Chinese pavilion, Golden Gate Park
A rainy Saturday, but I knew that if I worked at the Chinese Pavilion at Stowe Lake, I could get under cover if needed. I also suspected that the dark day might provide interesting background for the pavilion’s white features. Camera: Mamiya Press Universal, 75 mm 5.6 lens. Film: Ilford Delta 100. Developer: Rodinal, 1:50.
Bookstore cat
I try to get to Aardvark Books on Church Street at least once or twice a month. The big attraction? A wonderful selection of used photo books. And on a sunny day in January — a basking cat.
RIP James Gurley
The sign mourns the death of James Gurley, a member of the rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company and “instrumental in the formation of the Hippie counter culture that began here in the Haight-Ashbury.” The Haight is one of the closest neighborhoods to my home. I was photographing the sign when this gentleman stopped to light his cigarette, and I thought it looked like a picture.
Old Glory at Old Navy
Until last week, I had not made a digital image for more than a year, photographing only on film. But I missed the convenience of digital and recently began carrying a Canon 5D again with a very light and compact 40 mm Voightlander “pancake” lens. The photo was made on my way to work at the Old Navy flagship (pardon the pun) store on Market Street. A crop obviously — some photos just want to be square.
Warning! Missing months below
This blog began life as an experiment in the spring and summer of 2008 over on Google’s blogger platform. My posting slowed down in August and came to a halt when someone close to me suffered an accident that occupied much of my time over several months.
I am now relaunching Legible Light on the WordPress platform. Posts below this point were ported over from Blogger, which explains the smaller images sizes.
The above self-portrait with religious statuary was made a few weeks before Christmas with a Leica M6, my walk-around camera for days when my old shoulders are particularly weary.
Circle of remembrance – National AIDS Memorial Grove
Delavega Dell, in Golden Gate Park, sat abandoned and overgrown for years. Beginning in 1991, hundreds of volunteers began renovating the 7.5-acre space as a memorial to those who had died and suffered as a result of AIDS. Today, the Congressionally authorized memorial is one of he loveliest and best-tended corners of the park. The circle is inscribed with the names of those who have died of AIDS.
Masonic Street mansion
I have always loved the detailing on this very large, elegant home, which sits on a steep and graceful section of Masonic Street around the corner from my own much more modest condo. This is the second time I have photographed the home’s architectural detail through the scroll of fence and front garden. This time the light was favorable — sun forcing its way through the last of the early morning fog. Also, the last time there were no purple flowers, which my wife tells me are called butterfly bush.
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