Now that the weather is cooler, I decided to take my young grandchildren to Gibson Ranch after school. There is so much for them to enjoy there.
First we visited the horses. They saw one getting a bath–actually a shower! They saw the ducks, a peacock, and the playgrounds. There are two. So much fun for a 4 and 6 year old. And we met a horse and rider on the way to the big playground, and they were able to pet the horse. That might have been a first for them.
I’m glad I had my little point and shoot in my pocket because trees were just asking to be photographed. The sun was low on the horizon and made for some nice light. The kids are learning patience and stopped for the few seconds it took me to shoot each tree. I doubt they would have been so agreeable if I had my SLR and actually took time to get the exposure correct.
Anyway here are the trees shot with the little camera that continues to amaze me. I’ll be taking the kids back to Gibson Ranch, maybe each week. They had so much fun.
This tree was near the shore of the lake. You can see reflections of other trees.
The sun put this tree almost in shadow.
Clouds are reflected in the water.
These trees are near a picnic ground.
I liked the lines and shadows of the playground equipment.
The sun was giving a purple cast to the trees.
I decided to play with the tint a little.
I had the most fun with this one. The sun and camera gave me purple sun flares, so I decided to see how the purple tint worked.
I didn’t share much, but I did learn. The Sacramento Photographers Facebook group offers a monthly outing or event. This month it was the learn and share. While I’m pretty good at close up photography, I wanted to know more about macro. And, I wanted to learn how to use my old (and I mean old) manual lens for my film camera.
So off I went with what I needed to bring: something to drop into a tank of water, tripod, and a lens more than 50 mm. Opps, I forgot to bring a towel. Everyone was so helpful. Two photographers tried to help me with my macro lens, but were puzzled by it. It’s very different from today’s macro lenses. Here’s what I learned:
* My old (again very old) macro lens is really not that good. I had a difficult time focusing it. And at 28 mm, how macro is it? I’m getting more comfortable with shooting on manual, but this lens offered a bigger challenge. It was also difficult because of the lighting in the studio.
* I have lousy hand to eye coordination; or, should I say hand to ear coordination. We were to drop an object (my choice was a tennis ball) into the fish tank and when we heard it hit the water, we were to press the remote shutter release. I’m posting my best effort!
* I now understand how to trigger an off camera flash. It’s just another piece of gear to buy.
* I truly enjoy field work more than studio stuff.
Now that you know what I learned, here are some of the images captured that evening.
Looks like I’m a fraction of a second too late with the shutter release. I still think this came out okay.
This was dry ice in a glass. At this distance, it doesn’t look too out of focus. That old macro lens was a problem.
This was the most fun. We had a wine glass and dropped food coloring into the water. It helped to create a nice abstract. Here I used a blue tint in the background.
This and the two after are from the same glass. You can see that the colors are beginning to blend more. I left the background as it was.
Even more blending.
Here I took the colors and tinted them a little green.
This is my salvage image. When I cropped the image in, the lack of absolute focus was apparent, so I tried to make it all a little fuzzy.
This was a first for me–to shoot zombies! Or any model for that matter.
What started out as a meetup to shoot spooky trees ended up as a fun filled evening of zombie antics. Thanks to Mary Gromer, organizer of the Shoot Or Go Home Meetup group, we had the opportunity to shoot models dressed as zombies. And, they acted the part too.
I had fun shooting them and enjoyed post production too. With a zombie shoot, your only limited by your imagination. Aren’t zombies tinged with green? I didn’t pose any of these. I think that was the only thing I feel I missed out on. There was so much going on, I just went from one set up to the other.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to have you wade through a massive amount of wedding shots. Well, maybe just a few! All the images in this post were shot with my new small, inexpensive point and shoot. It worked well for most shots, but didn’t do as well inside in the low-light room. But, I’m happy because I captured the essence of the day.
Speaking of the day, it was cold, cloudy and windy. This is not the most welcome weather for an outdoor wedding! I felt for the bridal party gals in their strapless gowns. Fortunately, the party was held inside, hence the low light. This small camera is actually fool-proof, taking charge and deciding on its own what settings to use.
And since it shoots JPEG only, it limits editing abilities in Lightroom. But, it went where no SLR could go–in my small purse! And, it didn’t interfere with the professionals and their SLRs. Overall, I’m happy with the small camera and had a terrific time at the rehearsal dinner and wedding.
Here are just a few images!
Irene and I got ready for the wedding with a visit to the nail salon.
We had the best pizza here in a Long Island shopping area. I like the way the window reflects the stores across the street.
It’s too bad taggers destroyed this artsy wall.
I wanted to see how the small camera handled a close up and water drops. I think it did well. This water spout was painted.
This is where the rehearsal dinner was held. I think the point and shoot did well with the night shot.
Another fall foliage shot at the wedding venue.
I didn’t say I wouldn’t show any wedding pictures. I found it difficult to capture the wedding party. The small camera doesn’t cycle quickly. This is cousin Karen, Evan and Alan as they walk down the isle.
This is Allison, Karen’s daughter who got married in April. You can see how the wind is blowing.
Christine is escorted by her dad. This editing is making the best of a not so good shot that didn’t capture all of her dad. But it is great of her.
The dark clouds, blue sky and sun peaking through made for a very dramatic image.
It was like coming home–at least our home for a week last year. We camped in Quakertown during our cross country trip last year! This time we came for cousin Karen’s son’s wedding. She kept telling me that Pennsylvania had the beautiful fall colors, and she was right. I knew that our campground was in the country and would be the perfect area to find what I was looking for. So off we went, and I wasn’t disappointed. Richard drove and I scouted.
I didn’t have a chance to edit the images until we returned home yesterday. I’ll show you the best. Most were shot with the D7100 and a few with the D3100. Next year I’ll look for the autumn colors here in the Sierras–just a little closer to home!
This was taken in New Jersey on our way to Quakertown at an overlook.
The overlook had some beautiful trees.
The road was lined with color.
This calm stream made for beautiful reflections.
Quakertown is green and beautiful.
Imagine having woods so near your home.
The bush in front was almost bare.
Some trees near this home had also lost leaves.
When the wind picked up, the leaves went flying. It was an amazing sight.
The clouds were moving fast. This cloud cover reflected in the river.
Much of the red was either gone already or hadn’t come out yet. This bright red tree added to the surrounding area.
More reflections in water.
On the other side of the highway, this home was just waiting to be photographed.
You can see the reflection better in this capture.
We had to drive through Manhattan to get to Pennsylvania.
Coming back east for an October wedding had a promising bonus–shooting the Fall foliage! So with that in mind, Irene, Neil, Richard and I went upstate to Hyde Park for some Fall color. I was ready with my cameras, lenses and tripod, but alas, we may have been too early for full Fall color. However, we did have a great time at the FDR library and home. It was a trip worth doing.
The library was as interesting as the Lincoln Museum we enjoyed in Springfield, Illinois last year. I have a few pictures to show you. I wasn’t able to take many in the library because of the no flash rule. And, we were too late to book a house tour. But just to be there was terrific.
As for Fall foliage, there is some promise in Pennsylvania. I did take some shots at a highway overlook while going through New Jersey. Time is getting short, so let’s cross our fingers for some great Fall colors in Pennsylvania.
This tree near the Roosevelt’s home showed beautiful color.
Long Island is. It is a long island, and my cousins live about 30 minutes from each other. We visited with Morty and Mary who are my cousins on my father’s side. (Irene and Neal are cousins on my mother’s side.) Morty took us to Port Jefferson which was further down the island and to the north side. It was beautiful. We ate lunch, walked, had ice cream and walked. The bonus was the weather. Sunny!!
I’m so glad Morty and Mary are healthy and doing well. I’m younger and it’s fun to hear stories about relatives who I didn’t get to know.
Since we are leaving for Pennsylvania tomorrow, these images are the last from this very Long Island!
A beautiful shopping area with quaint stores.
Morty and Mary are going into a store.
A street musician.
The shopping center is decked out for Halloween.
One of the piers.
Mary is making friends with a goldendoodle.
Docked boats.
A rusted pulley. You know I love old rusted things.
I was trying to get artistic with this reel.
Getting in for a close up of the rope.
The ferry is making its way across the Long Island Sound to Connecticut.
Another view of the port.
The sun was hitting this boat’s radome and making it sparkle.
I caught another rusted chain. I liked it and the piling’s texture.
When you’ve flown to the east coast what do you do? You start south and work your way north! We’ve been in Long Island visiting family for almost a week now. I’m sure my cousins feel like it’s been more than that since we are staying with them. They are gracious hosts, driving us, feeding us and fitting our needs into their lifestyle.
They took us to the Planting Fields Arboretum on a cloudy day. It seems that last year we brought extreme heat and this year humidity and rain! We did go to there last year, but at 99 degrees (Fahrenheit) it was too hot to stay. I was thrilled that this time we were able to walk most of the grounds of this beautiful arboretum and hear stories of how they’ve enjoyed the grounds for years past. Also, there were three bridal couples having their wedding pictures taken at the park. Yes, I did take some shots of that activity, but in the end deleted them, keeping one showing the bride’s gown in the distance.
On the one sunny day, we went north in search of fall foliage, and I’ll cover that in the next blog. Meanwhile, enjoy these floral images. I’m not going to caption these because I don’t know the names of the flowers. They range from orchards to cactus. I did get a small amount of the autumn colors in the trees.
Well, we’re not exactly on the road again, but we are on the east coast. Last year we took an amazing trip across the United States in our 5th wheel trailer, and this blog was essentially a travelogue for three months. We’re back on the east coast again, but this time we traveled via airplane.
Coming out for a wedding, we are visiting relatives who live on the east coast. Our first stop was Peachtree City. We wanted to visit our niece, Roberta, last year, but they were traveling. This time we caught them at home, and since my brother and sister-in-law have moved here, we were able to see the entire family. Two teenagers can keep a family busy with sports and other activities. Roberta’s family is extremely busy. She has got to learn how to use the word “no!” During our two-day stay she made 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies while running a taxi for Daylen and Evan and taking care of her parents.
We did take an outing to a Fayette County park. From a photography point of view, it was a typical park. We walked the path, had a picnic lunch and then the clouds came. Picture perfect! There are a lot of images so please be patient. And they are out of order–software problems today!
It was a great two days; and then we flew to New York where we are now, and then on to Pennsylvania.
Top from left: Greg, Daylen; Bottom from left: Evan and Roberta
Chuck and Brenda
After baking 10 dozen cookies, time to celebrate with a kiss.
The last batch is about to go into the oven.
The clouds made shooting a lot of fun.
I’m participating in a black and white challenge so I processed this in monochrome.
Which end is up?
The lake is glass.
A beautiful lake.
The pier shows double vision!
The main pier.
A bit of autumn color.
Flower cluster along the lake loop path.
More lake view before the clouds came in.
The lake before clouds.
The front door Roberta’s home. I liked the tree reflection. Processed in monochrome.
This branch is tenacious.
An abandoned wagon.
My brother is using a walker now. Here we are walking the golf cart path around my brother’s home.
Walking on river bed rock can give you a workout. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is a place you can continually go back to and see different things each time. This time my photo buddy Rita and I walked near the American River which is low due to the drought. I keyed in on trees and mostly used my 55 – 300 mm lens that was mounted on my D3100. They were so expressive. Meanwhile Rita kept her eyes on smaller objects like birds and crawling things.
You see, I was raised in the city and suburbs, and I’m not used to finding the small wonders of nature. I’m learning though. We do want to go back for sunrise so we can catch the sun’s beauty and the deer. Getting there at 7 a.m., Rita saw a lot of deer. However, I didn’t see one, getting there at 8 a.m. The last time we were there, we saw one deer family.
After a two-hour workout, we left. I’ll be going back on Sunday for their Nature Fest. They will have many activities I’m sure my young grandkids will enjoy. We won’t be walking along the river though!
This turkey vulture was kind enough to fly into a beautifully framed shot.
The turkeys weren’t as cooperative.
I liked the sunshine cast on the water.
I spotted this Mourning Dove hiding in the brush.
The sun was shining on this fruit tree.
Flowering brush.
Rita spotted this little lizard. It blends in so well you can hardly see it.
Flower close up.
I liked the texture, colors and moss on this log.
This was the first tree that caught my eye.
Here’s a branch growing sideways.
This tree is still totally green.
This tree is expressive.
The flaming bush.
I was shooting to get the house and didn’t see the fisherman, below right, on the river. Surprise!
Slow Shutter Speed 