Tag Archives: California
New Photography Books: Ansel Adams’ Yosemite – The Special Edition Prints
From a AnselAdams.com online release:
Making the Special Edition Photographs is an assignment I continue to this day, with Ansel’s vision and standards always in mind as I work. The prints are still made directly from Ansel’s negatives and in the “traditional” way: in a wet darkroom with amber safelights, chemicals and running water. The prints are still silver-gelatin prints, meaning that the image-forming element is literally metallic silver. Precious.
And after nearly 40 years, I can honestly say that I never tire of seeing these images come up in the developing tray. It’s an honor and privilege to play a small part in continuing Ansel’s legacy.
This collection, entitled the Yosemite Special Edition Photographs, proved immensely popular and over the years, Ansel added more images to the set until the total was capped at 30 at the time of his passing in 1984.
Today, Best’s Studio is known as the Ansel Adams Gallery, and continues as a family-run business. Ansel’s Special Edition Photographs of Yosemite are a mainstay of the Gallery’s offerings and heritage. Each print is still made by hand directly from Ansel’s original negatives, using his approach and methodology to ensure strict adherence to his standards and aesthetic.
To read more: http://anseladams.com/ansel-adams-yosemite-special-edition-photographs/
Top New Travel Videos: “Redwoods” Directed By Rudy Wilms (2019)
Filmed and Directed by: Rudy Wilms
There is no other forest in the world then this one with it largest tree in the world. The redwoods are the tallest, among the oldest,and one of the most massive tree species on Earth.I am so grateful for the work of the Save the Redwoods League, that was founded in 1918 to preserve remaining old-growth nearly 90% of the original redwood trees had been logged. It was our biggest challenge to capture the true beauty and greatness of these giants this is definitely a park you need to see with your own eyes we have visited many different national park but this one is so magical I truly believe it should be on one of the wonders of the world list.No wonder Jurassic Park and one of the Star wars was filmed here this forest feel so ancient when we saw fern canyon I could easily imagine the dinosaur passing us when we walked in the canyon.
Website: http://www.rudywilms.com/
Top Museum Exhibits: “Paris In The Belle Époque”, Norton Simon Museum Through March 2, 2020
From the Norton Simon Museum website:
By Day & by Night: Paris in the Belle Époque surveys the rich range of artistic responses to life in the French capital through a selection of paintings, drawings, prints and photographs from the Museum’s collections. Together these works of art demonstrate that visual artists participated in the inventive spirit of the age by interpreting the everyday as something extraordinary.
The belle époque, a French expression meaning “beautiful era,” refers to the interwar years between 1871 and 1914, when Paris was at the forefront of urban development and cultural innovation. During this time Parisians witnessed the construction of the Eiffel Tower, the ascendancy of the Montmartre district as an epicenter for art and entertainment and the brightening of their metropolis under the glow of electric light. From the nostalgic perspective of the twentieth century, this four-decade period of progress and prosperity was a golden age of spectacle and joie de vivre.
To read more: https://www.nortonsimon.org/exhibitions/2010-2019/by-day-and-by-night-paris-in-the-belle-epoque/
New Museums: San Francisco Historical Society Museum Opens Oct 7 In The Old Mint
From a San Francisco Chronicle online article:
As trivia game experts know, San Francisco has had three U.S. mints. The first mint, on Commercial Street, was replaced in 1874 by a grand structure at Fifth and Mission streets. That building, now called the Old Mint, was itself replaced in 1937 by a new mint on Duboce Avenue, which is still coining money,
The newest museum in San Francisco will open in the city’s oldest mint this week.
The Commercial Street building is built on the site of the first U.S. mint in the West, which opened in 1854 during the California Gold Rush to turn nuggets and gold dust into coins and bullion. Later it was used as a subtreasury, where the government stored millions of dollars in gold and silver bars.
To read more: https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/nativeson/article/SF-s-newest-museum-is-opening-in-the-city-s-14494442.php
Outdoor Exhibitions: British Artist Bruce Munro’s “Field Of Light At Sensorio”, Paso Robles, CA
From a New York Times online article:
But there is nothing quite like the mind-bending spectacle now on display at dusk in the hills of Paso Robles here, a popular wine destination. That is the witching hour when thousands of solar-powered glass orbs on stems, created by the artist Bruce Munro, enfold visitors in an earthbound aurora borealis of shifting hues.
Since it opened in May, “Field of Light at Sensorio” — the 60-year-old British artist’s largest such installation to date — has drawn thousands of tourists and become an Instagram phenomenon. The subtly changing patterns of this light safari, activated by a nebula of fiber-optic cables attached to hidden projectors, seem to inspire a cathedral-like awe among ticket-holders, who pay $19 to $30 for an evening stroll along 15 acres of illuminated walkways.
To read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/arts/design/field-of-light-sensorio.html
Future Of Housing: “Abodu” Backyard Homes Pre-Approved For Installation In San Jose, CA (In Two Weeks)
From a HousingWire.com online release:
Having gained this pre-approval status, Abodu said one of its units can be installed in a backyard in as little as two weeks.
“Abodu is proud to enter the Bay Area market and provide a new, cost-effective alternative for those seeking more space or looking to monetize their backyard via rental income,” said John Geary, co-founder at Abodu. “Whether a buyer is installing an Abodu backyard home for a family member or as an additional source of income, this is a great and easy way to increase the value and functionality of a home.”
In 2017, the state of California passed several laws that gave cities more flexibility for allowing homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Most recently, at the beginning of this year, the state approved legislation that gave homeowners with ADUs constructed without a permit the ability to be inspected and approved under the standards that were in place the year the structure was built.
Top California Hotels: The Farmhouse Inn Is A Culinary Destination In Sonoma Wine Country
From a Jetsetter.com online review:
Despite the overwhelming presence of boutique inns along the Atlantic, they’re not a strictly East Coast commodity. Case in point: Sonoma’s Farmhouse Inn.
The 25-room property, located just 30 minutes from Calistoga and Napa Valley, attracts visitors from near and far with guest rooms done up in homey, (you guessed it) farmstead-style decor (think: plaid throws and rustic tree limb end tables, all adhering to a neutral palette of white, beige, and brown), brightened up by bouquets of fresh seasonal flowers. 
Beyond its aesthetically-pleasing interiors, the inn also knows a thing or two about food—starting with a nightly turndown service that includes homemade cookies and milk, and ending with the Farmhouse Restaurant, an onsite Michelin-starred, farm-to-table dining experience with killer dishes like peach salad, chanterelle tortellini, and wild Alaskan halibut.
To read more: https://www.jetsetter.com/magazine/the-coziest-inns-ever/?
Top New Travel Videos: “Skyglow – Ancestral Nights” Features Southwestern U.S.
Directors/Producers/Shooters: Harun Mehmedinovic & Gavin Heffernan
Editor: Harun Mehmedinovic
Music: Richard Lacy & Jeff Dale
Scattered across the United States, from the Southwest, all the way to Hawai’i, ancient astronomy petroglyphs and archaeoastronomy structures sit weathering in the landscape. Carved and built by diverse group of tribes, from Native Hawaiians, to the Paiutes of Bishop, California, and the Ancestral Puebloans of the Southwest, these petroglyphs and structures reflect the long standing interest in Ancient Astronomy which grew stronger as many of the tribes went from the Hunter Gatherer to the Agrarian societal orders. From references to the Sun carved in the rock, and interest in using the Sun to predict seasons (entire buildings built to essentially serve as sundials and calendars, a critical element in the farming communities) to those of 13 moons (lunar annual calendar), to carvings of stars and constellations, interest in celestial bodies is ever present across the indigenous communities of the United States.
This video journeys to National Park Service sites from California, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico, many of whom give us a glimpse of how the night sky may have appeared to the ancient inhabitants of those lands. Many of these places were named International Dark-Sky Parks by the International Dark-Sky Association, partly due to their remote locations, and partly due to the hard work by the National Park Service to preserve the quality of the night skies through lighting retrofits and educational programs about the night sky heritage and astronomy.
The video also features 2018’s epic Lunar Eclipse, a.k.a. “Blood Moon,” seen at 1:03.
This video was filmed as part of SKYGLOW (skyglowproject.com), an ongoing crowdfunded quest to explore the effects and dangers of urban light pollution in contrast with some of the most incredible dark sky areas in North America. This project is being produced in collaboration with International Dark-Sky Association (darksky.org), a non-profit fighting for the preservation of night skies around the globe.
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Locations:
Wupatki National Monument, Arizona
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico
Bishop, California
Website: http://www.bloodhoney.com/
Cultural Destinations: The Huntington Library Launchess Centennial Celebration September 5
From The Huntington Library news release:
The Huntington’s Centennial Celebration kicks off on Sept. 5, 2019, with a special event for press and Southern California civic, higher education, and cultural leaders—a number of whose institutions are also celebrating significant anniversaries. Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence will host the celebration, sharing key news announcements and highlighting plans for the centennial year and beyond. The formal program will include a panel discussion with thought leaders on some of the big ideas shaping the future, brief presentations by Huntington leadership from each collection area, and a special musical performance interpreting sheet music from the Harold Bruce Forsythe collection. Public visitors will enjoy music in the gardens by Todd Simon and members of his Angel City All-Star Brass Band from noon to 2 p.m.
The Sept. 5 event will set the stage for a yearlong series of exhibitions, public programs, new initiatives, and more—inviting people with a range of interests to engage with the venerable institution’s collections and the connections they offer while exploring the interdisciplinary ideas that will shape the next 100 years. The Centennial Launch’s program reflects the interdisciplinary lens of The Huntington’s incomparable collections.
To read more click on the following link: https://www.huntington.org/news/centennial-celebration-sept-5
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