Strait Scenes

The photographs in "Strait Scenes" are images I have taken of Benicia, California sites over a three year period. This body of work started during my photography classes at Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA where we needed a project each semester. It only seemed natural to photograph the community where I have resided for nearly 30 years.

I first started this project in January, 2005. During that semester, I began by photographing the Benicia glass blowers who have achieved international fame. I continued shooting other views of the town using a documentary style.

My objective has been to show several aspects of the community while focusing mainly on the water influence. I show as much as possible in my scenes, leaving little to the imagination, but hopefully still making them interesting. Some photos and scenes are of a personal interest to me, while others I've included just because I feel they need to be here.

I cannot begin to capture everything of interest in Benicia, nor do I wish to. I want to show enough images which may stimulate the viewer's desire to see more of the community.

Enjoy!

Marilyn Schaeffer