berkeley, california

berkeley, california, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

I saw these plants lying on their sides looking a bit like a crime scene. This is why I always have a camera with me - which of course also means that I take far too many pictures. I'm trying to get better at editing and deleting the ones that don't speak to my when I transfer them to my computer.

berkeley, california

berkeley, california, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

I'm always fascinated with what happens when two lights collide - visually but also in their meanings. There's such a fantastic confluence of light between the slightly violet of a foggy dusk and the harsh green of cheap security lighting. It's a lot like Berkeley itself I suppose. It makes for dramatic pictures anyway.

rockridge, california

rockridge, california, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

Sometimes fate aligns the colors in the world and presents you with an opportunity and a camera and a moment.

crested butte, colorado

crested butte, colorado, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

unfortunate framing and exposure, but it makes me nostalgic for my childhood. I recently went back to Colorado and, though so much has changed in our post-walmart homogenization effort, there are still moments of what I remember as solid. A rough hewn timber romance of some ancient mountain town - it becomes a marker, a meter of what's substantial.

Via Flickr:
P8112463

sfmoma, san francisco

sfmoma, san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

san francisco

san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

Airports are such a fantastic source of primary colors and grays all with strong graphic structuring elements. I would love to go behind the scenes and take pictures of the operations of an airport. Maybe do a book.

san francisco

san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

I like to wander the city at night looking for moments and light and being alone in my head.  It's rather meditative, but I'm always on some sort of a timeline that chafes up against the reverie.  As nature abhors a vacuum, time seems to frown upon solitude.

sfmoma, san francisco

sfmoma, san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

It was interesting to see the Cindy Sherman exhibit at SFMoMA. San Francisco is a place where identity is what you make of it, and there's an understanding that everyone is in costume all of the time, even if that costume is simply what's most comfortable at the moment. My own costume is that of a slightly disheveled middle aged white guy with a camera and a few too many pounds around the middle. San Francisco: straight, gay, punk, dentist, artist, banker or internet billionaire - we're all in drag here.

berkeley california

berkeley california, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

I love how shadow depth and sharpness inform us of the space they come from. Refocused light, sharp and soft shadows combine to give us a glimpse of what created them. A chance to deconstruct Plato's cave.

ferry terminal, san francisco

ferry terminal, san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

Strangely enough I'd never been in the Ferry Terminal before. t's a fascinating building to photograph - lots of interesting lines and planes. The front stairs leading to the upper floors just inside the building are a reminder of how much more walking we used to do. Stairs like that used to not be an impediment to most - they certainly reminded me of how much exercise I'm nor getting on a daily basis.

Shopping with my older daughter

san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

Went shopping with my older daughter in a mall in the city. I was struck by how shiny everything seemed.  Everything seemed to be covered in sparkly shiny beads - even the cosmetic stalls had face cream made with gold. It's strange watching people search for an attainable opulence and I wonder if they are settling for the next best thing or if the garishness just isn't apparent anymore.  I was struck by how many women were wearing so much makeup that their skin was no longer translucent like "nude" kabuki.

castro theater, san francisco

castro theater, san francisco, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.

Seemed consistent with the Silent Film Festival theme. Something Mernau might do. I really have an appreciation for the medium and do truly think that "it's the pictures that got small!".

san francisco california

san francisco california, originally uploaded by escott sukotto.