For part of the time I was in San Francisco in July, I was on my own while my son toiled at work (or whatever he does there). One of the places I decided to visit and photograph was SF’s gorgeous City Hall, a Beaux-Arts structure that has been reinforced since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. It’s a fantastically beautiful building, full of grand staircases and marble. Although I had my D600 with me, let’s start with an iPhone photo shot with Hipstamatic to set the mood.
Inside, I used the iPhone once more (same settings in Hipstamatic), then put it away.
Without a tripod to steady my shots, I set the D600’s vibration reduction switch to “on” and cranked up the ISO. (In retrospect I should have set it even higher than I did; I was using my excellent 24-120mm f/4 lens but many of the shots are soft 😦 . . . . ) The architecture is outstanding but I also loved seeing the folks who were there to be married, check out the big staircase, or just attend to business.