Pile Driving in Mission Bay, SF

Over the past several weeks I have photographed the pile driving and prelim. foundation work at 3rd St. by China Basin here in Mission Bay. Nibbi Brothers is the general contractor on this condo project.

The majority of these giant steel I-beams are driven more than 200' into the ground before they hit bedrock!

Please click on link for the whole story

http://henrikkamphotography.com/MB%20piledriving/

Hidden Alcatraz - The Fortress Revealed

 The recently published book brings together images from a diverse group of photographers who participated in special behind-the-scenes workshops organized by The PhotoAlliance. Multi-day and overnight trips granted them unique access to this notorious and popular "rock" in the middle of the San Francisco Bay; the result is a collection of rarely if ever seen views taken at all hours of the day. Amazon.com has the book in stock http://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Alcatraz-Fortress-Deborah-Roundtree/dp/0520260848/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302315144&sr=8-1

 The book opens with an image I made from the ferry evoking the romantic and historical aspects of Alcatraz.

 The workshops offered access to most corners of the prison as well as the roof of the main cellblock. Up there you really get the feeling of being isolated in the middle of it all!

The prison was fully contained with medical clinics. My image on the right shows the west facing shop floor of the old Industries bldg. where the inmates made who-knows-what.

Building Boom in Mission Bay, Spring 2011

It certainly feels like pre-crisis times in this corner of the San Francisco! 3 construction cranes have been busy at work since the beginning of the year and a 4th yellow tower is being erected today at the hospital site. Mission Bay still has a way to go before being totally built out but it no longer looks like a clump of buildings looking for a connection with the city.

 

Miles of I-beam piles have been pounded into the former tidal marsh to create solid footings for the buildings. The bedrock is a loooong way down as indicated by the numbers on the steel!

Finally an image from 2003 showing the just completed building which is home to Old Navy in the background.

"Subaqueous Remains Along The Post-Industrial Shore"

I'll be showing 14 large color prints from the series "Subaqueous Remains Along The Post-Industrial Shore" at Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica CA. http://www.sanchezartcenter.org/Calendar.htm Grand Opening is April 8th 6-9 and as usual in addition to great art, the fire dancers will perform!

The photographs were made 2010/11 but the series does include 3 images from the very beginning of the 21st century. Love to see you at the opening!

Below Pier 2010 ©Henrik Kam

Blue Cloth 2010 ©Henrik Kam

McNear #5 2010 ©Henrik Kam

Standing Tire 2001/2011 ©Henrik Kam

Hunters Point Fence 2003/2011 ©Henrik Kam

Bay Fill #1 2010 ©Henrik Kam

ORACLE Racing pt. 2

Guy wires are set & the deck is clear

The sling is lowered and positioned

Lifting begins

Up & up and a clockwise turn

rotate back and line up with the pier

slowly slowly

Another heavy lifting job done to perfection by Sheedy's crew.

Rich men and their hobbies.

Larry Ellison's "little" folly has arrived dockside in San Francisco.. I spotted this and thought it was just another delivery of giant windmill blades but no, something much more exotic and a boatload more expensive! http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/oracle-racing-070515.html

Shanghai mid 1980's

Just a few years into my photographic career I got the chance to make images in several Chinese port cities as the Pearl of Scandinavia was making its first cruise along the coast. We were treated to elaborate multi-course banquets lasting hours accompanied by endless toasts - I fondly remember large cooked fish being cut up right there in front of me. I especially like this image from Shanghai and can't help think of the massive changes that city and the whole country have undergone in the last generation - the little girl in the corner has quite a different life than the smoking gents. The reflection in the window shows me shooting with the F3 and apparently I'm attracting a crowd. Wouldn't happen these days. Kodachome of course!

San Francisco TransBay Terminal - A pile of rubble!

 The former transit hub in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood has been reduced to a pile of gravel. The http://blog.timothypflueger.com/ designed building is making way for a new skyscraper/train & bus station http://transbaycenter.org/project/transit-center.

This series of images are from Sunday 2/20. 

 

The shipyard trades.

I'm compiling a list of all the trades associated with building a ship in a shipyard and was wondering if I missed any. Here it is: boilermaker, blacksmith, carpenter, coremaker, crane operator, electrician, forger, ironmaker, insulator, joiner, laborer, mechanic, machinist, metalworker, moldmaker, plumber, painter, pipefitter, patternmaker, plater, rigger, ropemaker, steamfitter, shipwright, shipfitter, sheetmetal worker, sailmaker, seamstress, tool & die maker, teamster, welder.

Carnival Splendor at Pier 70 for post-fire fix.

The winged smoke stack of a Carnival Cruises ship is a familiar sight at BEA Systems' Pier 70 drydock but this one is special. An engine fire disabled the Splendor off the coast of Mexico back in November and she floated for a while before help arrived - 3500 guests and 1100 crew without sanitation; can you imagine? A hole has been cut in the hull to remove the damaged engine and a new 100ton powerplant flown in from Italy will take its place. It better not be another FIAT motor ;-}

The Wallpaper/Phaidon City Guide San Francisco has finally been published!

With a long list in hand and really excellent pre-pro by the Wallpaper editorial team we managed to photograph 24 locations from Nob Hill to Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica in 3 & a half days - fun, fun!

Donna helped and kept an eagle eye on those notorious SF parking meters.

Here are a few faves from the project.

 Bar Tartine on Valencia

 Burbon & Branch - Lower Nob Hill/Upper Tenderloin

 Morning at Linda Mar, Pacifica

 RN74 South of Market

 

Selfedge Jeans on Valencia - $$$ blue jeans

Federal Building by Morphosis Architects

Rosemary's Baby at Foreign Cinema - spooky!