Welcome to my Sausalito Library Exhibit

If you came here via QR code from my Sausalito Library exhibit, thanks for stopping by.

Below are images from the exhibit along with the camera settings I used to capture them and some thoughts on each.

I don’t have a lofty theme for this exhibit. The through-line, I suppose, is that these are a few of my favorite images captured while traveling Sausalito and San Francisco by foot, ferry and bus.

I’m very fortunate for the opportunity to share my photos in a space as calming and elegant as the Sausalito Library.

It’s a feeling of accomplishment to see my photos hanging between the library’s massive, east-facing windows where so many talented, local artists have previously displayed work.

Currently, I have three goals with my photography. The first is for me to have a creative activity that’s fun and healthy to practice.

The second is to create images that bring viewers as close as the medium will allow to seeing what I saw and feeling what I felt the moment I pressed the shutter button.

Finally, I want to demystify and encourage the practice of photography for anyone who is interested in the craft, regardless of age, background or income.

That demystification is why I share the settings I used for each image. The images here were captured on a Nikon D7100 DSLR camera, a prosumer model with an APS-C sensor. They were taken using kit lenses. The setup is affordable for most people looking to experiment beyond phone photography and could be easily assembled.

If you like any of the metallic prints you see on the library wall and wish to purchase, please tap this link to contact me.

Thank you for visiting and thanks to the Sausalito Library for supporting local creativity.

Sailboat on Bay: 300mm, f8, 1/1000

This is one of the first memorable images I captured after moving to Sausalito. And it stands out in my mind as a moment I truly appreciated what makes the community special.

I captured the image while walking along Alexander Avenue toward Fort Baker.

It’s an image of the Matthew Turner. This tall ship is 132 feet long. It is constructed from Douglas Fir and Oregon White Oak. The ship was launched in 2017 and Coast Guard certified in 2020. The non-profit Call of the Sea operates the Matthew Turner and its sister ship, Seaward, as floating classrooms for California children.

From a distance the ship, alone on the water, looks like it could be sailing in the 16th Century. And the fog-shrouded, modern San Francisco skyline makes it appear as though it’s sailing through time itself.

Lime Point: 270mm, f8, 1/1000

I shot this image from the deck of a Golden Gate Ferry boat crossing from San Francisco to Sausalito.

It was breezy and bumpy when the bright colors of the sail caught my eye. I remember struggling to get the composition I wanted as the boat bounced up and down.

The ship is the Translated 9. It’s a performance, fiberglass cruising yacht that participated in the 2023 Ocean Globe Race.

Behind the Translated at the base of the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge are the remains of the fog signal building from the former Lime Point Lighthouse.

One detail I appreciated from this image is the phrase, “We believe in humans,” is visible on the Translated’s hull.

Ship in Natural Frame: 110mm, f10, 1/1000

I remember running to get into position for this shot of the Matthew Turner framed by a tree and garden on Sausalito’s waterfront.

The spot is located near Bridgeway and Princess in the heart of Sausalito’s tourist zone. It’s someplace I walk past several times a week. Before this shot I’d noticed the frame with Angel Island in the background and thought it had potential for a nice image. As luck would have it, I was walking along Bridgeway with my camera one day when I saw the Matthew Turner steaming out of Richardson Bay.

I recognized the opportunity and ran the last few blocks to the spot, arriving in time to fix my camera settings and be in place when she came into view.

Sailing Alcatraz: 450mm, f5.6, 1/2500

Most of the Bay was in shadows when I shot this image. But there was still enough sunlight coming through the Golden Gate to light one small yacht as it sailed in front of Alcatraz Island. It took me several attempts to achieve the composition that stacks the man in the rowboat, the yacht, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge and several other ships in the distant fog. The result was an image with enough depth to take the viewer deep into the frame.

Last Stop SF: 75mm, f2, 1/1600

This image comes from the Golden Gate Plaza bus stop. It’s the last Northbound stop before the bus crosses the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County.

It depicts the iconic landmark as it’s seen by working class commuters on the bus.

This particular bus line operates between San Francisco’s Downtown Transit Center and the San Rafael Transit Center from 5:28 a.m. to 12:55 a.m.

What’s unique about the line is that, unlike most Golden Gate Buses, it leaves U.S. 101 in Marin County to pass through downtown Sausalito. That makes it popular with people who make up the workforce who power Sausalito’s tourism-heavy economy.

While visitors gaze at Bay Area landmarks from prime viewing locations, the workers who support those visits capture glances of the famous sights through bus windows.

In this frame a mother and son visiting the Bay are boarding the bus after viewing the bridge from the plaza.

Low Tide: 105mm, f7.1, 1/1000

I love finding natural frames for photo subjects.

It reminds me of childhood, when our perspective on the world was often framed by things like backyard bushes, staircase railings or other objects we were to small to see above.

In this instance, the purple flowers create a vibrant frame for this colorful rowboat as it rests on the muck at low tide.

Sausalito Boat Blur: 93 mm, f22, 1/30

One of my goals with photography is to create images that help viewers imagine themselves wherever I was at when I pushed the shutter button.

This image from Sausalito’s Bridgeway Avenue looking across the Bay toward San Francisco is an example.

Cyclists pass through the area by the dozens drawn by the low speed limits for cars and the picturesque views. Visiting yachts and the San Francisco skyline are ever present. The skies are overcast and low.

If you haven’t walked Bridgeway in the morning this image captures the essence.

Man on Dock: 405mm, f8, 1/800

Sausalito, Belvedere and Tiburon are the site of some of the most expensive real estate on the planet.

They’re also co-conspirators in a system that makes it increasingly difficult for most people to sleep with a roof overhead.

One prominent result of this dynamic are the so-called anchor outs, a community of people who by choice or necessity moor careworn crafts in Richardson Bay as an escape from cripplingly high housing costs.

In recent years authorities have become more aggressive in forcing people off the water even as housing costs soar further beyond the reach of many.

Still, the gap between people who can and can’t afford to live on land widens and remains obvious to anyone who stops to look.

Sidewalk Sailors: 54mm, f4.8, 1/125

This Fleet Week image is among my favorites. Shot in San Francisco’s Chinatown, it captures a diverse group of sailors enjoying a dragon parade and a Marine Corps brass band.

The sailors were obviously enjoying their time in one of the great cities of North America. And civilians, like the woman with red hair, took in the spectacle.