A Day to Shoot in Benicia and Mare Island

Dan Melligan, an old friend from high school and college days, and I made took an afternoon to go shoot in Benicia and Mare Island in Solano County.  Benica, a previous subject of this blog, is a former Capital of California and is a very historic town and Mare Island is a decommissioned military base that used to manufacture submarines and the such.  I've already been contacted by a colleague via Facebook who saw the Mare Island pictures and was moved because his dad served there during WWII.

Benicia was founded in 1847 by Dr. Robert Semple and Thomas O. Larkin and Comandante General Mariano Guadelupe Vallejo.  Read more about Benicia here: : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benicia,_California .  We shot the WWII era buildings known as the Arsenal and then some sunset shots down by the waterfront.

Mare Island located in Vallejo on the Bay is a decommissioned Military Base that used to manufacture and maintain United States Naval vessels.   Today it is a wired mix of new housing, office and industrial buildings and old decaying shipyards and other industrial buildings.  Read more about Mare Island here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mare_Island.

Vacation/Photo Trip To Southern Utah

Okay, we just got back from a great vacation/photo trip to Southern Utah. We went with our good friends Arnie & Diane Bauer. We shot, explored and hiked Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef and all the areas around them for a week. It was not nearly enough time, but it was really fun. Enjoy the pics...

Point Reyes

We went yesterday with our good friends and my clients, Arnie and Diane Bauer, to Point Reyes and did a little photography. I want to introduce one of the great spots nearby that you can get to in less than an hour's drive from San Francisco to the north. We went recently with our good friends and my clients, Arnie and Diane Bauer, to Point Reyes and did a little photography. Point Reyes is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) north of San Francisco on Highway 1 along the west coast of California. It's quite beautiful and you can get more info. here. My friend, Arnie, is a very accomplished photographer and all around good guy. He and his wife, Diane, and I have been through more than a few home purchases... I think I've helped them buy and sell 3 houses! Arnie and I had never photographed together before, but had promised we would sometime soon every time we saw each other. We both kinda grew up in the photo business and have always enjoyed talking about the old days. We even knew some of the same people from the photo buisness way back 25 years ago or so. We didn't know each other but we knew people that knew us. In fact, one character we both knew, Joe Mather, taught me a lot about sales and he and Arnie knew each other well too. I can't explain why we hadn't gone shooting together before, but we sure had a ball that day! The weather was very unsettled as the storms that we are experiencing today were just getting here yesterday while we were in Point Reyes. We ended our day in Olema Inn and Resturant where we had a great dinner. The Scallops were divine! Anyway, take a little drive up highway 1 to Point Reyes and discover one of our most beautiful spots. It's a great day trip, there's hiking and camping and a ton of breath taking scenery. Enjoy!