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In seeking a location to shoot the sunset upon Mt. Diablo I turned to see these incredible nebula like cloud formations above me. I moved my location to include the twisted and complex branches of a gnarly California Oak near the top of the hill. The clouds, lit by the setting sun, made a great backdrop with the intricate branches of the old oak in silhouette.

These California Oak trees are found all over the foothills of California from the coast to the Sierra Nevada and make for wonderful subjects during the winter and spring months.

Climbing the little hill to try and gain a vantage point on Mt. Diablo made for a number of great shots. However having just rained earlier that day by the time I reached the summit of the little hill, I had grown a full six inches due to the muddy clay now packed on to the bottom of my shoes. It got so bad I my shoes were being yanked off with each step forward. The spring grass on the side of the hill had yet to grow in thick enough to be of any help and I continued to gain height as I made my way down towards the paved paths in this little park. Finally I was able to find a railroad tie and scrape the mud from my 70's disco lifts back down to modern tennis shoe height. Though they still need a good rinse from the hose and a run though
the washing machine. And I thought the sand at the beach was bad!

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

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Okay something a little different for me as I normally try to avoid the local man made ponds but this was just too much to resist. We had some incredible clouds blowing over tonight and I knew there would be a good chance of getting a sunset. The sunset was spectacular and as the last bit of light illuminated the horizon I turned my attention to this small pond just to play around and got more than I had thought I would.

The moonlight illuminated this little park as the sunset faded and lights from a nearby school helped to illuminate a beautiful weeping willow tree next to a small duck pond. In the middle of the pond was the beautiful fountain that seemed to glow in the moonlight and light from the nearby buildings. The fountain forms a perfect but tilted circle giving you the impression of a flower. It was fortunate that the weeping willow was still leafing out making the fountain clearly visible. A light wind helped to keep the delicate branches to just slightly sway in the breeze.

My wife, recovering from a bit of a cold, joined me on the walk around the park. We just stood under the moonlight watching the ducks swim back and forth across the lake. Such a great way to spend an evening.

© Darvin & Lynneal Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

PS: Weeping Willow trees have long been my favorite trees. Their elegant branches seem to cascade over then flow down like waterfalls of green. I am sure I will be posting a number of this one.

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There are few things as impressive as a city skyline just after dusk. Sparkling lights and the glow from many street lamps and cars are set against an indigo sky. It sure can make for great images.

San Francisco's skyline is arguably the most stunning of all California cities. You can't aim your camera without getting a famous landmark in the skyline.

In this shot the most dominate feature is the Transamerica Pyramid rising 48 floors before it is capped off by an illuminated facade.

On the lower right you can just catch the twin spires of Nuestra Senora De Guadalupe Church (Our Lady of Guadalupe Church). The church was build in 1906 and then rebuild in 1912 at the foot of Russian Hill on Broadway and Mason. The Powell-Mason cable car will take you right to it. I did as much leaning to the left as was possible to try and get these unique structures into the shot.

Of course, off in the distance is San Francisco's second most famous suspension bridge known simply as the Bay Bridge. Unlike the Golden Gate Bridge, its mainstay cables are illuminated with a chain of bright lights and can be seen for miles.

The big dark tower on the right is the Bank of America Center. A 52 story skyscraper it's San Francisco's second tallest building. It's been renamed to 555 California Street when BOA moved its headquarters across the country but most people here still know it as the Bank of America Tower.

To the lower left, the neon glow of San Francisco's red-light district (technically more of a pink-light district) illuminates Broadway street with its many strip clubs, night clubs and bars. A touch of the Barbary coast remains nestled just off the Embarcadero.

This is just a small sample of the interesting views San Francisco has to offer at night.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

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One last flash of sunlight illuminates the city of San Francisco as the day comes to a close. From this vista in Ina Coolbirth park you can view many famous landmarks of San Francisco.

On the left, famous Coit Tower (built in 1933) rises 210 feet to just touch the edge of the sunset from its perch atop Telegraph Hill. Telegraph Hill so named dates back to when it was used to send visible signals to dock workers as to the nature and type of ships arriving in San Francisco Bay. In the center you can see the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge.

Just behind Yerba Buena Island you can spy the top of the new section of the Oakland side of the Bay Bridge currently under construction with one of its construction cranes protruding just above the foothills of Oakland. And if you look closely enough, you can just make out Mt. Diablo, one of the Bay Area's tallest peaks just peaking over the eastern most tower on the Bay Bridge.

To the right, the sky line of downtown San Francisco is dominated by the famous Transamerica Tower and other financial district skyscrapers.

I have to thank Mike Oria for showing me this location which he had first filmed earlier in the day. I managed to convince him to go out and shoot the sunset and he suggested going back to the park.

The park isn't easy to locate. It's a tiny park dominated by multilevel homes on the south side and an apartment tower just left of screen. We had to scamper up a little hill to get above the walkway to pick up the detail of the many buildings all crammed together below.

Off in the distance we could see the lights of Broadway street just beginning to glow. The little park has a great view of the city.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios

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Bowling Ball Beach lies at the north end of Schooner Gulch in Mendocino County. This nearly untouched stretch of coast has remarkable cliffs, strange rock formations and impressive vistas. Of those, the bowling balls might be one of the stranger rock formations I've seen. Much larger than any real bowling ball they might serve as such for King Kong but otherwise are just massive boulders that have rounded by the pounding surf of the powerful Pacific Ocean. This section typically lies under water but during very low tides the bowling balls become exposed and the photographers and shell collectors descend on the little beach in hordes.

You park across the street from Schooner Gulch Road and then walk across Highway One towards the beach. You cross a good size field before a series of wooden steps begin to lead down to the beach. The last 10 to 12 feet turn more in to a cable ladder than steps and once down you are in a field of large driftwood. Walk to the north end of the beach and you will begin to see a number of large boulders laying upon bedrock. If the tide is way out, the boulders will be dry and many tidal pools will appear with all sorts of creatures.

Seashells are scattered all around the beach including some very large abalone shells. We saw folks carrying stack of them back up off the beach. I don't believe this is technically legal but didn't see any signs posted about removing shells, rocks or driftwood from the beach.

The tide comes in fast so you have to keep a close eye on it. Quite soon the bowling ball boulders were being covered by the surf. The other very interesting formation is the ridged cliffs that line the beach. There is no escape up these cliffs and while we were there we could hear small rock slides falling down the cliffs. The sun illuminates the face of the cliffs at sunset making for some spectacular landscapes.

© Darvin Atkeson
LiquidMoonlight Studios