A few weeks ago my friend's birthday was at Baker Beach, San Francisco and the plan was a to get there early, take pics of Golden Gate Bridge, then join the BBQ. Things changed.

The bad news is that the Golden Gate pics were decent to terrible. The good news is that I kept my camera by my side and ended up taking some great pics at the BBQ. Here are my top five (in chronological order).

Number 5

Plain and simple, it's the best picture of corn I've ever taken. Best picture of food I've ever taken in fact. When it comes to amateur photography, I'd say Pets, Food, and Selfies make up the amateur trifecta. Well, I've now taken a pic to showcase for one of those points. I could probably choose one of the pics of Two-Face as another, but a good selfie might take a while.

I should probably say a bit about what I like. Corn may be one of the best foods to take a picture of because of how easy it is to get all kinds of shadow and shine from it. And this particular bit of corn had a nice duel tone to it to make it even more photogenic. I'm sure there could have been a better way to position the skewer for a nicer composition, or even taken out completely, but I was literally just taking a pic with it in my hands before taking a bite.

The corn was delicious.

Number 4

And here's the man with the grill. Smoke and shadows. How can you not want to take a picture of that?

I'm untrained when it comes to photography, and so pretty much the only thing I ever hear about is the rule of thirds when it comes to composition. I have to believe there's more than that. I can't see how this would fit the Rule of Thirds in any way, but I like having him in the corner, and I like the arc f the smoke. This is one of the pics that I'm sure I'll keep coming back to as I learn Lightroom and Photoshop to make it just right.

Number 3

Smile!

Here's the birthday girl in a great moment. I know there's an easier way to get an HDR (High Dynamic Range) pic, but I put this together by hand layering one dark and one bright pic on top of each other and using the eraser tool so I could keep the sky blue, keep the detail in the Styrofoam cooler, and keep the faces bright.

There's so much to love here. While I tweaked the contrast, I wasn't the one to set up the table and dress the people with such vibrant colors. I love the crazy twist of the tree branches and how it fills the top portion of the pic, and love how the tree is upright while the horizon line is so askew. The high contrast and crazy tilt to the picture work well together.

If I was setting this up, I would have moved the Diet Coke can out of the way to clear up the clutter. I did actually remove an empty plate that was on the table with Photoshop, as well as a random lone slice of cheese. Other than that, I think this pic works quite well.

Number 2

Dogs were all over the beach, but this was by far my favorite one. Fetch is all that he lives for.

This is the first time I really noticed vignetting. In fact, this post here is the first time I'm actually sure that the effect where the image is fading to a darker color as you move to the two upper corners of this pic is called vignetting. (Just goggled it to check.) I guess I'm actually absorbing the photo lingo as I listen to podcasts throughout the day.

There were some pics I had of the dog with a bit more action in his run, but balance between the dog and the placement of the acorn is what makes this picture work.

Number 1

Back to the opening pic that began this post.

My favorite pic of the day, and one of my favorite pics I've ever taken. If I created a portfolio, this would be in it. Over time I'm sure I would have to eventually remove it, but that's the whole point of this blog, to be a record of where I am and how I grow as a photographer.

So what about it do I like. Pretty girl, with a messy but effortless pose is obvious of course. As is the Golden Gate. This is, in fact, the most Rule of Thirds pic of the top five. Maybe that has something to do with being number one, I'm not really sure. But there's almost more to the composition that I like. I love how the line of the mountain flows right into the sinusoidal shape of the waves. I like how the line that divides the dark blue of the ocean with the white of the wave crosses right at her neck, which creates an effect that helps to further pull focus to her face. The white of the waves helps to bring out the bright colors of her clothes, and her expression could mean any number of things depending on your interpretation.

(To steal away any interpretation you might have. This was taken right after she was knocked down by an incoming waves in between her laughs and smiles. )

I know there are things that I technically could have done to come out with a better pic. Keep the bridge more, or less, in focus. Change the ISO. Something. But the moment is past, and all I can do is keep learning. For now this is a pic that I'm quite proud of, and if I can take pics that surpass this, then that's something to look forward to.