A few California articles (7) | My nine California moments

In the humid heat of Bangkok, I miss the cool breeze of the Bay Area. This half year has been a magical encounter, and there are so many things I don't know where to start.

But it can't be delayed forever. The first thing that needs to be summarized is the more than 3,000 photos in the inventory. From the casual shot on the bus to the two-hour shot at Hanfengli Station, the story of me and California was strung together by the sound of the shutter. So, if you want to pick out a nine-square grid here, how do you arrange it to describe the outline of life in California?

So I flipped through the photo album and scratched through thousands of pages one by one. I felt like the photos were taken only yesterday, but they were like a guide on the Internet, and I had never been to those places myself. After tangled and tangled, I finally chose nine moments.

What needs to be clear is that the selection scope is California, so things like the Grand Teton Lunar Eclipse, the Grand Circle Line, Yellowstone, and a wave of new photos of the trip to Oregon that have not been repaired are not considered. Otherwise, you may be so entangled that you can't sleep...

Before I even started flipping through the albums, I knew there were two must-haves--they didn't have any good reviews. I feel like whenever I see them, I'll want to hit the mountains in Yosemite and fly to the stretches of California coast.

After three hours of climbing on the road, Yosemite Valley has disappeared. Stop at the edge of the cliff to rest, and the Nevada Fall in front of you is just right to show a rainbow. Why didn't I feel surprised, because this angle and time were calculated by me (do you want to discuss the formula). When doing hard-core planning for national parks, I always feel that my mind is connected and resonated with the vast land.

On the Santa Cruz beach in February, the sea breeze is still cool in the morning and evening. A purple-red sunset floated over the Pacific Ocean, and the boy jumped high, holding the last sunlight and hitting the volleyball. This is California on the sea side, with good weather all year round that makes people want to become a homeless, just need to be relaxed and undisturbed on the beach.

The two must-haves are listed, and the rest will have a theme campaign comparable to the Oscars. There's no truth to these clever names, just seven snippets that I always say when I think about California.

Best Berkeley Photos

Anyway, I also went to study... The campus photo must always occupy a C position. When it comes to the Berkeley campus, the Sather tower (everyone who knows it calls it Campanile?) is naturally an inescapable element. After all, the Berkeley campus... In fact, there is nothing to see. In order to at least see that this is Berkeley, the clock tower must be in the mirror.

On weekdays, it always overlooks the entire campus condescendingly. At six o'clock, the clock tower sang on time, and the people in the classroom and library gradually dispersed, and another day was coming to an end. My ideal angle is to use the clock tower as a background board to watch students come and go on campus, busy or quiet. However, compared with other buildings, the bell tower is too high, and it takes a long distance to get the whole scene. In addition, there is no telephoto lens, and the angle of candid photography is also limited. I searched around and found no good photos.

Therefore, the standard is relaxed, and there is no need for passers-by to become the prospect, and the competition falls into the following three. The view of the back mountain is expansive and atmospheric, but the angle is a little tricky; in winter when the wildflowers are in full bloom, the green grass and yellow flowers reflecting the clock tower are very layered. But compared to it, looking back from the school road in the cherry blossom season, the foreground is a one-week-limited blooming cherry tree, and the clock tower stands majestically in the distance. Drop these trees!). This is my most unforgettable memory of Berkeley.

Best Golden Gate Bridge

This is also a propositional composition. If you are studying in the Bay Area, how can you not take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge? The classic vermilion of the Golden Gate Bridge is reflected in the blue sky, and depending on the angle, it looks good with the green mountains behind, or the blue harbour, or the silver-gray city.

So this one is different from the Berkeley campus photo, the main difficulty is that there are too many candidates. Fort Point on the east side of the South Bank, Baker Beach on the west side, Battery Spencer on the north shore, and the sea angle, I have actually been there... No. 1 sunset photo is my favorite angle, but unfortunately it collided with the sunset on the beach in Santa Cruz; Player No. 2 is from the north bank of Kinmen, which is only 1/10 of the way across from the crowd. It is a camera that can only be found thanks to the red book. With the San Francisco skyline as the background, it is quite special. The disadvantage is that this hill should be blown up... The whole person is already lying on the edge of the cliff to take pictures. So unfortunately the two are out.

Then there are the two seeds. No. 3 is the classic postcard angle, so classic. But the Golden Gate Bridge in my mind is not a card for a souvenir shop, but a part of life in San Francisco. This is the road for commuting and the setting for ordinary days. No. 4 caters more to that vibe: lazy sea breeze, people sunbathing, like no other beach. But because of this bridge, the bay has become different. With this flying bridge, this beach has become the beach of Golden Gate, and this life is exclusive to San Francisco.

Best City Photo (Daylight)

As we all know, California has only two cities. (error)

The city is the condensation of emotion. The story of the city is the story of the people. What we have experienced and recorded in the city, what kind of temperature and temperament will the city leave behind. The Twin Peaks panorama is the official seat of the San Francisco skyline, but it also seems to be missing the most authentic touch of the city in a high-level summary.

I like the other three very much. The models on the beach, the people in the portrait photography exhibition, and the skateboarders on the street are the most real life in the city. In the end, the skateboard boy was chosen because it seemed to better show the unique temperament of San Francisco - rolling hills and houses built on the back of the mountain, and the wind blowing all year round on the streets. In the wide square of the seaside pier, life is leisurely and free.

Best City Photo (Night)

Compared with the day scene, the selection of the best night scene is much more difficult. First, in this large rural area of California, there are not many good night view cameras; second, even if you find a camera, if you don't have a car and a large group of people, who would dare to carry a camera and walk down the street at night... Therefore, this is almost an equal election. In the end, the LA player beat the SF player, not only because of the technical advantage of long exposure, but also with the light of the City of stars filter.

best animal photo

California's critters, like a rest in the cyclical rhythm of life, always give you a little surprise when you least expect it. The little squirrels in Berkeley jumped up and down the school road, the sea lions and tourists in Fisherman's Wharf stared; in the independent Channel Islands, the independently evolved ground finches and foxes performed Darwin's reliability.

In the end, the portrait of the little fox won, mainly due to the addition of technical factors - the fox is an animal that is quite afraid of people. In order to photograph his peaceful days, I will bear the humiliation. He was half squatting and half crawling in the grass, then quietly leaned out half of his head, and took a candid photo of him while holding his breath. Even so, the little fox disappeared into the grass behind me after I took a picture.

best on the road

In the environmental policy class, we discussed the concept of Techno-Institutional Complex. When social infrastructure, technology, and institutions are all tied to high-carbon lifestyles, it is difficult to promote carbon reduction. The social structure of California and even the United States that relies heavily on self-driving travel is a classic case. If it weren't for the skyrocketing oil price this year, and renting a car by car is even cheaper than public transportation, why would anyone choose low-carbon travel?

So while road trips are really cool, I've also intentionally unlocked more ways to get around. After three hours of winding mountain roads, the moment I saw the Yosemite Valley was a great surprise, but when the crowds drove into the valley with American-style heroic SUVs, they were already vulnerable to the threat of wildfires. On the land of 2009-2010, and rumbling out a pipe of exhaust gas, is this also a departure from the concept of national parks?

As for Amtrak, I also hate that iron is not steel: it obviously has a good line position and invincible scenery, but in California, where everyone has a car and can rent a car without a car, it has also entered the country without customers. Cut the line and then there is no endless loop of customers. On the road in California, there is always a vast freedom, but under the freedom there are many difficulties. This seems to be the feeling that the entire United States gives me.

best national park

The last location, of course, is reserved for national parks. With nine of the most national parks in the country (I went to seven Oye), plus countless other NPS-managed areas, California is California's greatest treasure. Popular like Yosemite live up to its reputation, and unpopular like the Channel Islands are also full of surprises. Of course, from the point of view of choosing photos, if it is only about the scenery, Yosemite is basically elected without any suspense. But in view of the fact that Nevada Falls' Fengshen works occupy a pit, I have to consider dividing the pork.

Therefore, I chose this one as a bloody storm... Although the national parks are nothing more than mountains and seas, the scenery and temperament of each park are different, and each has an irreplaceable impression. After much tossing, I ended up preferring Point Reyes National Seashore. This turbulent headland by the Pacific Ocean is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Viewed from the lighthouse, the endless Pacific Ocean is spread out. As long as you keep looking far from here, you can always see the other side of home.