Fine Art Photography Blog

Every photographer goes through a period of looking for clever ways to make use of stair cases. Mine was extremely brief, just long enough to set up the tripod for this:

Many great photos are planned; this one was a lucky after-thought. I had gone up to the base of Coit Tower to enjoy the view. By day it’s of the coastal ranges, Marin Highlands, and the Pacific streaming into the many bays. By night, the water fades, but the city lights up like a blanket covering a lumpy bed. None of the photos of “The City” turned out that night, but I’ve always been happy with this one.

At the time - 2001 or ‘02 - I was an early adopter of digital photography. Shot with an ancient Olympus 2100, an eight second exposure demanded as many hours cloning out the hot pixels that littered the frame. Digital has come a long way for nocturnal photography, and only falls short of film when the shutter speed is measured in hours.

So, why are stairs a popular subject matter? Like ducks, they’re challenging, in that they’re plain, not at all compelling by themselves. It takes some thought to figure out just where to stand, and how to compose a shot. But the attraction is more than that. Ansel Adams said “a good photograph is knowing where to stand.”

Subconsciously, stairs represent transition and new possibilities. You can’t see what’s beyond the top of this flight, other than spooky trees, leaving it up to the viewer’s imagination.