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Here In Oakland

Art & Life


   



April 17, 2016

Long Weekend

Sunday. Lights out by ten to awaken at six-fifteen feeling just fine. A drive to breakfast on another clear morning, going to be a warm and sunny day. Which is good, as we have the Cherry Blossom Parade coming up starting at one. How early to leave for San Francisco City Hall? I'm always too early, but decided on ten-forty when the downtown bus arrives at my stop. After yesterday's outing (and all the carping) how's this one going to turn out?

Later. Not a hint of yesterday's foot dragging, no question in my mind we weren't going to travel to San Francisco and photograph the parade, a parade I've photographed for many years now. I say “the parade”, but it's the forming up for the parade, most of which involves taking pictures of a costume contest for Anime enthusiasts, most of them quite young (as you'd expect) and who, until recently, haven't participated in the parade itself.

The various Cherry Blossom Princesses who ride on the floats typically don't mount the floats until the last minute and their handlers try of protect them to some degree from photographers and so sometimes I get pictures, sometimes I don't.

Again, quite happily taking the bus and then BART to the City Hall, no thought whatsoever of bailing (a complete reversal of yesterday's attitude), to arrive at eleven-twenty and start taking pictures. Lots of people in costume, almost as many photographers shooting pictures, but an hour and a half of shooting, tired, finally deciding to leave before the parade set out at one.

OK, I was tired, but not all that tired. It was warm in a (lighter than yesterday's) long sleeve shirt, but not too warm. Just an hour and a half of taking pictures, tracking down candid portraits. With more energy and stamina I would have stayed another half hour, but the hour and a half I did spend was productive and I'm happy about it.

So no long boring descriptions of your bus and train connections, how long you waited on the one and not the other?

Well, a train right away at the City Hall station, a bus home after waiting for fifteen minutes at the Broadway and 20th Street stop. Life in the fast lane, how can I not mention it?

Later still. Not a large number of pictures compared to some of the other parade outings, but enough for a web section of twenty-one photographs. Still, a good outing, much better than yesterday's affair. Not sure what made the difference, but not complaining.

Evening. Nothing on television and so to the second season of the Ambassador BBC television seried on the tablet. Seems to be starting more slowly than that first season, but we're still watching. Lights out by ten after a long weekend.

The photo up top was taken yesterday at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco with a Nikon D4s mounted with a 70-200mm f 2.8 VR II Nikkor lens.


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