Central Valley – Silicon Valley Stock Photography Blog

I got word that a stock photo client was looking for photos of Davis, and thought I’d give my stock photo library a refresher.

Fun fact: my grandfather “Hal” (Milton Halberstadt’s) work is housed at UC Davis. I’ve been meaning to dig through the special collection at some point to see more of his work. Hal was known for food photography in the 1960’s and 1970’s as well as his “Tone Line” photography (sample below). We have a print of this on our wall that was printed from the original neg by Hal’s former assistant Alan Ross.

Golden Gate from Twin Peaks, Toneline, Milton Halberstadt (UC Davis, Special Collections)

In any case- I went down the list of things my contact needed photos of. They were all photos of an art walk: Davis’s Transmedia Art Walk.

" Bookhead", Davis, CA (note this image contains other artist's artwork and can only be used for appropriate uses) — ” Bookhead”, Davis, CA (note this image contains other artist’s artwork and can only be used for appropriate uses)

The sign (below) just made me giggle. “School of Education?!” How about education of school? Or redundant sign department?

Davis, CA

Davis, including the school is known for its agricultural ties. I had a good time photographing the vineyards of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Sciences.

And I grabbed a few misc stock shots where I could.

It was Snowing in the Central Valley in Spring…. Or at least that’s how it looked. I was “Somewhere near Paterson”* on a photoshoot and driving along Interstate 5 to a ranch not far from Mercy Hot Springs. The photoshoot is not relevant to Silicon Valley Stock, but I did have a bit of time to take a few photos along the way back.

The weather here in California has been a bit unusual. There’s been tons of rain, and our drought is finally over. I don’t know if that has influenced the time of year the almond trees are blooming, but it’s made the scenery gorgeous! The sky is blue with puffy white clouds, the grass is green. And the blossoms of the almond trees are so prevalent as to coat the dirt below with enough white to look almost like snow.

Knowing almost nothing about agriculture, I figure it must make sense – but beneath the unending rows of trees and their falling white blossoms where colorful boxes. Those boxes, as I found out as I came closer were full of honey bees. Guess it’s pollination time in The Valley.

For the stock photo shtick, I got a few photos of “our” Northern California water being sent south via the California Aqueduct. I usually find the farmer’s signs bemoaning the “Congress Created Dust Bowl” ironic, given that I think generally speaking these folks claim to be against big government, yet somehow don’t notice the contradiction that their fortunes are rooted in several giant “big government” programs including the delivery of subsidized water. The big irony (and I wish I got a few photos of it) was that they signs decrying the “dust bowl” were soaked and soon to be covered in high green grass!

Category: Central Valley

Another Visit to Davis

It was Snowing in the Central Valley in Spring….