sf

How to Fight San Francisco’s Theft Epidemic

If you missed the explosive report by KGO-TV reporter Dan Noyes on the theft epidemic in San Francisco, I want to both share his stories and offer some common-sense solutions to a problem that’s gotten way out of hand.

Dangerous Places in San Francisco for Photographers and Cameras

As you know, there has sadly been a raft of camera thefts in San Francisco of late, putting a spotlight on places you might want to think twice about hauling expensive camera gear with you the next time you visit.

Drone Shots of San Francisco Shrouded in Wildfire Smoke

Last month, smoke from wildfires in northern California caused San Francisco to have the worst air quality in the world for a number of days. Here's a 2-minute drone video that offers an eye-opening aerial look at what the city looked like during those days.

Wildfire Smoke is Making San Francisco Look Instagram Filtered

The County Fire burning in Northern California's Yolo County is blanketing San Francisco with smoke today. And when combined with the fog rolling in from the Pacific Ocean, the smoke is giving the city an eerie sepia-toned look that's making it look like it was passed through an Instagram filter.

I Shot Tilt-Shift Photos of San Francisco

My name is James D. Lee, and I'm a photographer based in Oakland. I recently got around to posting four years worth of selected photos shot in and around the San Francisco Bay area strictly on tilt-shift lenses. I completed this project while working full-time marketing/photography positions.

Footage of SF’s Market Street Before and After the 1906 Earthquake

On April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that sparked huge fires, destroying over 80% of the city and killing roughly 3,000 people. Immediately before and after the earthquake, cameras captured dashcam-style footage while traveling down Market Street, and those films now provide an idea of how SF was changed through the quake.

Photographer Killed at SF’s Twin Peaks in Camera Robbery

Violent criminals are still targeting photographers in San Francisco for their valuable camera equipment, and the latest victim is a 71-year-old photographer who was shot and killed this past weekend at a popular tourist spot by two robbers who stole his camera.

Photographer Captures San Francisco Sights as Shapes

Photographer Burton Rast has just completed a new project titled, The Shapes of San Francisco. He spent 100 days exploring SF and shooting one photo per day of the city's most popular and photographed sights, but "in a unique way." Each photo focuses on shapes.

Photographer Has Identity Stolen, Gets Her Revenge with a Covert Photo Project

In 2011, photographer Jessamyn Lovell was at San Francisco gallery SF Camerawork when her wallet was stolen. Not long after, the unauthorized charges started pouring in.

Infuriated at what was taking place, Lovell decided to track down her thief rather than simply replace her cards and move on with her life. In doing so, she turned this art gallery mishap into an art project all its own.

Curious Coincidence: Photo Shows Same Time and Place as Frame from Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’

Here's a pretty fascinating little story of two men with cameras being in the same place at around the same time, over half a century ago. One of the men was Alfred Hitchcock.

The story began over at the vintage photography blog Shorpy, where a member named Ron Yungul submitted the above photograph. It was captured by his late father on the hills of San Francisco in 1957.

Shooting on the Streets of San Francisco for 24 Hours Straight

I have driven through San Francisco many times for business and pleasure, and have always been intrigued by how its energy constantly changes depending on the time of day. Glimpses of tall structures casting shadows, observing lighting and framing scenarios, and colorful people performing urban rituals often seen from my periphery had an affect on me.

These glimpses inspired me to undertake a 4am to 4am 24-hour-long project to capture unaltered reflections hour-by-hour how the city, the traffic, lighting, commerce, and ultimately the people change... or do they?.

How I Created a Series of Matching ‘Sexy’ Engagement Photos that Went Viral

I bought a used Mamiya RZ67 Pro II a month ago, a huge medium format studio SLR with a negative area a full five times larger than the sensor on a Nikon D800 or 5DMKIII "full frame" camera.

A decade ago, the kit I bought would have sold for 5 figures, but thanks to film's loss in popularity, I was able to get it for less than a tenth of what it cost new.

Beautiful Photos of a Double Rainbow All the Way Over San Francisco

San Francisco residents were treated with a dazzling sight yesterday: a double rainbow all the way across the sky, visible from many parts of the city. The San Francisco Chronicle writes,

The mist mixed with golden light from the low-slung sun to cast a beautiful pink glaze across downtown skyscrapers. Thousands at the Giants baseball game took their eyes away from the game to gawk at a double rainbow that formed over center field, perfectly framed by the grandstands. "There was just some very light rain at the game, but it was amazing to see so many people bringing out their iPhones and taking a picture of it," said Mike Pechner, a forecaster with Golden West Meteorology who was at the game. Dozens of motorists pulled their cars to the side of the road to gawk and take pictures of the rare double-rainbow, created when the light refracted through the moisture in the air.

Dizzying Animations that Show What San Francisco Looks Like to Superman

Director Kevin Parry recently finished creating a music video for the song "Water Falls" by Kalle Mattson. Filmed by Andrea Nesbitt, the video features some crazy time-lapse shots over great distances in San Francisco. Parry has also turned the shots into these animated GIFs that show you what various locations would look like if you were Superman whizzing around.