On Fire Hydrants…

After a two-car collision by the Google campus last night, one of the vehicles spun into a fire hydrant, unleashing a 40-foot-tall spout of water into the air. The Mountain View Fire Department was able to close a valve in the road to shut off the water. Both drivers walked away from the incident.

Wide Load

Last Tuesday night, I spotted a bunch of flashing lights on my way home. The truck driver towing a 60-foot office trailer hadn't taken a turn wide enough and ended up damaging 60 feet of guardrail and significantly damaging three or four of the axles supporting the office. When I arrived, the trucking company was in the process of repairing or replacing the axles under the trailer.

Above, a tow truck (center, facing the camera) uses a cable to lift the rear end of the disabled trailer and shift it away from the guardrail.

A CHP car directs traffic away from the closed offramp. The offramp was subsequently reopened once the tow trucks had left (and as the trucking company continued to work).

A worker watches under the trailer as the tow truck operator (right) uses his truck to maneuver the rear of the trailer.

Music at Google

Howdy, folks!
I'm Omari, and this is (the online version of) my show.

Music
I've loved music for as long as I can remember. And having grown up hearing classical, jazz, and swing in cartoons; MJ and Luther Vandross in Dad's car; The Cardigans and Biggie on the radio; and Lyle Lovett on the way to track meets; I've come to embrace a pretty eclectic variety of music. It would be an understatement to say that music is important to me. But rather, my relationship with music is a fundamental characteristic of who I am.

Photography
I started practicing photojournalism seven years ago, and have since come to specialize in concert photography. I began as a photographer for the MIT student newspaper, The Tech, and had spent two years as a photo editor by the time I left. During my last two years at MIT, the Concerts Office hired me to document all of the musical performance groups, and I've kept shooting concerts ever since.

Music at Google
We are extremely fortunate to have live musical performances at this place we call work. And as might be expected, I've taken my cameras to more than a couple (around 30 at last count). Even so, as a documentarist, I've sometimes found myself frustrated by the brevity of Google's institutional memory. This exhibition grew from a desire to help Google remember an aspect of our culture which I care deeply about, and that will certainly stay with me.

As consummate musician Leonard Bernstein once wrote, “Life without music is unthinkable. Music without life is academic. That is why my contact with music is a total embrace.”

I'm honored to have the opportunity to share these images with y'all, and I would be delighted if you decide to bring a print into your home. The signed and dated originals are also for sale. Email prints@doppler-photo.net.

Music at

Carlos Santana faces the audience after playing the final notes of a concert in Charlie's.

Bass guitarist Tony Hall lets a note ring during a solo as he and Ivan Neville play with the rest of Dumpstaphunk.

Colbie Caillat glances at the camera as she and her band play a concert at the San Bruno YouTube office.

Thao Nguyen of Thao & Mirah plays the slide guitar for "Squareneck," a song from their self-titled album.

Danny Armstrong pauses a moment before playing an extended trombone solo during the performance by Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

“Music is meant to be shared with others, 
 whether you know them or not.”

The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello) leads the audience in singing his song "World Wide Rebel Songs," which he wrote in honor of a selfless group of Korean guitar-makers.

Jelena Jovanovic and Leon Barrett dance during the gypsy jazz performance of Le Jazz Hot, a quartet modeled after Django Reinhardt's band from the 30's and 40's.

Googler Jason Shafton gets the crowd on their feet during the CAKE performance at Googleween, Google's annual Halloween celebration.

An audience member who brought a cajón jams with Jake Shimabukuro after a concert.

“Our format forces musicians to provide a different
 experience than in traditional concerts.” —Cliff Redeker

Country singer Keith Urban (far right) fields live questions from the audience during a concert. The live questions were interspersed with those from the onstage interviewer.

After an unintentional challenge by the photographer, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson plays the piano behind her back after a performance.

OK Go frontman Damian Kulash playfully echoes the live transcriptions of his own speech after noticing one of the transcription monitors.

Amanda Palmer (right) glances at cellist Zoë Keating as the two perform "I Google You," a song originally written by Palmer's husband, author Neil Gaiman.

“I really like it when I go to a concert and feel like I
 learned something about the performer.” —Tina Wright

Thao Nguyen of Thao & Mirah outstretches her arms toward a toddler as she and Mirah talk and sign autographs after their show.

Jimmy Buffett reacts as his daughter, Savannah Jane Buffett, recounts what life was like with a traveling dad.

Bassist Joshua Nyback takes a shot as he and guitarist Justin Young shoot some hoops after performing with Colbie Caillat at the YouTube office.

Matt Nathanson has a moment of realization after an audience-member explained the pun on his "Astronauts drink at the space bar" t-shirt.

That's all; Thanks for looking. If you'd like a print, send me an email at prints@doppler-photo.net or just click on the image above. Email me for signed originals. Cheers!

Fire in the Night, followup

By early Saturday afternoon, the power lines were fixed and the Steven's Creek Trail was again open. After poking around a bit, it occurred to me that the explosion must have resulted from an insulation/insulator failure somewhere — despite my initial inferences about the cause, there are no power transformers in the area, only power transmission lines.

Walking through the area where the fire had been, what struck me most wasn't its area as much as its volume. At six feet tall, I was able to walk fully upright in the area that had once been completely filled with vegetation. It's unclear how much of this was the work of the fire, and how much due to the cleanup efforts of the firefighters.

The floor of the area was six inches thick with the charred, pulverized remains of the trees and bushes that had caught fire. Moreover, the fencing in the area was completely warped — likely owing to the heat of the fire. In places, the charred bark of the trees had either fallen or been burned off, and the color contrast reminded me of severe burns to people.

What was more difficult to capture in a photo were the smell, the sound, and the feel of the area. Most things remaining were charred, and you could smell it. The surviving trees and bushes in the area still had charred bark where the fire had been. The ground consisted mostly of black ashes, and with each step you sank an inch or two. The sound of it wasn't quite as loud as a crunch; it was more like a muffled crackle. Nearly every human sense elicited the thought of fire.