Jump in, the water's wine

Jump in, the water's wine, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This photo conveys California's amazing weather better that any other image I have ever made. This was taken in early October, the sun was so warm and the cobalt sky was completely devoid of clouds.

Kathy and I were on our second Hearst Castle tour of the day and when we climbed the steps that led to the extraordinary Neptune pool, I was once again overwhelmed by the grandeur and beauty of this place. I reflected on how wonderfully situated it is on the "enchanted hillside". Architect Julia Morgan once said she drew inspiration from the pools she saw in Mediterranean villas and Roman baths while studying in Europe.

Two curved colonnades and an ancient Roman temple set the stage for the beautiful mythological statues carved by Charles Cassou.

Holding 345,000 gallons of spring water, this is one of the largest and most expensive pools built for a private residence in the world.

Wide Angle View of the City by the Bay

Wide Angle View of the City by the Bay, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This was a cool guerrilla photo shoot. I was staying at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency and had found a platform on the 17th floor just adjacent to the emergency stairway. There was a concrete wall with a 9" wide gap in it that allowed me to put my camera and lens through it. This is what I saw.

B29 Enola Gay Panorama

B29 Enola Gay Panorama, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

I mounted my DSLR on my gorilla pod and put it on the ground at the Udvar Hazy Center in Washington D.C. for this 3 shot HDR panorama. Each of the 3 shots consists of 10 exposures. I used Photoshop CS4 to stitch this. Original file size before downsizing for upload was over 14,000 pixels wide.

Giants Stadium Panorama

Giants Stadium Panorama, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

"Everybody hold still and smile!"

Inside the Pyramid

Inside the Pyramid, originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

This is a 12 shot HDR Pano/Vertorama of the Luxor hotel in Las Vegas. A total of 36 exposures make up this combined image. I was thinking that a security guard would tell me I couldn't use my tripod inside the hotel but they never said a word.

Fort Point Panorama [Explored]

Fort Point Panorama [Explored], originally uploaded by big_pixel_pusher.

The Golden Gate bridge arches over Fort Point before continuing on across the San Francisco bay. It was extremely windy the day I shot this. I actually got blown over twice but saved the camera! I will need to restitch this as there are some areas that didn't match up quite right.
Highest position in Flickr Explore: #25 on Thursday, April 23, 2009