I was going to start this post with a bit of backstory regarding how I ended up in San Francisco. Half-way through my opening paragraph, I realized that it potentially gave away a few confidential details about Kyruus’ upcoming deals. Oops. Instead, here is the simple version. I was initially scheduled to be in town for one day to meet an amazing and inspiring CEO, who I now consider a great friend. Realizing I had the opportunity to knock a few items off my bucket list, see a few friends whom I had not seen in 5+ years, and burn through some extra vacation days, I extended my visit to eight days and started planning my trip!
The last time I set foot in the Bay Area, I was about nine years old, still snapping shots with my lime green Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 110! I’ll be honest: those photos were terrible (although, what do you expect from a fourth-grader?). Seventeen years later, I now know what I’m doing and have a significantly better camera…sans Michelangelo imprint.
My bucket list (which needs a better name since I’m quickly knocking out so many items and am nowhere close to death) helped guide much of my trip planning:
- California State Capitol (50 State Capitols)
- Milky Way Galaxy
- Redwoods
- Yosemite
I highly encourage you to visit these places for yourselves, especially Redwoods National Forest and Yosemite. As much as I tried, the photos simply pale in comparison to physically being there and seeing it for yourself. I can only sum it up as, we humans are tiny. The sheer size of the mountains at Yosemite and redwoods is amazing! I wish I had a 3D camera and projection system to more accurately relay what I saw. Additionally, you’ve never experienced darkness until you’ve spent a night at Yosemite. It was simultaneously, the most comforting and terrifying experience of my life!
Okay. I’ve written enough. Enjoy the photos. Buy prints. If you can, get out and take your own!
Photo Notes
- HDR photos were processed with HDR Efex Pro.
- Panoramas were stitched using Hugin; although, I later used PTGui for the Yosemite HDR panorama. PTGui is better, but infinitely more expensive.
- Astro-photographs were shot at 24mm, f/2.8, 20s, ISO 3200.
- A few photos, especially those of me, were taken by Michelle.
