But, I can’t miss the 12 year anniversary of sharing my Favorite Photos from the year and participating in Jim Goldstein’s year end blog project. I’m grateful that Jim creates the time priority to continue this tradition.  This year’s selections are largely travel images from the various trips taken over the year. You can also see my past yearly favorites, going back to 2007, in the blog archive.

Photo #1

Family hikes the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park.

Our year started off with a family trip to Yosemite Valley during which the entire family hiked both the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls and halfway up the Yosemite Falls trail. Super impressed with both my kids (5 and 7 at the time) tenacity to keep going on these steep trails! Little did I know at the time that this would be the first of three hiking trips to Yosemite over the course of the year.

Photo #2

Tokyo cityscape in black and white.

This year had less business travel that past years, but again more International travel. The highlight of which was my first trip to Tokyo. This was the view that I had from my partner’s office.

Photo #3

Grand Canyon Detail at Sunset from the south rim.

This spring the family did a road trip to Arizona and it allowed me to check another National Park off my list. We were able to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon for a day. I was excited to see the kids reaction, following them to the rim with the video rolling…only to get ho-hum type of responses. But when sunset came around, they were a bit more interested as the canyon views started to come to life. Need to come back and stay a week to be able to start to do the canyon justice.

Photo #4

Sunset over buttes of Sedona Arizona.

While on our Arizona road trip we stopped in Sedona a eventually the kids wore us down to do a jeep trail tour. My daughter was laughing the entire way up the rocky jeep trail as the sun was starting to set behind us. We reached the top of the trail just in time to watch sunset over the buttes of Sedona.

Photo #5

Hoover Dam, Colorado River up stream, and Spillway panoramic.

What Arizona road trip is complete without a stop at Hoover Dam? Our’s wasn’t! We didn’t have time for the tour of the dam itself, but the vastness of the dam complex is quite impressive. It is even more impressive to see first hand the effects that the prolonged drought in the West and increased water usage from the Colorado rive has on Lake Mead and the dam. No one I talked to could remember the last time the spillway on the right was used. The dam is also designed to only produce electricity when the water level is above 1071 feet; according to the historic record it took 2.25 years for Lake Mead to fill to that point once the dam was completed and it was at 1084.5 feet when we visited. The lake level has been dancing around that minimum level for power generation for the past few years.

Photo #6

Windmills and rainstorms near Mojave, California.

On the home bound leg of the Arizona road trip, we were driving across the Mojave desert and hit the front edge of a spring storm system moving east. We suddenly felt and heard our windshield getting pelted by sand picked up by the wind that accompanied that front edge (our poor windshield is peppered with small chips to this day). Eventually we meet up with the rain near these windmills on the western foothills of Mojave, California. When rain and storms are near, I tend to keep the camera handy for photographic opportunities like the one above.

Photo #7

Summer Vacation: two kids sit on a dock at a lake.

End of June found the family traveling again, this time to Wisconsin for a family reunion to celebrate my Parents 70th Wedding Anniversary. Part of the family rented a great house on a lake about 15 miles from my Parents house…the same lake on which my parents used to own a lake house that all my siblings and I enjoyed while growing up (follow this dock straight across the lake as a crow flies and you would find that lake house still there). This photo of my kids sitting on the dock on a cloudy summer day feels so iconic, and is something we need to give them every summer whenever possible.

Photo #8

Camping fun with flashlights.

This fall my son’s Boy Scout pack did their yearly camping trip to a meadow in the San Francisco East Bay Hills. The glow you see over the trees is from the city lights of Orinda (and Oakland was just over the hill behind me). There was a hill across the meadow from where we were camping and the boys were playing various games running up and down that hill in the dark. I setup my tripod and called them all over to have them sprint across the meadow as I took a long exposure. Six or seven attempts later, they were all tired and ready for bed…and I had my photo.

Photo #9

San Francisco Skyline at Sunset.

Just when you think you know all the spots to take the iconic skyline photo of San Francisco, a new one sneaks up on you. Stumbled across this one while running errands and I liked the prominence of the new Salesforce Tower along with Bay Bridge. I’ll have to work a few more visits in to this spot over the coming year.

Photo #10

Clouds Rest approach from the North, Yosemite National Park.

The Third trip of the year into Yosemite was a boys adventure weekend to hike to the top of Clouds Rest. We camped on the valley floor and two of the group hiked from the valley floor past Half Dome (off to the right) and summited Clouds Rest from the south (about 24 miles round trip). Myself and the 4th drove up to Tenaya Lake and summited Clouds Rest from the north (about 17 miles round trip). It’s a hike work doing!

Photo #11

Clouds Rest northern approach and view off to Tenaya Lake.

The other view from the north approach to Clouds Rest. The trail from Tenaya Lake, which you can see on the left, is more trafficked than the trail between Half Dome and Clouds Rest. But not nearly as trafficked as the trail getting to Half Dome.

Photo #12

Tenaya Canyon and Half Dome from 4 Mile Trail in Yosemite National Park.

To complete the trifecta of Yosemite perspectives, here is Half Dome and Clouds Rest (peak to the left of Half Dome) as seen from 4 Mile Trail to Glacier Point. What better way to stretch out the legs after 17 miles than to hike another 9 miles!

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Thanks for making it all the way through this year’s favorites! Please leave a comment and let me know which of my favorites is one of yours as well. If you enjoyed these photos, please tell your friend by sharing this within your social network.

I hope 2019 is a wonderful, healthy, and successful year for all of us and full of many more photographic moments worth sharing. Happy New Year!

2017 was a mixed year for me.  Many photography ambitions were prioritized lower as I transitioned between day jobs.  Meanwhile, finding the time to spend in the digital darkroom is becoming harder as the kids are getting older and most evenings are spent working on homework and bedtime reading. But a few photos came out of the year, and this is my list of personal favorites in chronological order.

All the below photos are available within the archive where Art Prints can be purchased and stock image licensing is available.  Just click through on the photos below.

Photo #1

Bear Creek cuts through snow covered alpine meadow in Bear Valley, California.

Nothing starts off the new year like fresh snow in the Mountains.  We had a number of trips up to the mountains to build the kid’s skiing muscles.  This was taken the morning after a recent storm.

Photo #2

Garden Party installation from 2017 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Again in 2017 I photographed Bouquet to Art at the De Young Museum.  There were two pieces that most stood out to me for how they seemed to augment and expand on their corresponding piece of artwork.

Photo #3

City College of San Francisco (Jenny Tabarracci) installation from 2017 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Photo #4

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, James R. Browning building Courtroom Four in San Francisco, California.

One special photography trip from this past year was getting the chance to photograph the historic James R. Browning building which houses the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.  Having a day to wander the building while court was out of session was an amazing treat.  Thanks to a connection with the court archivist, my friends and I had time to fully capture the majesty of this historic building in exchange for helping to update the photo archive.

Photo #5

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, James R. Browning building Courtroom One in San Francisco, California.

One of the fun facts of Courtroom One is that there is an historical artifact in the marble of the top most bench.  Right between the middle two chairs on the second row is a patched area of mosaic from back in the 1940’s (I think) when someone snuck a pistol into a court hearing  and eventually tried to take a shot at one of the judges.  You can clearly make out where the bullet finally lodged in the bench after ricocheting off a wall. Luckily the bailiffs at that time prevent anyone from getting hurt.

Photo #6

Seagulls and Pelicans cover Pescadero State Beach, Pescadero, California.

While visiting the coast south of Half Moon Bay with out of town family, we stumbled across an upwelling in the ocean which had grey whales feeding just off short, and literally millions of sea birds either out on the ocean or taking over the beach. This is just a small sample of the quarter mile beach that was full of seagulls and pelicans.

Photo #7

Male Deer wading in a lily pond at Point Reyes National Seashore in California.

Labor Day weekend was unusually hot for the Bay Area.  To escape the 115 degree F temperatures at home, the family and I headed up to Point Reyes in hopes of cooler temperatures.  While standing with my feet in the 60 degree F Pacific Ocean, the air was still 75 degrees F at my waist.  And 15 feet up the beach from the water it was 90 degrees in our shade tent!  No wonder even the deer in Point Reyes were trying to keep cool, like this guy hanging out in a lily pond.

Photo #8

Black and white abstract of Financial District in San Francisco, CA.

2017 found me starting a new day job, with a side perk of having an office downtown San Francisco again.  Luckily for all of us in the office, the break room has the largest windows…facing Market Street!

Photo #9

Black and white westward view down Market Street from Financial District in San Francisco, CA.

Photo #10

Statue at Southwest entrance of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

2017 found me traveling to a few new international destinations for work.  First was Barcelona, Spain where I spent most of my time at a trade show, but used my free afternoon to walk around Barcelona and knock an item off my photography bucket list, the Sagrada Familia is something I wanted to photograph since I first heard about it.  I’ll have to go back to visit the inside, but I was able to capture a number of great detail shots of the exterior, like this one of the statue of Jesus (I presume) at the Southwest entrance to the Basilica.  If you’re not familiar with Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, it has been under construction for the past 135 years and is anticipated to be complete in 2026 (which is actually record time for a Basilica of this size).  Watch this amazing digital rendition of what the final building will look like.

Photo #11

Edifici Port de Barcelona in black and white at night, Barcelona, Spain.

While in Barcelona I was able to photograph down near the port one evening after dinner, which in Spain means near midnight.  I just loved how this photo turned out in Black and White, especially since the building was mostly lit by orange phosphorous street lights.

Photo #12

Aerial view of South San Francisco with San Francisco and Bay Bridge in distance.

I am continuing my tradition of taking the window seat on my flights, just to take pictures.  On a recent flight to South Korea, we flew out of a runway at SFO I’m not used to.  And I got some wonderful views of San Francisco as we ascended.

Photo #13

Aerial View of San Francisco from a few miles west of the city over the Pacific Ocean.

This just feels like a 1950’s style post card, except for all the tall buildings in downtown San Francisco.  You can clearly see the new Salesforce Tower standing out as the tallest.

Photo #14

Pacific Ocean, An Hour West of San Francisco.

An hour west of San Francisco on a flight back from South Korea, and the person sitting next to me was wondering “what the heck is that guy taking pictures of ?”…it was this abstract of the sun filtering through the clouds and reflecting off the calm Pacific.

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Thanks for making it all the way through this year’s favorites!  Please leave a comment and let me know which of my favorites is one of yours as well.  If you enjoyed these photos, please tell your friend by sharing this within your social network.

I hope 2018 to be a wonderful, healthy, and successful year for all of us and full of many more photographic moments worth sharing.  Happy New Year!

Michael Daigian Designs installation from 2017 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Chestnut and Vine Floral Design installation from 2016 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

City College of San Francisco installation from 2015 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

The Tompkison Group installation from 2014 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Regula’s European Design installation for 2013 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

This year’s processing of photos is happening a bit slower than normal due to the perfect storm of sickness within the Lato house and the timing of the kid’s spring break. I appreciate the patience of all of this year’s designers as I process the photos from 2017 Bouquets to Art.  I’ll announce when the photos are complete both here on the blog and via my Bouquets to Art newsletter.

2016 started with a personal goal of completing a Photo a Day project.  As much to get me out photographing more as well as to force me to revisit the photo archive and find some photos that had not been processed yet. While I’m proud of the about 110 photos a day I was able to post (some posted only to my Facebook page), I quickly realized how I underestimated the weekly time requirement for the project that took away from family time and pushed up against primary work hours (or maybe i underestimated my need for sleep in my old age).  While I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t reach my 366 photos goal, I have a new respect for those who can do these types of projects. Maybe I’ll try again when I retire from the day job…need to have goals.

All the below photos are available within the archive where Art Prints can be purchased and stock image licensing is available.  Just click through on the photo or follow the links.

Photo #1

A sailboat crosses San Francisco Bay in front of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

I had made a special trip out to Treasure Island to photograph the San Francisco Skyline light up for the hosting of Super Bowl 50.  While I waited for the right moment for the skyline, this glorious sunset appear over the Bay.  It’s so easy to get target lock while out photographing, keeping your mind open to the evolving scene around you is a skill that takes constant practice.  Here it allowed me to catch this sailboat crossing the bay during this particularly glorious sunset.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #2

Panoramic View of sunset over San Francisco skyline decorated with lights in celebration on the eve of Super Bowl 50.

And here is the Panoramic version of the San Francisco skyline that I had stopped to catch.  It was a glorious February evening which gave the perfect backdrop to a uniquely decorated San Francisco.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #3

Sunset over San Francisco skyline decorated with lights in celebration on the eve of Super Bowl 50.

While running the risk of being repetitive, there was so much detailed lighting on the San Francisco Skyline for Super Bowl 50 that this tighter composition of the heart of the San Francisco skyline also became one of my favorites.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #4

Head on close up view of a male wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) while spreading out his feathers during mating season.

Twelve years ago when we moved to San Ramon, we never saw a wild turkey. Then, about a year after moving, we saw some brown dots on a hillside about 2 miles from home and realized they were a small group of turkeys.  Fast forward 11 more years and we are visited daily by 40 – 60 turkeys in the open space behind our house. One group will roost at night in a neighbor’s redwood tree (by the way, yes turkeys can fly…) and they make a bit of a ruckus when you pull in late and arm the alarm on your car!  So capturing this close up of a male turkey just took going into my backyard and pointing the camera thru the fence.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #5

November 2016 Super Moon resting on Windmill along Altamont Pass in Northern California.

November’s Super Moon coincided with this wonderfully warm and calm night in the Bay Area.  My friend Bruce and I went out to the Altamont Pass windmill farm to catch the moon rise over the Central Valley.  This particular windmill was turning at about one revolution every two minutes which allowed me to eventually photograph this “balancing moon” image.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #6

Fog blanketed Pacific Ocean with the sun breaking thru near the horizon, Monterey, California.

The fog along the Pacific Coast can create some wonderful simple and abstract views.  Especially when the sun start breaking through the fog and creating these pools of light.  That was the case this particular morning on a weekend family trip to Monterey.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #7

Walkers and Joggers on a foggy Iron Horse Trail in San Ramon, California (Black and White).

The Iron Horse Trail (IHT) is a biking/walking trail that runs from Walnut Creek, CA to Dublin, CA.  Near the section of the trail that crosses the route to our house is the wonderful old California Oak Tree that was left in place and arches over the trail.  On certain winter days we’ll get this ground fog that shrouds both the IHT and that tree. I’ve been wanting to photograph the fog and the tree for years.  This year I had a break after dropping the kids off at school and the fog still hadn’t lifted, I was finally able to make the photo that has been in my mind’s eye all this time.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #8

Low Clouds at Sunset over the California Central Valley as seen from above.

2016 had a number of business trip and I’ve gotten into the habit of taking a window seat and having my mirrorless camera in my lap.  On one trip, we were flying into San Francisco near sunset and there were these wonderful clouds covering the Central Valley of California as we flew over.  I just love the low light and texture of the clouds combined with the break in the clouds that created this line for you eye to follow through the depth of the photo.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #9

Aerial sunset over the San Francisco Bay Area while landing into SFO.

On that same flight, as we approached SFO to land, the sun was just about to dip below the mountains of the peninsula and was creating this wonderful effect on the few high clouds as well as the lower clouds (or maybe high fog).  I didn’t think much of this photo when I took it, and the spots created by the light going through the cabin window bothered me at first, but once I looked at this at home, it grew on me more and more.  Maybe it’s the way the low cloud mirrors the wing in the photo like two pieces of bread between the setting sun?

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #10

Window and abstract building facade lighted at night at 680 Folsom Street in San Francisco, California.

Meeting a old colleague for coffee after work in San Francisco, I was glad that I now always care the mirrorless camera with me.  I hadn’t been back to this area in San Francisco for a few years, last time I was there the building was still under renovation.  Now it’s complete and the outside facade over part of the building has this wonderful abstract meshwork with backlighting.  The abstract nature of this facade, with it’s reflection in the mirror main building was enough to catch my eye.  But the unexpected office window cemented the need to pause and create this image.  I really need to take more time out of the day to do more street and architecture photography in  San Francisco!

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #11

Asiel Design installation from 2016 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

In 2016 I again photographed the entire Bouquets to Art exhibition at the San Francisco de Young Museum, see all the photos in the Bouquets to Art photo archive.  There are always a few of the floral designs that become part of my favorites from the year.  This amazing design by Asiel Design of San Jose which mimics a tree (both above and below ground) both stood on it’s own as well as complemented the Ruth Asawa artwork in the gallery (you can see some of the artwork in the upper right corner).

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #12

Michael Daigian Designs installation from 2016 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

This particular Bouquets to Art design from Michael Daigian Designs of San Francisco always caught my eye for the way the contains blended with the colors of the artwork yet in a different and complementary way.  They work to help the flowers of the arrangement both blend into as well as stand out against the final composed image.

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #13

Waterlily Pond Floral Design Studio installation from 2016 Bouquets to Art at the de Young Museum, San Francisco.

Again, this design from Waterlily Pond Floral Design Studio of San Francisco helped to complement and augment the original artwork.  The way the metal stand reflects the colors from the painting and helps bring them into the 3D world while the branches and flowers seem to grow out of the frame of the painting.  This is the whole point of Bouquets to Art, to have the floral designs not just be related or inspired by the artwork but to together create an entirely new work of art.  This has become the primary reason why I love to photograph this exhibit every year.  (That and to document my floral designer wife’s work… ).

Purchase an Art Print or stock image license for this photo from the Photo Archive.

Photo #14

Boy and Unicycle, What Could Go Wrong.

Every yearly favorites has to include a favorite of the kids from the year.  This year we went with a few other families to an old school finish lodge in Northern California.  Out in the wilderness, no wifi, no cell phones, and a group of kids that have to entertain themselves somehow.  One of the other guests had a unicycle that somehow ended up next to my son Matthew. His look still concerns me… (luckily, he was smart enough to not try riding it himself.)

Photo #15

Icegirl Waiting for the Show to Start at Seaworld.

We did a family trip to San Diego this year and visited Seaworld.  While we were waiting for one of the shows to start I turned around to find that my daughter Caitlin had obtained Mom’s sunglasses and was just casually waiting for the show to start.  My wife and I both think of Iceman from Top Gun when we see this photo! This photo is so Caitlin…doing her own thing, whatever!

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Thanks for making it all the way through this year’s favorites!  Please leave a comment and let me know which of my favorites is one of yours as well.  If you enjoyed these photos, I would appreciate you sharing this with your social network.  And consider liking and following my Facebook page to stay updated to new work.

I wish 2017 to be a wonderful, healthy, and successful year for all of us and full of many more photographic moments worth sharing.  Happy New Year!

2016 Photo a Day, 102 of 366: 2016 Bouquets to Art – H. Julien Designs

I’m always impressed with floral designers who take the time and are meticulous enough to hand paint flowers within their installation.   H. Julien Designs installation caught my eye initially for the way it extended Morris Louis’ Number 11 into the gallery; only upon closer inspection did I realize the hand painted tulips.  I made sure to photograph this closer composition of the tulips and I love the combined abstract nature that resulted.

2016 Bouquets to Art – H. Julien Designs

Above and below are crops of the top photo to focus on the painting of the tulips.  One of the fun things about this year’s Bouquets to Art was the fact that I rented a Sony A7RII and the Sony Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA lens to photograph the event with. At 42MP, this camera had twice the resolution of my primary camera and, along with the lens, offered amazing low light shooting abilities combined with in camera image stabilization.  What does all that techno-speak mean?  It means that I was able to photograph within the museum hand held in some very tricky lighting situations and capture these wonderfully sharp images.  And the photos above and below were created by cropping the original 42MP photo into these 6MP versions.  The only downside of all this is that I’m realizing that my computer doesn’t have quite enough horsepower for quick processing of these large photos.  So before I upgrade to the Sony A7RII as my main camera, I’ll need to budget for a new computer as well!

2016 Bouquets to Art – H. Julien Designs

Previous year’s hand painted personal favorites have included tulips as well as tie dyed roses.

From the 2016 Bouquets to Art gallery. Please check out the works from previous year’s Bouquets to Art in the archive where art prints are available for purchase.

2016 Photo a Day, 101 of 366: 2016 Bouquets to Art – Eclosion

One of the things that I loved about this installation was that I couldn’t tell which painting it was associated with.  That and the complex mechanics within the installation. For the record, the installation goes with the painting on the right, Richard Pousette-Dart No. 19. I’m also glad to say that I’m nearing the end of the development of the 2016 Bouquets to Art photos…which also means nearing the end of the floral art posts here on the blog.

From the 2016 Bouquets to Art gallery. Please check out the works from previous year’s Bouquets to Art in the archive where art prints are available for purchase.

2016 Photo a Day, 100 of 366: 2016 Bouquets to Art – Aratame School

Was forced into a slight hiatus over the past week, but back at finishing up all the Bouquets to Art development.  There are a few installations each year that are placed in the lobby areas of the museum and don’t have any art work per-se that they are based on.  This particular installation by Aratame School is one that allowed a tighter composition to focus on the details of the design.

From the 2016 Bouquets to Art gallery. Please check out the works from previous year’s Bouquets to Art in the archive where art prints are available for purchase.

2016 Photo a Day, 99 of 366: Early Morning Vineyard View

A little something different today, a break from the flowers.  It was a wonderfully clear and crisp morning this morning…the perfect kind of morning for bike ride.  I’ve ridden past this spot a number of times before and took a break this morning for this photo.  And yes, as the bill boards say, taken with an iPhone 6.

2016 Photo a Day, 98 of 366: 2016 Bouquets to Art – Susan Kelly & Sheryl Tynes

From the 2016 Bouquets to Art gallery. Please check out the works from previous year’s Bouquets to Art in the archive where art prints are available for purchase.

2016 Photo a Day, 97 of 366: 2016 Bouquets to Art – Forget Me Not Florist

From the 2016 Bouquets to Art gallery. Please check out the works from previous year’s Bouquets to Art in the archive where art prints are available for purchase.