The huge sweeping views of Point Reyes National Seashore's rocky coastlines and the Pacific Ocean were unfortunately hidden behind a lot of fog when we arrived. It's impossible to know the photos I would've gotten if viewing conditions were better, but I came away quite happy with what I did take, especially this photo of Chimney Rock.
Before the trip, I scouted Slacker Hill in Marin Headlands as a potential spot to watch San Francisco's July 4th fireworks, sacrificing closeness in favor of the large panoramic view of downtown, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the bay. Just after hiking up, we were treated to what was probably the greatest sunset I've ever seen. Downtown glowing gold, appearing above the bay fog like a city floating on a cloud, backdropped by the pink Diablo Range, was a highlight of the trip and a highlight of my year. I don't remember much about the fireworks afterwards.
Photographers of Slacker Hill.
I initially wanted to go to Muir Woods, but with parking and crowds being a concern, we drove up to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve instead. In hindsight this was the right call, because it was nearly empty and very peaceful for a large part of the morning.
It's usually a struggle for me to compose interesting photographs in dense forest settings, without clear subjects or framing devices to use. It almost felt like these bikes laying on the fence directly in a sun patch were put there specifically for me to find and take a photo of.
When shooting and editing photos, I typically try to stay true to how the scene appeared in person, but in person, the redwood grove was incredibly dark and cold feeling, especially early in the morning. I raised exposure and saturation quite a bit in my photos, to give the grove a more vibrant and warm feeling.
A lot of the drive back down Route 1 looked like this, which made it difficult to pick a place to stop and take photos. We stopped and walked around at this area that I think is part of Shell Beach. While walking back to the car, I spotted this man in the most dad outfit, making the most dad pose, admiring the coastal view.
Looking back up the hill, the whole area was an oasis of fog-soaked succulents and other plants. This completely random stop off the highway was the sort of place I could have spend the better part of a day exploring.
The Oakland Coliseum has been on my ballpark bucket list for a long time, so when rumors started swirling that the Athletics would be leaving at the end of 2024, I knew it was time to make the trip. While the stadium isn't the nicest, or even nice at all, it carries a lot of unique charm, and the energetic fanbase made all of the games a great experience. Glad for the opportunity to see the Athletics play in their home, and to see the Orioles play here for the last time.
Here's Craig Kimbrel attempting to close out a game, something he seems to be quite horrendously bad at, although he did get the job done on this occasion. I love the guy throwing his arms up towards the bottom of the seats, almost perfectly framing the batter's box.
Crabbing boat Ocean Steel heading back into San Francisco as the sky burns orange. In the background is the Point Bonita Lighthouse and bridge, on the southern tip of the Marin Headlands.
I caught this trio of cormorants at Marshall's Beach, just as one decided that they'd better leave.
I stayed at Marshall's Beach for a long time, watching as the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog became the only source of light for the area. I probably stayed for too long, because it was a very cold and dark walk back up the hill to the bus stop.
It was pretty bleak out on this morning, so for this photo I maxed out saturation to achieve a starker color contrast between the Golden Gate Bridge and the turquoise water. I also brought down clarity to create a slightly more dreamlike feeling, helped out by the bridge disappearing into the fog.
Though very similar out of the camera to the photo above, I wanted to create a completely different, higher contrast look for this photo that put more emphasis on the surfers. I love the symmetry of this photo, down to the arm positions of the surfers on the edges of the frame.
Despite having a couple of great headliner rides in Medusa and Joker, Discovery Kingdom probably falls to last on the list of Six Flags parks I've visited, for a variety of reasons. On the plus side, the park has a very neat and tidy skyline of rides that looks great from the other side of the adjacent Lake Chabot.