About Patrick Moran

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Patrick Moran is no stranger to the Weekly's photo contest. Last year, his photo of Venice won an honorable mention. For this year's winner, Moran summed up his picture of symmetrical arches at San Francisco's Fort Point as full of "happy surprises."

Spontaneous possibility arises wherever he photographs: in the landscape, at a parade or when shooting architectural features, he said.

"Arches: Fort Point" is rendered in color, though the subject typically lends itself best to black and white to emphasize texture and architecture. Green moss on the walls and the colorful clothing of children who ventured upon the scene brought life to architectural symmetry.

"It was unplanned," he said.

Moran works in the field of scientific visualization, helping NASA scientists make sense of their pictures, he said. His own work ranges from landscapes to people in informal settings. He has traveled widely -- to China, Turkey and other exotic locales -- but his favorite places are closer to home: the American Southwest, Eastern Sierra and the White Mountains.

He found a trip to Canyonlands National Park in Utah particularly memorable: "Much of the trip, there was rain and storms. When I reached Canyonlands, the storm broke. It was spectacular -- like this gift. Standing at the rim of this canyon, it was constantly changing. There were low clouds in the canyon that were constantly changing, and there were rainbows," he said.

--Sue Dremann