My Favorite 10 Photos of 2010

I didn't do a photo-a-day project in 2010. In fact, I was so burnt out from the 2009 version that I didn't really start taking photos again until my friends Jon and Wing got married in early April. It set the tone for most of my photo taking throughout the year in that it was largely defined by special events and travel. After last year, it felt wrong not to honor the year in photos in some way, so I decided to comb through the photos I did take and select my 10 favorites.

01. The Happy Couple


Jon & Wing's Wedding • Pulgas Water Temple, CA • April 4, 2010

02. Early on the Embarcadero


San Francisco, CA • April 19, 2010

03. Urban Zipliner


San Francisco, CA • April 19, 2010

04. Wine Glass / Silhouette


Sonia & Albie's Wedding • Mendocino, CA • August 1, 2010

05. Sunset Playtime


Reno, NV • August 8, 2010

06. Surfing Alone


Inch, Ireland • October 1, 2010

07. Cliffs of Moher


County Clare, Ireland • October 2, 2010

08. Giant's Causeway


County Antrim, Northern Ireland • October 5, 2010

09. Looking Back


County Antrim, Northern Ireland • October 5, 2010

10. Inside Haleakala


Haleakala Crater, Maui, HI • December 28, 2010

December 31, 2009

365 photos posted.
363 taken in 2009.
362 taken on the day of the title.
1 New Year's resolution accomplished.
I made it!

This blog started with a photo of a sunrise. It's only fitting that it ends with a photo of a sunset. The abundance of color at twilight is quite possibly the best part of LA. This view is from the Getty Museum.

December 30, 2009

I like this photo because it looks posed.
It's not. I just clicked what I saw.

December 29, 2009

The last time I hiked the swinging bridges trail in Waihee, a flash flood almost stranded me. This time the weather was beautiful, and the bridges and scenery were even more spectacular than I remembered.

December 28, 2009

Whale watch sunset. Two of my favorite things, especially when you have a sister with connections so you can enjoy both for free!

December 27, 2009

I felt kind of weird bringing a tripod to the Sunday fire twirling at Makena beach. The end results were very clear and very worth it. Fire is so fun to photograph.

December 26, 2009

Molokai Strawberry papayas for sale at the Maui Swap Meet.

December 25, 2009

Christmas morning south side swell.

December 24, 2009

Maui Christmas! (Almost)

December 23, 2009

Rainy day reflection taken when my sister and I went off-roading on Munro Trail in Lanai. I like the diagonal framing created by the mud around the puddle.

December 22, 2009

There's nothing like shave ice on a hot day. I like how the sunlight hits the dessert, making it the the most colorful and eye-catching part of the photo.

December 21, 2009

First day in Maui and first day at the beach. I love this image of two children waiting hopefully for a wave to sweep them away on their inner tube.

December 20, 2009

Christmas came early! I managed to trade a five hour layover at Los Angeles International Airport for a $500 flight credit voucher. I didn't have to spend much of that time actually at the airport thanks to a friend who spirited me away for lunch, but in the time I did spend at LAX, I tried to take photos representative of holiday travel. I think this one captures the time of year ... minus the hordes of waiting people.

December 19, 2009

Sunset in the Mission.

December 18, 2009

Christmas gift from Megamind management. The bottle of wine had been redesigned and relabeled to match something the main character of our movie might drink. I didn't manage to take the photo before the spikes fell off. Too bad.

December 17, 2009

Lighting production supervisors at our department holiday party. Dawn got us the festive head gear.

December 16, 2009

I could get some great shots of the Stanford men's basketball game if I had a lens like this. (There's a reason I'm posting a photo of a photographer and not of the players.)

December 15, 2009

Holiday baking.

December 14, 2009

SFO's international terminal. I was trying to get a photo of the (fake) Golden Gate Bridge lights, but didn't have much success. Then again, I like the stationary taxi in the foreground and the moving car in the background.

December 13, 2009

Photo rope installment #2 - holiday theme! With glitter!

December 12, 2009

So many santas! In the rain! SantaCon San Francisco was out in full force, despite the almost torrential downpour.

December 11, 2009

The battle against the cold unveiled a new enemy when I finally broke down and turned on my central heating. It hadn't been used in a while, which meant dust escaped with the heat. I don't mind dust, but my smoke alarm apparently hates it. The beeping was LOUD. Opening the doors and windows wasn't an option, so I took out the battery. The next morning, figuring the dust had settled, I tried to put it back in. More loud beeping. I went to work. I tried again when I came back. Half-hearted beeping. Some beeps were long. Some were short. There was no rhythm or pattern. The reason was clear -- the smoke alarm was possessed. Then I received an email from my mother. The smoke alarm in my room in Maui had also been going off. Conspiracy! Both situations were eventually handled, but the coincidence was pretty amazing. And amusing.

December 10, 2009

I've realized that cold weather throws me into hibernation mode. I can't do anything active, including taking photos. Instinct tells me to bundle up and read a book. Or watch something. It's been so bad recently that blankets aren't enough. Time to bring in the secret weapon -- the portable space heater!

December 9, 2009

Happy (day before your) birthday, Jackie! Such a great excuse to gather for dinner at Fresca in the Fillmore followed by a cake from Tartine.

December 8, 2009

Work provided a holiday-themed snack break in the form of hot cocoa and cookies. In keeping with workplace tradition, all cocoa came with optional splashes of peppermint schnapps or Baileys, and cookie decorating supplies were plentiful.

December 7, 2009

The confused house in my neighborhood from my November 1 post that included Christmas decorations under their Halloween cobwebs got their holidays right this time. As I walked by, I saw lots of twinkly lights and no bats, candy corn, or other October 31 paraphernalia.

December 6, 2009

One of my absolute favorite restaurants in DC is the Amsterdam Falafel Shop in Adams Morgan (http://www.falafelshop.com/). They had the inspired idea to install a do-it-yourself garnish bar with over 20 options -- from the traditional hummus, cucumbers and tomatoes, to the less traditional baba ghanoush and roasted cauliflower. Gone are the days of dry, tasteless falafel. If yours ends up that way, you only have yourself to blame. Genius! Not to mention delicious. I was a little out of practice, but the one pictured was pretty good all the same.

December 5, 2009

Inspired by unbelievably low fares a few weeks earlier, I made the somewhat impulsive decision to spend the weekend in Washington, DC. And I mean weekend -- total time on the ground came to about 30 hours. When I bought the tickets, I thought that it would be nice to catch up with friends and enjoy the chilly late-fall air. I ended up getting more than I bargained for, arriving just in time for the first snowfall of the season.

December 4, 2009

All Stanford Product Design Masters Program 2nd year students are given two weeks to design and create a personal statement for exhibition at an event held early every December. My friend Danika is a 2nd year, and this is her project -- a multi-level community garden completely constructed and planted by her. Each plot represents another student in the program.

December 3, 2009

Jerry models the latest in bear fashion at Etsy's Handmade Ho Down in San Francisco, a collection of craft artists selling their wares for the evening in a multi-level nightclub. I try to ignore the fact that he plans to wear it to Cal football games.

December 2, 2009

My new coffee table assembled and positioned. I like this photo for its unconventional camera angle and the fact that the focus accentuates the sharpness of the table corner.