San Francisco Fleet Week

Over the weekend the San Francisco Fleet Week started on Saturday.  At 11AM on Saturday morning Navy ships started their way into the city under the Golden Gate Bridge.  Seeing all the Navy ships from an aircraft carrier to Destroyers and Frigates was amazing.

In the afternoon the Navy along with the Blue Angels put on an incredible air show.  Below is the gallery that I put together showcasing some of the pictures from the morning through till the afternoon.

http://www.bbraunphotography.com/main/fleet-week.html

Here is one of the pictures from the Gallery.

Thank you Steve Jobs

So many people have already said so many things about Steve Jobs and the life that he had.  He was a visionary, a game changer, an inspiration, a man who liked to Think Different.

When I heard the news of his passing today, I stood in my apartment dumbfounded.  Without Steve Jobs's passion and ingenuity, the past 8+ years of my life would have played out very differently.

I made a trek this evening that used to be part of my daily routine.  While it has been a few months since I've been to Infinite Loop, going there was the only thing that felt right.  I wanted to see how everyone was feeling (as did the many reporters who asked employees questions as they walked past), but I also wanted to say thanks to Steve and to Apple.

Here are some shots that I was able to get in front of Infinite Loop.  A makeshift memorial was started under the 1 Infinite Loop sign, and later it was moved to a bench to allow more people to pay their respects.  Before I left a bagpiper started playing as he walked towards the memorial, and he ended in front of the bench.  

Moffett Field

Here are some shots from Moffett Field in Mountain View.  For those of you that have never heard of Moffett Field before, here is a link to check out the amazing history behind both the military base and the Ames Research Center (NASA) that is right next door.

Moffett Field

NASA Ames Research Center

For the three years that we have been living in Mountain View we thought that this base was off limits to civilians.  As it turns out there is a museum on the base that anyone can access (as long as you have a stated issued ID to get past the front gates).  It is pretty crazy to drive up to the base and pass a red line in the road that reads "Government Land."

Once on the base there is so much to see.  The base is still active, however much of the base is in "arrested decay," so basically the buildings are in disrepair and they look as if they have not been used since 1960.  Also, there are booster rockets sitting around in parking lots (see image 3 below).

One of the buildings that I was immediately drawn to was the abandoned McDonald's that is on the base.  I read a couple of years ago that someone discovered hundreds of reels of high resolution footage of the moon in this McDonald's that the government had forgotten about since the 60s.  Since discovering the footage a team of experts has been digitizing the reels so they are not lost forever.  You can read more about this awesome find at the link below.

Moffett Field Mcdonalds

Abandoned McDonalds

Hanger One (Currently being dismantled)

Booster Rocket

Official Site is up!

Well I finally have my site up and running.  Turns out it takes sometime to get the design and layout just the way that you like it.

I will still be updating my blog with daily shots that I take.

http://www.bbraunphotography.com/

Shattered Window

Quick post for today. Had some fun in Photoshop.

Fort Point Part 2

Here are a couple of more pictures from Fort Point.

Fort Point is the oldest fort on the west coast. The construction of the fort was started in 1853. This was shortly after California became the 31st state in 1850, and the Army and Navy felt a need for a fort to secure the San Francisco Bay. A 90 foot cliff was blasted down to 15 feet in order defend the maximum amount of the harbor.

Though the Fort never saw action (there was a planned attack in August 1865 but it never happened due to the war ending), it was operational with guards until the end of Civil War. In 1892 the cannons were dismantled and sold for scraps. The only other time that the fort housed men was during the construction of the Golden Gate bridge in the 1930s, and it was not until October 1970 that it was declared a National Historic Site.

Fort Point

Spent some time this afternoon at Fort Point in San Francisco. I was able to get a TON of great shots, and figured before I share the best of the best I will post two from the beginning of the adventure.

Brooklyn Bridge

I will admit I am a huge sucker when it comes to the Brooklyn Bridge. It is iconic, it is unique and something about it screams NEW YORK! I have pictures of the brooklyn bridge that I have taken at all different times in the past 9 years and they all amaze me.

Maybe it is the fact that a bridge can take you from a land that you are use to to a land that is yet to be explored. Maybe it is the history behind the bridge and the blood and sweat that went into building such an iconic piece.

Bridges always seem to be one of those items that defines an area. You have of course the Brooklyn Bridge, but you also have the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia. While all of them are of course bridges there is something about all of them that speak to the people in that area, the culture, and the land.

Here is a collection of pictures of some of the bridges that I have spoken about above.

Brooklyn Bridge

Sydney Harbor Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge

Birds of a Feather Flock Together

Sorry about delay in getting posts up. I have been working on getting my new website designed (will be up soon), as well as getting some products for sale on Zazzle.

While walking through the streets of San Francisco today something spooked a group of pigeons which in turned spooked the heck out of me when they all came flying towards me in a wall of pigeon feathers and potential bombs of pigeon droppings. While sheilding my face from disaster I was able to snap this shot with my free hand. Enjoy!

Taking a Stand and Being Different

I am always amazed walking through the Mission in San Francisco or Meat Packing District in New York and seeing Stencil graffiti work on buildings. The ability to take in some ways simple cutout drawings and deliver such a message through simplicity amazes me. This morning I tried my hand at drawing two clip art style business men in photoshop to try and mimic that same impact through simplicity. Hope you enjoy!

Morning Coffee Reflection

This shot was taken this morning after pouring my morning cup-o-joe. The reflection in each of the bubbles is great!

Tree Bark

Was going through my photos and came across this picture. Thought it was nice and wanted to share.

Hang Gliding

You come across people participating in some pretty amazing sports when adventuring around NorCal. Here is a shot of a hang glider along the coast up near San Francisco. It was amazing to see them jump off a cliff and just glide along the coast with no power but the wind, and then land safely where they started.

Santa Cruz Black and White

Spent some time in Santa Cruz today. While there I set my camera to monochrome and got some great shots. Here are a few of the shots. I have a few more that I will post later. Hope that you enjoy!

Pacific Sunset

A beautiful Pacific Coast Sunset to share with all of you. Enjoy!

Blue Whale (Farallon Islands)

This shot comes from a boat trip from earlier this year to the Farallon Islands. It has taken sometime to post pictures from this adventure. This amazing blue whale (which we found out is very rare to see) came along side the boat early in the trip and gave us all a show.

Farallon Islands are an amazing piece of land that lives 26 miles off the shore of San Francisco (Click on this link to learn more Farallon Islands). When on land 26 miles does not seam like much, but when you are on the open ocean and you do not see land in any direction while on a 30 person boat it is another story. All I can say is bring some dramamine, and to quote the captain "Look at the Horizon."

Riding the Rail

Been working on this shot for a couple of days. Took the time today to finish it up and get it posted. I have posted a few shots like this in the past from the same skate park and one of a surfer jumping off a cliff. I love working with Action photos and pulling them all into on picture.

Venice Singer

Last week when in LA I was walking around Venice and came across the singer below. He had a sound like Bob Dylan which gave him the biggest crowd on the boardwalk. This is a much cropped and much played with photo of him but after hearing him sing it suits his sound perfectly.

SF Trolley

Last Friday I spent sometime walking around San Francisco. By time I mean 15 miles of walking. This shot is of the F line trolley that runs along the embarcadero and down Market Street.

17 Mile Drive

This shot comes from the 17 Mile drive area around Pebble Beach. The Grammatical Fairy and I visited here a little while back. As you can tell from the photo it was such a beautiful day. Can't wait to go back!