The Blue Angels fly in formation in front of Alcatraz
This week’s photo is actually a collection of photos from last month’s San Francisco Fleet Week airshow. A friend of mine lives in North Beach and had a get together on the roof of her building, offering a fantastic view of the bay and all the action.
Although the Blue Angels ended up canceling their portion of the show due to fog, they managed to do one flyby before doing so. I was ready for it, and managed to get the shot I was looking for – six Blue Angels in tight formation, streaking by directly in front of Alcatraz. Below are several more from the day.
A Blue Angel jet flies overhead at the San Francisco Fleet Week airshow Patriot jets fly in tight formation Patriot jets show their red white and blue Prop planes perform aerobatics during the San Francisco Fleet Week airshow
A great egret searching for food is reflected in early morning light
Usually, capturing dynamic interesting light requires getting up very early in the morning. Luckily, this is also the time of day where birds tend to be very active. This week’s photo was taken near my house, in a slough extending from the San Francisco Bay. The calm water of the early morning was perfect for great reflections, and I was rewarded with lots of feeding and preening activity.
A peacock displays its plumage during mating season
This week’s photo was taken this spring at the San Francisco Zoo. Many zoos across the country allow peacocks to roam free amongst the visitors and animal exhibits. On this day I was lucky enough to witness 15 separate plumage displays, as the males were trying to catch the attention of the hens.
Although people “ohh” and “ahh” over the beautiful colors of the feathers when displayed from the front side, it is actually the tail and backside of the feathers that is meant to attract potential mates. When in full display, peacocks will often slowly turn in a circle, in order to show off its backside in as many directions as possible.
Mountains south of Emigrant Lake are reflected in the early morning light, Emigrant Wilderness, California
This week’s photo comes from a backpacking trip I did this summer with a friend. Emigrant Wilderness is a backpacker’s gem, especially once you get out of range of day hikers. Easily accessible from the San Francisco Bay Area, it is often overlooked due to Yosemite’s popularity. Once in the southern part of the wilderness which borders Yosemite’s northern boundary, it is not uncommon to go days without seeing another person.
This morning we had gotten up early and were on the trail by 6:30. We had situated our camp so that we would cross Emigrant Lake’s northern side just as the rising sun was cutting across the water at a low angle, bathing the southern mountains in beautiful light, and giving me a nice reflection in the lake. The lush grass along the shore was a bonus – the long shadows across the grass give a real sense of early morning stillness.
Here are some other shots from the same trip:
Granite stone and green grasses lead to Emigrant Lake, Emigrant Wilderness, CaliforniaYellow wildflowers dominate the grasses of Upper Relief Valley, Emigrant Wilderness, CaliforniaJagged stump overlooks the western end of Emigrant Lake, Emigrant Wilderness, California
