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| San
Francisco: Where The Heart
Is |
By
Lester V. Ledesma |
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Lester V. Ledesma discovers why Ol’ Blue Eyes left
his heart in San Francisco |
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It’s that picturesque slice
of land in one of the prettiest
corners of California. Home to some
of America’s most recognizable
symbols, the city of San Francisco
and its environs have, for decades,
captured the hearts of those who
have set foot here. We’ve
no doubt seen it featured in countless
movies, magazines and posters. Frank
Sinatra sang of its charms in his
famous song, as did Tony Bennett,
Judy Garland and even the Village
People. Friends have gushed endlessly
about the Bay Area’s delights,
their accolades sparking my interest
in discovering what made it truly
special. And so on a cool autumn
morning I landed here with a camera
in hand, hoping to capture the essence
of the Bay Area.
Thankfully I didn’t have
to carry much gear. I had with me
Sony’s new DSC-T5 –
a sleek, stylish 5-megapixel point-n’-shooter
that came in the tiniest of packages.
It fitted snugly into my palm, yet
was heavy enough to provide shake-free
exposures when held in one hand.
Sporting a sleek space-age look,
the DSC-T5 is a very capable camera.
Credit that to the Carl Zeiss optics
on its 38-114mm zoom lens, and a
plethora of features that included
three metering options (spot, center
weighted and multi-pattern metering),
flash exposure compensation and
variable program modes. Best of
all, it had a nifty flip-down lens
cover that also acted as a power
switch, allowing me to easily turn
the camera on with minimal startup
time. Confident that this baby could,
indeed, satisfy my picture-taking
requirements, I set out to explore
the Bay Area and its many attractions.
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on the image to view
a larger picture. |
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Point
Lobos along
San Francisco’s
northern
coastline
brims with
massive
whitewater
waves. From
a lookout
point high
above the
beach, I
set the
DSC-T5 to
+1 saturation
and fired
away on
“P”
mode. |
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The
endlessly
blue California
sky is a
Godsend
to photographers,
making those
skyward-looking
shots amazingly
easy to
take. I
simply pointed
the DSC-T5
upwards,
waited for
the AF to
lock in
and took
the shot. |
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The
DSC-T5’s
quick response
time and
easy-open
switch made
it possible
for me to
capture
this offbeat
shot of
Rodan’s
“The
Thinker”and
an avid
admirer. |
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Adding
a foreground
element
helps inject
a story
to a picture.
Switching
to “landscape”
mode enables
a wide depth-of-field
in the photo,
thereby
ensuring
that both
foreground
and background
are in focus. |
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The
DSC-T5’s
small size
and large
2.5”
LCD screen
helped me
frame and
shoot this
photo without
having to
stoop low
and risk
a possible
dogbite.
I simply
extended
my hand
while holding
the camera
and snapped
away. |
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Old
buildings
sporting
mid 20th
century
architecture
are a common
sight in
downtown
San Francisco.
With the
DSC-T5’s
zoom lens
set at the
wide-angle
end, I looked
up and framed
my shot
against
the deep
blue sky. |
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To
get a warm
afternoon
glow to
my image,
I placed
an orange
filter in
front of
the camera
and photographed
with the
zooms lens
at the telephoto
thus compressing
the crowds
in the scene. |
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Inspired
by old postcards
of Union
Square and
its cable
cars, I
switched
to “sepia”
mode for
that nostalgic
turn-of-the-century
look, never
mind the
modern cars
in the picture! |
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Another
“aged”
image of
the cable
car, this
time shot
with the
DSC-T5’s
lens placed
at the wide-angle
setting. |
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Putting
an instantly
recognizable
symbol can
add a powerful
sense of
place to
a photo.
One only
has to look
at the stars
and stripes
to know
what country
this picture
was taken
in. |
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on the thumbnails
below to view. |
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