I stopped by Oracle at around the blue hour tonight. From the other side of 101, the buildings appeared to be clustered together. However, as I crossed the overpass, it became evident that these were separate and distinct buildings.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 16mm
Aperture: f/6.3
Shutter: 30s
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I was looking through old photos tonight and stumbled upon one that I had taken at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China from 2010. I wanted to practice cloning, so I removed as many people as I could from the photo. The original appears at the end of the post. I also swapped out the dull, gray morning sky.

Camera: Nikon D50
Lens: Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 50mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 1/250

The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers competed in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. I was 15 miles away on the side of a mountain overlooking Silicon Valley.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II and AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III
ISO: 360
Focal Length: 600mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 1/2000s

Fortunately, 30 minutes before the start of the Super Bowl, the Blue Angels flew over Silicon Valley. Nothing better than a test run before the real deal…for them, as well as for me. 600mm was a bit too close since I wanted to see the Blue Angels in their surroundings, so I removed the teleconverter and waited and waited and waited.
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If you are fortunate enough to live in Florence, you can make multiple trips to Piazzale Michelangelo to witness the gorgeous sunset. The best that I can do is dig through three-year-old JPEGs and experiment with different post-processing workflows.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 44mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter: 1.3s

From the base of the Eiffel Tower, the secrets of this iconic Parisian landmark are revealed. Up close, I can see the iron skeleton that supports the Eiffel Tower. Some parts are purely utilitarian, while others, like the scalloped border that accents the arches, add a decorative flair. Within the staunch legs, the challenging stairs channel climbers up to the higher observation decks of the Eiffel Tower. The climb is not too difficult, and lets you avoid the long wait for the more convenient elevator.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G ED VR
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 17mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 1/80s

I’m revisiting some photos that I had taken at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. I regret that I had taken these as JPG instead of RAW. However, I could still make some adjustments, which I like better than an earlier edit.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 29mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter: 1/6s

I will have to retry this experiment in a different location. The objective was to take a photo of the stars within an urban environment. For the night sky, the exposure settings were ISO 6,400, f/2.8 and 20.0s. For the church itself, the exposure settings were ISO 100, f/2.8 and 0.4s.

The problem I encountered was all the nearby lights that were pointed at the lens would cause some severe glare, particularly at those settings.

Canyon de Chelly is a testament to the adaptability of human beings. Instead of walled cities, these people built their community into the crevices of the canyon walls. It is almost a cliché to be amazed by the ancient people who wandered the globe before us. But, each of them did whatever they had to do to survive, so that each of us can enjoy the bounties of today.

Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR IIs
ISO: 140
Focal Length: 200 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/30s

I love cities like Boston that are so pedestrian accessible. Armed with a basic sense of direction, I was able to navigate my way throughout the city searching for delightful places of interest. During the week I was in Boston, the sunsets were quite spectacular. I was looking for a place with some elevation where I could see the Boston skyline at dusk without my view being obscured by all the tall skyscrapers.

So, I headed to Boston Common hoping that the large public park would offer some city vistas. Within the Common, I found a small hill and perched myself along the slope near the top. As sun descended, we were greeted by the office lights of the surrounding buildings.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
ISO: 100
Focal Length: 38 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/4s