Tag: tiburon

Tiburon

Corinthian Island, Tiburon, California

This is a photo of Corinthian Island in Tiburon, California, taken during the blue hour.

Here’s another photo I took in Tiburon, California.  It’s of the west side of Corinthian Island.  I took this photo during the evening blue hour.  The blue hour is my favorite time for landscape images.  The evening blue hour begins a little after sunset.  There is a blue hour before sunrise as well.  If I were to shoot the island’s east side, I would shoot it before sunrise.

According to Wikipedia, the blue color spectrum “is most prominent when the Sun is between 4° and 8° below the horizon.  When photographing during blue hour it can be favorable to capture subjects that have artificial light sources, such as buildings, monuments, cityscapes, or bridges.”

While I’ve never timed it, my recollection is that the blue hour starts about 15 minutes after sunset and fades away 30 to 40 minutes later.

Historic Landmark

Old Saint Hilary’s Church, Tiburon, California

This is a photo of Saint Hilary's Church with a more nocturnal look.
This is the same photo that I posted yesterday, but it has been processed to look more nocturnal. If this post has been shared, and thus is not shown together with the earlier photo, you can find the original image here. Of course, what the “original image” was is subject to debate in the digital age of photography and even back in the film era. For a good instruction in developing night scenes, see this.
Historic Landmark

Old Saint Hilary’s Church, Tiburon, California

This is a photo of historic Saint Hilary's Church, Tiburon, California with Angel Island, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Skyline in the background.

Here is a view of Old St. Hilary’s Church at dusk with Angel Island, Alcatraz and the San Francisco Skyline in the Background.  I took this photo in 2011 and I’ve been meaning to re-process it for a while.

When I took this photo the Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest building in San Francisco at 853 feet.  Salesforce Tower became the tallest building in San Francisco at 1,070 feet when it was completed in 2017.

Technically, Old Saint Hilary’s Church is now Old Saint Hilary’s Landmark.  The Catholic Church built a larger, more modern church years ago and was going to demolish Saint Hilary’s when a group of citizens bought the property from the church to preserve it as an historic landmark.  It is a popular site for weddings and other events.  The property is administered and maintained by the Belvedere-Tiburon Landmarks Society.  You can find it here.

The grounds adjacent to the building contain a large wildflower area named the John Thomas Howell Wildflower Preserve.

Landscape

Fountain Sculpture; Tiburon, California

Photo of fountain sculpture in Tiburon.
Sails or Fins?

I lived in Tiburon for a while in the mid-1970s.   It’s a beautiful location on the north shore of San Francisco Bay.  Thanks to the hilly terrain, many residents have a view of the San Francisco Bay.  I occasionally go there to return to my Marin “roots.”  It hasn’t changed much, which I like.

One thing that wasn’t there in the 1970s is this sculpture.  It’s called “Coming About.”  I’ve read that it represents five sailboats.  When I first saw it I thought of shark fins.  That also seemed fitting given that Tiburon is Spanish for “shark.”     Some think the sails remind them of birds’ wings.  That would also be fitting given the number of seagulls that hang out at several waterside restaurants.  The sails slowly rotate.   The Guaymas and Servino restaurants provide a backdrop to the scene.

Landscape

Corinthian Island at Twilight

Photo of the west side of Corinthian Island.
Corinthian Island at Twilight

Corinthian Island is one of two inhabited islands on the Tiburon Peninsula.  It straddles a jurisdictional line separating Tiburon and Belvedere, California.

This photo was taken during twilight which is that time between sunset, when reds dominate, and dusk when there is no light (or color) to be seen, except to the extent the moon (or artificial light) is a factor.  During twilight, blues become dominant.  Twilight is sometimes referred to by photographers and painters as the blue hour or “l’heure bleue.”  The length of twilight is determined by the latitude of the observer.  Around the San Francisco Bay Area I think of it as lasting roughly half an hour. Twilight is also that time between dawn and sunrise.  It is a great time to photograph.  It’s also a great time to see wildlife.  Some animals are most active during the twilight hours.  They are referred to as “crepuscular.”

Next time you plan to photograph at sunrise or sunset don’t forget twilight time.  For two good programs to tell you when twilight is for your area, click here and here.