Our photographs win Westin-San Francisco photo contest

Don't say you never win anything - two my classic shots of San Francisco Skyline won a photo contect for two premium room nights - time for a night out of the town! 

Check out this link to Westin's Facebook site to see other winners, and learn more about the Starwood-Westin Hotels.  They plan to make FB promotions an integral part of their marketing.

Facebook link for Westin San Francisco

To purchase this view as open edition print of this from our Web Gallery and see other San Francisco Images

Gate from Fort Point
during passing storm
hand-tinted black and white, 1/1, 8x10" view

Skyline from Alamo Square during passing storm
classic view yet hard to shoot- needs both hot light on city and dark clouds to separate skyline from East Bay Hills

Personal Favorite San Francisco Skyline Photograph

View from Clipper Street headed up Twin Peaks
Photographed with 8x 10" view camera, color negative material, during passing storm
by Bennett Hall

Go to Court and learn about San Francisco History

Go to Court, Learn about local history?

That' right.  Thanks to an innovative program started by Hon. Judge Breyer of the U.S. District Courts' 9th District in San Francisco, their jury room rooms, public corridors and selected chambers areas are adorned with restored historical photographs with educational narratives telling colorful stories of Bay Area History.   The project began in 2002, and culminated this summer with the an installation covering three floors of the Oakland Federal building featuring Oakland, Alameda and Contra Costa County history.  Lawyers, their clients, jurors, and visitors will learn about the transcontinental railroad, the Key system, University of Berkeley, development of agriculture, coal, logging and other industries, dynamite in Hercules, the "Detroit of the West", Liberty Ships, the Cyclotron, Lake Merritt, waterfront development, water systems, bridges, tunnels, warships, the Mission system and even Charlie Chaplin in Niles.

The program is located in the Bay Area's primary Federal Buildings, Clay Street Oakland, 2nd Street San Jose and 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco - showcasing a total of nearly 1,000 framed photographs.  Each photograph was digitally restored from vintage materials from dozens of sources.  Each view includes a caption and story illuminating aspects of our local heritage, providing an education experience with the Court experience.  Te program was designed and produced by San Francisco photographer and artist, Bennett Hall and Helen Rischbieth of Business image Group, who worked in concert with the US District Court Judges in their respective areas, Hon. Judge Breyer, San Francisco, Hon. Judge Lloyd and Hon. Judge Seeborg, San Jose, and Hon. Judge Jensen in Oakland.  Production was all done locally, including custom framing made in their San Francisco shop Eco Framing, the latest project employing U.S. grown and manufactured solid Cherry wood frame moulding made using FSC certified methods.   An emphasis of producing this project in most 'carbon neutral manner possible was combined with using materials that were all made in America - two fundamentals advocated by Hall and Rischbieth's company.
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Blog:    US District Courts - Oakland Federal Building
http://businessimagegroup.blogspot.com/2010/08/bay-area-wide-local-history-program-for.html

Website - overview of Bay Area US Courts Program
US District Courts, San Francisco Bay Area • Community History exhibits, 2002-2010
http://www.businessimagegroup.com/USCourts.html

Media
Contra Costa times / Montclairian
http://www.contracostatimes.com/montclarion/ci_15828606?nclick_check=1

President Wilson hosts ladies luncheon at Palace Hotel, September 1919

Presidential Luncheon, Garden Court of the Palace Hotel, September 1919

The elegant Garden Court, with its dome stained-glass ceiling and Austrian crystal chandeliers, was the site for some of the nation's most prestigious events. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson hosted two luncheons in support of the Versailles Treaty, which ended World War I. This was part of his 8000 mile tour, with 40 speeches in 29 cities in 22 days.

Purchase Images of the Palace Hotel

Slideshow on Palace History

Case Study - Palace Hotel

Wikipedia history on Palace Hotel 

Charlotte Mailliard wearing Palace of Fine Arts

Back in the 80's a project came together to light the Palace of Fine Arts, the lone remaining stucture from the Panama Pacific International Exhibition of1915, led by Gina Delacetia.  Bob Pritikin, the City's rather flamboyant adman and hotelier came together to create promotional and funraising events and stunts - leading to a our producing a series of life size super-realisiic portraits of notables around town wearing Beach Blanket Babalon hats, steve Silver organized around the effort

This portrait was of Charlotte Maillard Swig, now married to Charles Schultz, wearing this over the top head gear cum architectural model.   Eventually funding was secured at the lights were restored per the original plans for this Bernard Maybeck Jewel among the City's architectural heritage

Phoography was done with the 8 x 10" view for ultra high-resolution - every thread in the fabric sharp as a tack.  The originals cut outs are not at the Bob Pritikin Mansion on Chenery Street - pending become part of the City Museum there proposed by Pritikin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Mailliard

Cyril Magnin greets his guests to his birthday bash

For Cyril's last Birthday bash, I had the pleasure of photographing him with my then trusty 8 x 10" view camera. He never questioned the size of the camera or the use - but a plan was under foot. Later in the darkroom - we made two larger than life cut-outs of Cyril - this one greeting guest as they arrived at the function over the awning of his long time residence, the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Here's to you Cryil! This town is just not the same without you.

Background from Wikipedia


Cyril Isaac Magnin (1899–1988) was one of the most prominent San Francisco businessmen of the post-World War II era, chief executive of the Joseph Magnin Company, which evolved into a multi-million dollar chain of upscale women's clothing stores.

Personally gracious and urbane, Magnin was a veteran political fund-raiser and power broker in the Democratic Party, dating back to New Deal days. He was Treasurer of President Franklin Roosevelt's northern California re-election campaign in 1944, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1948 (that nominated President Harry Truman) and again in 1964, when he co-chaired the Finance Committee of President Lyndon Johnson's campaign in California.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Magnin was one of a quartet of fabulously wealthy San Francisco Jewish contributors to Democratic candidates, appreciatively called "The Green Machine" by career politicians[1], the others being Fairmont Hotel magnate Benjamin Swig, Lilli Ann clothing company founder Adolph Schuman, and real estate mogul Walter Shorenstein.

The four did not always agree in their choice of candidates. Magnin himself was a major donor to the presidential candidacies of John F. Kennedy in 1960 and Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, and, in the interim, developed a close friendship with Lyndon Johnson.[2]

Magnin was the first of the "Green Machine" multi-millionaires to fade from the national political scene after the Party was bitterly divided over the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1972. But he later worked closely with San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto and was deeply involved in the civic affairs of the city for the remainder of his life. He was President of the Port of San Francisco and was instrumental in establishing such internationally-renowned institutions as the Asian Art Museum, the American Conservatory Theater and the California Culinary Academy. Serving also as the city's first "Chief of Protocol", Magnin reveled in the informal title of "Mr. San Francisco".

Buddha in the Park

Gautama Buddha

This  bronze Buddha was cast in 1790 in Tajima, Japan, for the Taionji Temple and presented to the Garden in 1949 by the S.& G. Gump Company of San Francisco. Buddha (563? to ca. 483 B.C.) is the historic founder of the Buddhist religion.  Born Prince Siddhartha of the Sakyas in the area now called Nepal, he renounced his home of great luxury at age 29 for an ascetic life. 

Sitting under a bo tree in concentrated meditation, he attained his great enlightenment and understanding of the causes of human suffering. He become known as Buddha, The Enlightened One. 

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Shot made with 8 x 10 View camera mounted with 75mm Super Angulon - creating a full lens
capture on the film.  Available as original silver prints and as a hand-tinted 50 x 50" original


 
Links on Buddha
Inscription
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/sanfran6.html

What will our ruins look like? April 18th Anniversary of Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906

Over 3000 deaths were caused by the catastrophe, primarily in San Francisco. The population of San Francisco at the time was about 400,000, and over half were rendered homeless. 28,000 buildings were destroyed.

City Hall, from corner of Ninth and Market, after San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, April 18, 1906

Something was not quite right about the engineering of San Francisco's City Hall. When the Quake came in 1906, the structure came apart at its seams. 

The new $6 million building, which had been under construction for 20 years, was considered by some to be more noble as a ruin. Entire walls crumbled and massive stone columns fell into the street, leaving the relatively intact dome oddly perched above the twisted debris.

Fire Burning after the Earthquake, April 1906

Multiple fires swept the City for four days, erupting from damage to gas lines and electric wires, fueled by the wooden debris. The City's water system had not been upgraded to cope with a major fire threat and key water mains were broken, leaving the hydrants empty. Many buildings were dynamited, as recouted by General Funston to create firebreaks - drawing on dynamite supplied by the California Powder Company, whose leading brand product became the namesake of the town of Hercules.

View West up California Street from Merchants Exchange, 1906

The Earthquake and fire of 1906 left over 10 million cubic yards of wreckage that had to be cleared before reconstruction could begin. The business district and three-fifths of the entire city was in ruins, and damage was estimated at $500m. The Fairmont Hotel, at the top of the hill, was about to debut at the time of the earthquake.

Palace Hotel's entrance after the Earthquake and Fire, 1906

The Palace suffered only moderate structural damage in the Earthquake, due to the efforts by William Ralston to make it earthquake resistant. However the "fire-proofing" efforts were a total loss. Artesian water stored in roof top and basement tanks was exhausted well before the fire could be contained. Rubble from the building was later dumped in the Marina area as fill.

Ruins of Hibernia Bank Building, Market and Jones Streets, after the 1906 Earthquake

Wreckage of the Hibernia Bank Building, Jones and McAllister streets. This view shows the McAllister/Market Street-side of the structure. This building was repaired, and temporarily housed the Harbor Police Station after the earthquake. It was restored to bank use, and again became a police substation when the Hibernia Bank closed in the late 1980s.

Rubble after the Earthquake and Fire, view towards Call Building
 (Central Tower), April 1906
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http://worldwidearchive.imagekind.com/store/custom.aspx/83/San_Francisco