Miscellaneous Photos from 2018.

Continuing through David’s archives, I’ve selected some of my favorite photos from 2018. These didn’t merit their own blog posts, but some that I wanted to share regardless.

2018 was our year of adoptions. In March we finally caved on getting a dog, rescuing Fenton from the San Francisco SPCA only five days after he arrived at the shelter. He immediately changed our family dynamic, and it was our first adult experience in caring for another living thing. I have a distinct memory of panic as we drove away from the SPCA - “I’m responsible for keeping him ALIVE?” Thankfully, four years later he is still very much alive. A few months later Fenton was joined by Wasabi, adopted from the Humane Society of the Silicon Valley. Together these two conspired to terrorize our sleep schedule and disrupt the cleanliness of our home, often pairing their efforts for maximum impact.

Wasabi immediately developed an independent streak, and Fenton a love for travel. Throughout the year we drove all across California, hiking and camping with Fenton while Wasabi watched over our apartment. Fenton generally enjoyed these expeditions, save for the endless posing he had to do as soon as I brought out the camera.

My favorite 2018 Fenton expedition came when I joined my two brothers in law, Peter and Marc, to go fishing in Northern California. I took Fenton as he had never been fishing and I thought he would be intrigued by the whole activity. Intrigued was putting it lightly. For the first hour or so after arriving at the lake, Fenton meandered around the shore lazily, a little bored and wondering why we weren’t walking along a more interesting trail. He watched as we set up our rods and cast the bait into the lake. But after a short delay, Peter received a solid tug on his rod. He jumped to attention, grabbing the rod and immediately fighting the fish. It was a long back and forth, as the fish proved to have an admirable lust for life. Eventually the fish was reeled in enough so that it would flop around the surface of the lake, causing Fenton to go absolutely insane.

At this point it probably makes sense to give a little background on Fenton. We aren’t totally sure of his history, though DNA tests estimate that he has a strong terrier streak in his ancestry. The terrier becomes obvious anytime he sees prey animals - he is obsessed with mice, rats, squirrels, rabbits, and even birds. On one occasion he even successfully slipped my grasp after spotting a rat and ended its life with surprising prowess.

Up until this moment, Fenton’s understanding of prey animals only extended to the land. Upon seeing the fish unwillingly emerging from the lake, his worldview was flipped upside down. He immediately starting wharking (whining/barking) and pulling on his leash for an opportunity to investigate and probably murder this exciting new animal. Thankfully, I was able to restrain him as Peter finally pulled in a respectfully-sized catfish. We took some photos to celebrate the moment before Peter attached a gill hook and placed the catfish back into the lake.

Fenton spent the next hour or so watching the catfish swim around unsuccessfully trying to ditch its gill hook. He was pining for an opportunity to see the fish, but it was tied up far enough away from the shore and the constant splashing obfuscated it from his view. Peter, Marc, and I took a moment to walk to our bags to grab food and drinks leaving Fenton to watch over the catfish. Suddenly Peter yells, causing Marc and I to spin around just in time to see the catfish swim away, gill hook still attached. How did it escape? No, this particular catfish was not the reincarnation of Houdini - it was aided and abetted by none other than Fenton. After becoming frustrated with his inability to see and eat the fish, Fenton decided the next best idea would be to chew through the rope attaching it to shore. I can only assume that he thought once freed, it would of course swim within murdering-range. Unfortunately for us all, the catfish did what any animal with a semblance of self-preservation would do - it swam away.

After digesting what happened, the three of us broke down in laughter, trying to understand the insanity of what had just occurred. Fenton, now twice as frustrated, did not join in our joy.

New York City.

It has been a while. In fact, almost four years since I wrote in this blog. Life and, well everything, got in the way, so I have a lot of catching up to do on here. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing photos from trips that I’ve taken during my absence, even though my photography style and eye have changed quite a bit. I debated as to whether I should share these photos, despite my developing tastes, but I figured what good is it if I take photos that are never seen. So here they are.

In July of 2018, Lai was invited to a work event in New York City. Her company paid for her flights and a hotel for a long weekend, and so I figured I’d buy a red eye and join her. I was last in NYC in August of 2005 as a sophomore in high school, so I was eager to return and to see The City as an adult. It was on that trip that I learned a red eye is the worst possible way to travel.

Theoretically, leaving San Francisco at 10:30pm to arrive in NYC at 6:30am would give me five hours of sleep, accounting for the time difference. Theoretically. I didn’t sleep a wink, either due to excitement for the trip or due to the pressure of needing to sleep in order to function the next day. I arrived in NYC bleary-eyed and desperate for bed. That said, I had been planning to capture the cliche shot of the Manhattan Bridge from DUMBO, Brooklyn, and that opportunity fueled a rather manic David to drag his suitcase and camera through those streets to take the photo.

After photoing some iconic spots in Brooklyn, I immediately headed for our hotel room in Manhattan, somehow convincing the concierge that I was Lai’s fiance and that I should be allowed access to her room. In retrospect, that was probably a mistake on the concierge’s part. I collapsed in my travel clothes (shoes may or may not have been removed) onto the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up a few hours later, miserable, hungry, and without any sense of the day or time. Forced out of bed by my grumbling stomach, I left the hotel with camera in hand and walked across Manhattan in search of a perfect slice of pizza. I settled for the first restaurant I found and, well, it was decent.

Over the next few days, we explored Manhattan and I was reintroduced to The City as a grownup. It was a fascinating experience; in 2005, the World Trade Center was still rubble and the people had not yet healed. 13 years on and there was a beautiful new icon in One World Trade Center and an extremely haunting museum at the site of the Twin Towers. NYC is a wonderful city, and I am eager to return, though this time I like to explore more than just Manhattan and DUMBO. As amazing at it is, however, I like to view it from afar. It’s a great city to visit, but not one I could ever live in. Though perhaps a few more slices could convince me.

Paris.

Growing up in Scotland, I was lucky enough to be able to travel to France often as a child. After moving to the United States, I hadn't been able to return in almost eighteen years. That changed this past May. Last year I was able to convince Lai to join me in a trip to my homeland for two weeks, with the condition that we would next travel to Paris, France. This year we made good on that promise.

Paris is an incredible city full of amazing people. Walking through the streets you can feel the pulse of the country, of the continent. Tourists from across the globe coalesce in these forty square miles, and yet the Parisians are warm and welcoming. I did my best to tap into my French skills that I picked up in Primary School, and made an effort to communicate with the denizens in their home language. Although they would often quickly switch into English, the gesture was appreciated and I got that much more out of the trip because of it. 

The following are some photos of my favorite places in Paris. I tried my best to capture the culture and the beauty, but as most things in life, you have to see the city for yourself to truly appreciate it.

Women's March, San Francisco, 2018

January 20, 2018, one year after the inauguration of the 45th president, hundreds of thousands of women and men marched together. It was an amazing experience to witness the large group of people together marching peacefully in solidarity for a unifying cause. Below are some photos I snapped from the event; I tried my best to capture the spirit of the protest.

Scotland. Miscellaneous photos.

The last post from Scotland. These are the photos that didn't quite make the highlight posts from each day. I still wanted to share, so here they are! Enjoy.