing in common is the location. Anyway, it was an experience to remember because the next day I was on a plane for Vancouver where its pretty much the opposite of this; cold, dark and rainy. Even so there are a lot of cool things to see in Vancouver and the change of scenery provides contrast. It also reminds me of how fortunate I am to live where I can go to the beach in the middle of winter. The long hot stormy summers seem like a distant memory now. I will enjoy my time in the cold, dark rainy North almost as much as these folks enjoyed the beach. Almost.
I took this on Architectural Appreciation day. That's a joke, there's no such thing, at least that I'm aware of. This building is in central Amsterdam. It struck me as a statement of architecture. It was cold and I had competing thoughts that there wasn't anything worth taking a picture of. That's how my mind works, it's always looking for an out when the weather is not good. I looked straight up and decided I better setup despite the protestations of my body and complaining mind. I think that if I lived in Europe I'd shoot a lot of architecture. Even so there are opportunities closer to home. I know its cliche but it really is a matter of perspective. The idea with architecture photography is to reduce some design to a simple box. Sometimes when we look at things we see too much to appreciate the details. Architecture photography is about appreciating details. Focussing the lens on a single aspect of a building is, believe it or not, an act of appreciation. Think about it, the person who designed this building has surely considered this perspective in his or her mind many times. However most of use walk right by, never looking up to notice. Now imagine you are that architect and you see and read this post. You might smile and think someone actually noticed and appreciated it. It's about being present and open to little things all around us. It could be a little animal, a tree or piece of architectural design by someone with a vision of symmetry and lines. Anyway, after I took the shot I went back inside. It was damn cold.
I took this from the baths at Point Lobos in San Francisco. There were so many things to take pictures of that day, it was a lot of fun. As I write this I'm on a flight to the west coast again. I'm doing the West coast thing. I'm leaving the West coast of Florida to the West coast of Canada. Then I'll travel to the West coast of the United States. I think whomever said go west young man, must have had me in mind. Growing up in California I was steeped in west coast sensibilities. New age, new thought, new ways of doing things. Of course I didn't know any of this until I moved away and got a little perspective, I just took it all for granted. That sensibility is in my blood. I'm not particularly concerned with which west coast, just as long as it a coast and the sun sets that way. If the earth spun in the other direction then maybe I'd be an east coast guy. I'm fortunate because in Florida I can watch the sunrise over the Atlantic on the East Coast and then drive to the West coast and watch it set over the gulf. It's not just me; most people are like this. We are attracted to the arc of the sun. That's a geeky way of saying we are attracted to light and it's our natural tendency to follow it. If you look at a picture or painting our eyes go to the brightest areas. It's something primal, or spiritual, or both. If nothing else, its something to think about, perhaps we can figure out the whys and wherefores another day.
