Stand Alone #002: Highway 45

Water Intake on Sacramento River at Knights Landing, CA.

Abandoned water Intake on Sacramento River at Knights Landing, CA.

Abandoned water Intake on Sacramento River at Knights Landing, CA. (Click on photo for larger view)

The Sacramento River is rather narrow at Knights Landing, and the draw bridge (just downstream in this photo) that once made way for large cargo vessels is still an attraction with its antiquated control room filled with venerable equipment and seasoned electronics that looks like it might still be functional. To me, this antique structure gives the impression of an abandoned lighthouse standing sentry over time.
[Click on the photo for a larger view]

This is the first of six standalone photos I will be posting from a journey in February, 2011.

From a satellite view, the Sacramento (on the north)/San Joaquin (on the south) Valley looks like an elongated soup tureen, with its pouring lip centered at the San Francisco Bay, dressed by the Golden Gate Bridge. Sacramento, the state capitol, is almost dead center.
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Stand Alone #001: San Francisco

This is the first in a series of “stand alone” photographs. I will be adding these periodically while preparing my next “Photo Journey.”

Morning Paper: Bakery in North Beach, San Francisco, CA. Photography by Robert McClintock, Copyright © 2000-2011 by Robert McClintock.

Morning Paper: Bakery in North Beach, San Francisco, CA. Photography by Robert McClintock, Copyright © 2000-2011 by Robert McClintock.

Each year my friend Fred and I make the annual pilgrimage to San Francisco, California for the Macworld Expo. Fred spends the entire day there, literally viewing and questioning (nearly) every booth and vendor. After I take a perusal to see what might be new and “necessary” in the world of photography, I exit to the streets and the people and the incredible sites of that amazing city.

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Geek Fest

Recently, my friend Scott invited me to witness a special event for privileged participants. Sensing a great story, I asked permission to bring my camera and voice recorder to document what he calls Geek Fest. What a treat this experience was!

The common perception—or misconception—of overly indulgent computer enthusiasts (commonly known as geeks and nerds) as isolated misanthropes, is challenged for a few weekends every year when a small gathering of dedicated computer gamers convene for Geek Fest.

This is no casual crowd of computer clunkers, but an assembly of highly skilled game players (about 8 to 12) who play via online networking throughout the year and then congregate to socialize in the first person nearly non-stop for the entire three day festival. Geeks and nerds they openly and affectionately call themselves.
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