Photographing high above San Francisco (from a rooftop)

Last weekend I went up to San Francisco (my home town) to see a good friend who recently moved there. Before driving up from my house in the South Bay, he reminded me to bring my camera since he has rooftop access with an amazing view of the city.

When we got to the rooftop, I could see that he wasn't kidding. Not only did we have clear skies with an amazing view, but the amenities on the rooftop weren't too shabby either.

(You can click on this image to see it larger)

As I walked around and checked out the different views of San Francisco, my first thought was "Panorama!" This photo was a combination of 8 images captured with the Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 24-70mm lens, then stitched together using Adobe Photoshop CC.

As I looked towards the south west side of the building, I could follow Market Street all the way towards the Sutro Tower out in the distance. I grew up on the other side of that hill.

After taking a bunch of images with the Canon 24-70mm lens, I switched to my Canon 100-400mm lens to get in a little closer to the buildings...

...and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.

The new Salesforce headquarters dwarfs all the other buildings in San Francisco.



I saw this view consisting of many of the older structures in the city and liked the composition.

When I grew up in San Francisco (many years ago), the Transamerica Pyramid was the tallest and most recognizable building in the city. You can see it pointing up behind the hotels in the foreground. Once I zoomed in close to this cluster of buildings, I knew that this would be a better shot vertically, showing the height of the structures. I made sure to shoot just wide enough to include the colors on the building to the bottom right.

Now that I have been up to this location, all I can think about is capturing a really nice sunset and night shot from this spot. I look forward to making that happens, as long as my buddy does not move any time soon.

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If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.
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Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

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A HUGE thank you to Canon Professional Services

In January and February, we took 25 guests to Tanzania on safari. In the months prior to the trip I made recommendations to everyone for what cameras and lenses I thought would be best for the trip. Some of the guests had all the gear they needed, but many did not. My friends at Canon were absolutely amazing, with the folks at Canon Professional Services (CPS) loaning whatever gear people requested, and all at no cost!

This is a photo of our January group, and as you can see, Canon even loaned the big Canon 200-400mm lens to our guests. That is a whole lot of glass in one photo!

Michael was loving the loaner Canon 1D X Mark II camera and the big beast of a lens.

With a lens this big, it is nice to have something to lean it on.

Glenn borrowed the lens and a Canon 5D Mark IV.

All smiles when you get to use the best of the best.

Many of the guests opted for the Canon 100-400mm lens which is tack sharp, smaller and lighter than the 200-400 lens.

My friend Mike has shot with Canon for a while, but only had an older Rebel body. He got a couple of loaner Canon 5D Mark IV cameras and some lenses for this trip. I think he is hooked now!

This is a photo of our February group hanging out above the Ngorongoro Crater.

Pat was getting a low shot with his gear.

Another shot of Mike with his loaner gear.

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to my friends at Canon who make this all possible. It is an amazing chance for all of our photo tour guests to try out new gear, which would otherwise be very expensive to rent.

And if you are interested in joining me on one of my photo tours, you can take advantage of this awesome opportunity as well. The Photo Tour information can be found here.

__________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.
__________________________________________________________________________
Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

__________________________________________________________________________ 

The Amazing Birds of Tanzania

When we talk about the wildlife in Africa, most people do not think about birds, but trust me, they have some amazing birds on this continent. Having spent another month in Tanzania, I thought I would share a variety of my favorite bird photos with you all.

Here are two Ring-Necked doves hanging out on a branch together.

I have been to Tanzania numerous times and, up until this last trip, had never seen the Red-and-yellow barbet. They are awesome looking birds.

We saw this group of barbets on a termite mound, having a snack.

(Almost all of the photos in this blog post were taken with the Canon 1D X Mark II and Canon 200-400mm lens.)

It is not uncommon to see Ostriches running around in Tanzania. They are really large and very fast!

Look! A two-headed ostrich!

For the first time, we got to see baby ostriches.

You just know that I had to try motion panning them as they ran.

This is the Lilac Breasted Roller, one of my favorite birds of all times.

Look at those colors!

This roller was soaking up the last of the sunlight at the end of the day (hence the really golden light on the bird and the wood).

There are birds of prey in Tanzania, and although they are not colorful, they sure are majestic.

Right as I was taking images of this bird, it moved away from the water and opened its wings.

This Secretary bird was taking a stroll on the Serengeti.

This is a Southern Ground Hornbill on top of a termite mound.

Vultures are everywhere in the country, and easy to spot as they feed on discarded carcasses.

Here is a vulture coming in for a landing.

It was the end of the day and we were heading back to our camp, when our driver spotted this owl in a nearby tree. We had perfect evening light on the bird.

This dove was hanging out amongst the acacia thorns.

Here are two Grey Crowned Cranes criss-crossing each other while eating.

As we drove around on safari, we were searching for a Hornbill with perfect sunlight on its bill, to accentuate the bright orange color.

This is a Blue-Brested Bee-Eater. Try saying that three times fast!

This guy was about to have a frog for lunch.

This is a Secretary Bird, which typically hunts for its prey on foot.

Another favorite bird of mine is the Superb Starling.

They have unbelievable colors and can be found all over the region.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the many birds from Tanzania. For someone who never thought of himself as a "birder", I am sure becoming one after my many trips around the world.

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Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.
__________________________________________________________________________
Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

__________________________________________________________________________ 

Annual UCSF hospital prom for their teen patients

At this time every year, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital hosts the annual hospital prom for all their teen patients. Many of the kids miss their own high school proms due to severe illness and compromised immune systems. This is their chance to have their hair done, get dressed in new clothes and have fun within the safe environment of the hospital.

For those of you who have been regular readers of the blog, you may remember seeing this in past blogs. UCSF puts on this event with countless people and companies donating their goods, time and money to make this happen. This was the sixth time that I have volunteered to capture this event and I am continually inspired by these kids.

As they entered the hospital (or came down from their room upstairs), they were photographed by my good friends at Studio Booths. It was a rare time for the kids to head down the hallways of this building with big smiles on their faces!

Each teen got a corsage or boutonniere.

I saw these two girls admiring their flowers and grabbed this shot.

Big smiles from everyone - kids and volunteers alike.

There is no shortage of personality with the nurses at UCSF (who photo bombed this shot).

This year's theme was "Under the Sea".

While the kids are having fun, their parents are treated to good food and adult music in a separate room.

The kids dance party, with DJ and thumping music, was a lot louder than the adults room. That was until the DJ stopped the music and called everyone's attention to one young lady.

It turns out that this lovely girl was celebrating her 18th birthday at the prom. They surprised her with a cake and sang happy birthday to her.

A great birthday moment that she won't soon forget.

There is a quieter "resting room" where the kids could get their faces painted and they put their message on multiple banners.



I saw my two favorite nurses dancing with this young lady in her wheelchair and had to get this photo.

They even got her up and dancing for a little bit. I love the reactions in this photo. This is what the prom is all about; trying to forget their hardships for a little while and just enjoying themselves. 

Another teen who was not going to let a wheelchair stop her from having a blast.

This young man was on the dance floor from the first song until the last one. He is one of those kids who can dance all out and not be concerned about others opinions of his moves. I am jealous that he can do that. He was busting moves from Michael Jackson to Bruno Mars.

The dance ended at 10pm, but I always stay late to get a shot of these awesome hospital volunteers who make this possible. Their selflessness and dedication to not only their jobs but to the kids is absolutely apparent and I tip my hat to them.

I look forward to doing this again next year.

__________________________________________________________________________
Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.
__________________________________________________________________________
Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

__________________________________________________________________________