Tag Archives: sanfranciscoremembered

Exploring the Outer Rim at Candlestick Park in the Upper Deck

16 Saturday Feb 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, Photography, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants

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  • The view from Section 59 in the Upper Deck which is the furthest away from home plate.
  • You get a nice view of San Bruno Mountain off in the distance behind Candlestick Park.
  • Dave Dravecky Day at Candlestick Park on 10/5/91. SF Giants defeated LA Dodgers 4-0 with Trevor Wilson getting the win and Mike Morgan taking the loss.
  • These seats are usually empty for most games as they are very far away from home plate.
  • Enjoying the sunset and view of the hill at Bayview Park from Section 60.
  • These seats are just below the Football Press Box down the Left Field line.
  • Welcome to Section 5 behind Home Plate in the Upper Deck.
  • These seats are behind Home Plate in the Upper Deck.
  • These seats are at the top of Candlestick and as far away from Home Plate as you can get.
  • A view from the outer rim way far away.
  • Welcome to Section 55 in the Upper Deck beyond Left Field.
  • Welcome to Section 15 down the 1st Base Line in the Upper Deck with the setting sun.
  • Welcome to Section 3 in the Upper Deck behind Home Plate.
  • These seats are at the top of Candlestick Park behind Home Plate in the upper deck.

These are various photographs of the upper rim of Candlestick Park. As I was browsing my various Candlestick Park photos, I realized I had some interesting perspectives of the top row.

I was roaming around the top row of seats at the stadium and took these pictures from different locations. I enjoyed my solitude as I moved quickly around the seats trying to shoot as many pictures as I could. I was limited, since this was before digital cameras, and I was using film.

I loved being on the top row since the view was fantastic. You could see San Bruno Mountain and the hill in Bay View Park behind the football press box. Also I enjoyed looking down to see the field and the lower rows of seats.

My one regret for these photos is that I did not have an ultra wide angle lens. I used a 28 mm wide angle lens. If I had an ultra wide angle lens, then I could have taken more of the stadium in one shot. In my first shot, I would have been able to get the full stadium with a wider angle lens. My shots above were cut off due to the limitation of my wide angle lens.

But I did not know that one day Candlestick Park would be demolished. The lesson I learned is to make sure to take lots of photographs of places and people you love. Life is like a vapor and people, things, and places change or are gone. So take lots of pictures to keep the important moments. I’m glad I preserved Candlestick Park in my photographs.

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What Lights and Sounds do you Remember from Candlestick Park?

03 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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  • SF Giants Night Baseball Game
  • Game 4 of the NLCS game with SF Giants vs the Cubs on 10/8/89 at Candlestick Park
  • SF Giants vs Montreal Expos on 5/20/88 taken from Left Field General Admission area
  • SF Giants vs Montreal Expos on 5/20/88 taken from the Upper Deck
  • Demolition of Candlestick Park in 2015 with Stadium Lights behind the fence
  • Stadium Lights taken down from the towers sitting in the parking lot
  • Zoomed in Photographs of the Stadium Lights

I remember going to SF Giants night games and being impressed by the bright stadium lights that turn the darkness into the light of day to a certain extent at Candlestick Park. When I arrived early before the game started and before the crowd and stadium music were in full affect, I could hear the buzzing sounds created by the stadium lights. It was a pretty cool sound. It was not too loud, but was noticeable. The buzzing sound of the bright lights is one of my significant good memories of Candlestick Park.

I am not sure how many fans noticed this sound from the bright lights. During a game, you could not notice this sound because of the cheering crowds and the stadium music.

I love the photograph with all these old lights group together behind the gate. I spotted these lights as Candlestick Park was being demolished. I wish I knew if they kept these lights in storage or were they all disposed.

Why did I love this buzzing noise of the lights? As a photographer, I have always enjoyed lights. I photographed images from night lights throughout the city for a college project. I am a stickler for having enough lights throughout our home. I guess I associate the buzzing with the brilliance and spotlight effect of these lights. It reminds me these lights were powerful and could show us the details of the evening games.

Bright lights reveal what is going on in the darkness. The right lighting makes all the difference in a good or bad photo. We need more light in our life to see more clearly our weaknesses and to reveal how we can do things better. I would like to hear that buzzing again to signify the revealing lights are on again. What sound would you like to hear to remind you of a significant part of you life?

Do you remember the last On-Field Photo Day at Candlestick Park?

31 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants

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  • Having a good nap on the Candlestick Park Field
  • Waiting for the SF Giants players and coaches to come out!
  • Having fun being on the perfectly manicured grass at Candlestick Park

These photographs were shot on the last On-Field Photo Day at Candlestick Park in April 24, 1999. This was the last year the SF Giants played at Candlestick Park. They played the Colorado Rockies and won 8-4. Shawn Estes got the win, and Pedro Astacio got the loss.

I loved these Photo Days at Candlestick Park. I arrived at least 2 hours before game time. It was one of the few times fans were allowed on the field. I always love the opportunity to be on a real baseball field. I got goosebumps walking on the perfect field and to be able to touch the grass. The field was so perfect and almost seemed like it was AstroTurf. I would try to shoot quickly to maximize the number of photographs I could take of this event. This was during the time when I was shooting with my Canon SLR camera which used 35mm film.

I went to this last Photo Day event with 2-3 friends. My friend’s son really found the field comfortable, as he enjoyed his nap on the field. The weather was perfect and warm. The little toddler was tired, and got his rest before the game started. I always had a good time at Candlestick Park with my friends.

Candlestick Park was a great place to watch the SF Giants with friends. We always had the best time at Candlestick Park!

Fading Memories of Candlestick Park

21 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by in Baseball, Candlestick Park, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco Giants, SF Giants

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Late Afternoon at Candlestick Park in 1991

Gazing at the Home Plate area and experiencing the serene and quiet upper deck down the first base line before a SF Giants game in 1991. I am more relaxed now looking at the photograph than when I took the picture.  I remember I was rushing around Candlestick Park photographing the stadium before the fans came in. I waited by the gate and rushed in when the staff opened them up 2 hours before game time. When I took this photograph in 1991, I had no idea that the SF Giants and 49’ers would move to different locations and that The Stick would be torn down. 

Memories are not as vivid compared to the actual time of an event. We forget details and sequence of events. We do not anticipate how places and people will change over time. This is why it is a good idea to take photos to chronicle the important events, people, and places in our life. I’m so glad that we now can take photos so easily with our cell phones.

I’m really thankful I have my collection of Candlestick Park photographs. Candlestick Park represented a turning point in my life. It was not only the place where I enjoyed watching the SF Giants play baseball, but it was also the place where I found my love of art in photography. I still love to photograph other baseball stadiums in the same manner I did when I was at Candlestick Park. But Candlestick Park was my first love. Stay tuned – I still have a lot more of the old photographs to scan and share.

It Will be Nice when the Saint Francis of Assisi Statue Sees the Light of Day Again

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, niners, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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Back Lit Statue of Saint Francis of Assisi was photographed in front of Candlestick Park in the late 1980’s. The steel and concrete statue by Ruth Wakefield Cravath was  moved from the ballpark when it was torn down in 2015. It was put in storage in Oakland and will be refurbished. The new location for installing the statue is to be determined. The statue was installed at Candlestick Park in 1973 after the project to add seats and enclose the stadium for the 49ers.

Mass Transit to Candlestick Park Back in the Day

09 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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This was the Double Decker Escalator which was going up to the main concourse area at Candlestick Park. I remember going to Candlestick Park a long time ago and marveling at the escalators there. They were extremely impressive in moving large amounts of people to and from the parking lot to the stadium concourse areas. They were very reliable as I don’t remember them being broken for any SF Giants or 49’er games I went to back then. They transported us quickly to the concourse levels so we could get our food before the games started. It is too bad all six of the escalators were torn down when Candlestick Park was flattened.

The image was photographed using color film with a 35mm Canon camera mounted on a tripod utilizing a slow shutter speed to get the blurred effect of the people moving.

Candlestick Park’s Eye Catching Red Exterior

07 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in 49ers, Baseball, Candlestick Park, Football, Former home of the San Francisco 49'ers, Former Home of the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49'ers, San Francisco Giants, sf 49'ers, SF Giants

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Candlestick Park had a very distinctive exterior look because of the support beams, light standards, and the red color. The support beams and light standards were painted dark green in the 1990’s. Candlestick Park was visible from US 101 for over a mile away before it was torn down. It was torn down in 2015 but it is still strange when driving down US 101 and seeing an empty space where it used to be.

I hope they will create a Candlestick Park museum on site when they build up the area in the future. There is so much history there and a lot of stories to tell.

The Back of the Bleachers at Candlestick Park in 1993

04 Sunday Mar 2018

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Welcome to the backside of the bleacher section at Candlestick Park. This was the first year that they added these metal bleachers behind the left field fence. The photograph was taken on Opening Day at Candlestick Park with the SF Giants playing the Florida Marlins in 1993. I was standing in the old General Admission area which was no longer used for seating for the SF Giants from 1993 until the Giants moved out after the 1999 season. During the 1990’s, the stadium crew made improvements to Candlestick Park such as adding seats for the 49’ers and adding a better out of town scoreboard for the Giants.

Out with the Old, In with the New at Candlestick Park in 1993

02 Friday Mar 2018

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I was walking around Candlestick Park on Opening Day for the SF Giants on April 12, 1993. I was looking at the old General Admission area in front of the scoreboard next to the new General Admission bleacher seats on the right. The new bleacher seats got you closer to the field but there were less seats and there were no seat backs compared to the old general admission area that had the standard Red Chairs. The new metal bleacher benches also got pretty hot on warm days and cold during the cool night games.

Intense SF Giants vs LA Dodgers game in 1989

01 Thursday Mar 2018

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I really enjoyed sitting in the Lower Box Seats behind Home Plate at Candlestick Park. This particular game was on Thursday night, September 21, 1989, when the SF Giants played the LA Dodgers. It was a close game as the Giants beat the Dodgers 4-3.

I was only able to sit there for a handful of games, but I brought my baseball glove just in case a foul ball flew over the screen. Unfortunately, I have never caught a foul ball or a home run ball at a game. I came close a few times.

I only caught a batting practice home run ball once at AT&T Park before a National League Division Series game between the SF Giants and NY Mets in 2000. The Mets were taking batting practice, and I was standing out in the bleacher section in left field and the ball came right at me. Fortunately I caught the ball as there were many people around me ready to pounce on the ball if I dropped it.  I placed the ball in a case, and show it off in my office.  Every sports fan needs to catch a ball at a regular season baseball game!