Literally 2.4 miles from our house. Can see it from our bedroom.
Well it only took us nine years to learn about - and visit - the wondrously eccentric and charming Albany Beach and Albany Bulb.
Despite living directly up the hill from it, somehow we never really realized it was there until our friend Dave told us about it while we were walking in César Chávez Park near the Berkeley Marina last month.
I can’t tell you how many hundreds of times we drove to the end of Buchanan Avenue in Albany to enter highway 80 without ever realizing that another 500 feet ahead was the entrance to the Albany State Marine Reserve. Here you can find such attractions as the Albany Beach, the Albany Waterfront Trail, and the famous Albany Bulb.
Fleming Point
My first foray to the marine reserve took place last Sunday night when I took the girls and my Z6 in search of some sunset photos. November and December are amazing sunset opportunities in the East Bay. The sun often sets close to, or right under, the Golden Gate Bridge.
I didn’t really know what we’d find when we got to the park (a parking space was NOT easily to be found), but I was hopeful there might be some rocky shorelines that might make for a good foreground for sunset photos. And Fleming Point, just south of Albany Beach and west of the Golden Gate Fields racetrack, did not disappoint!
I’m no expert at taking sunset photos. I came with no filters and no tripod (I need to buy a new one as part of it was stolen back in 2014 - long story, but open to tripod recommendations if you have them.) But I did come equipped with steady hands and some modest prowess for shooting manually. What I couldn’t get quite right in the camera onsite was easily corrected via the RAW files in Lightroom. Even learned to use the Lightroom linear gradient tool to knock up and down the exposure to create more highly dynamic images.
What’s amazing about these sunsets is that on any given night you’ll get something just a little different depending on the clouds, the weather, and the sun setting in a slightly different location.
I mentioned Albany Beach as well. It’s not that big, but people do indeed go there with beach chairs and hang out - or come with their dogs who frolic in the water. Here’s a quick video I shot on our way out near the beach (closer to Fleming Point) which gives you a sense of it.
Albany Bulb
On Tuesday, the family was committed to heading back to the reserve, this time for a morning hike to Albany Bulb. Just what is the Albany Bulb? And what makes it a bulb?
Well, to make a long story short, the Bulb is the site of a former landfill, replete with construction debris and other miscellaneous landfill, which was eventually shut down and turned into a natural reserve/park area. Former homeless people and/or artists have created sculptures, statues, and painted art all along the walkway giving it a very urban artist vibe. And all that broken concrete is now covered by the Bay marine fauna, mud, and slime making for a fascinating muddy and slippery walk at times.
So why a bulb? I believe because it’s shaped like a bulb. Beyond the name, there’s a long and controversial history about the removal of the people who once called this place home, documented in films like Bums’ Paradise and Where Do You Go When It Rains?
Shooting Raw with the Lightroom Camera App
This time I only brought my iPhone - which was a good thing, because I almost slipped into the water and mud a few times. But shooting with the Lightroom app camera is a godsend as you can shoot RAW and then process the files in Lightroom generously.
Here’s a glimpse of what life is like on the Albany Bulb.
As you can see, not only is the Bulb itself an amazing destination, but I’ll be sure to go back for another sunset shoot with the city, the Golden Gate, and Mount Tam behind it. If you want to see even more photos, check out the Lightroom album.