Is it wierd to keep going back to a cemetery just to shoot photos? This cemetery draws me back, and back. It’s large enough that your get shoot it all in one visit, and, for me, I seem to focus on different things all the time. This time it was the statues. They are beautiful, and are non-existent in today’s graveyards. They express the sadness of loss and hope for an afterlife.
This time I also found some masoleums worth shooting, some small grave stones and flowers. History is in this cemetery, so I guess I’ll keep going back until I’ve shot it all!
This statue got to me. You can sence the sadness. There is another similar one in this gallery.
Another one where you would suspect that a child was lost.
Here they are showing the loss of a loved one holding his pet.
This one made to look like a tree stump belongs to a woodsman.
Here’s the other statue that is similar to the first.
This one is dedicated to all veterans.
The grounds are just beginning to bloom.
Here’s the burial plot of a family. The large head stone belongs to the Patriarch .
Some of the many flowers.
The flowers make the grave stones beautiful.
Parents are buried here. The father has the larger stone. Would we do that today?
Here a family lost two sons. I’m hoping you can read the inscriptions on each.
Sometimes what is written says more than the stone’s design.
My combining passions has nothing to do with returning to Midtown, but everything to do with my love for photography and Toastmasters. I’m currently much better at the latter (being a DTM), and gaining skills daily on the former! I took the bold step of starting a photography club within Toastmasters about six months ago.
That was a big step because of the time dedication it needs. We now have nine members and hope to get to 10 soon. We call ourselves, “All About Photography,” and follow the Toastmaster format. Since we are an advanced club, you have to be in a basic club to join. It has been fun for me and the other members as we learn from each other. Our skill set ranges from beginner to professional. I’ll tell you more about the club and show you some of the members’ images too in a future post; but, now–back to Midtown.
Our guide, Greg Morris, loves this area and will take us down alleys, along the railroad tracks and some places that I wouldn’t go if we weren’t together. I’ve shown you some of the murals painted on walls and garage doors in a prior post and I want to show you some more.
So, here’s at least an example of one passion!
This mural was along side a cloting store specializing in gently used articles.
Part of the mural was painted onto the concrete parking lot.
This one was part of a strange mural.
From the same mural. I don’t know why their heads were in animal’s mouths!
There are many old victorians in Sacramento. This is one of them.
A flower from the garden.
Another victorian. When they are well kept they are beautiful.
This is Sandra Dee’s, a soul food restaurant. You can see the mural painted down the brick wall of the eatery.
I loved the mural and shot some single images.
I’m thinking they may be of musicians who played there.
Whoever painted these did an amazing job.
I need to go back there an taste the soul food. I hear it’s good, but greasy.
This small mural in in their parking lot.
Greg befriended a homeless man named Timothy.
Timothy was carrying a book he was reading and told Greg all about it.
From what I heard, they got on other topics too.
I liked the fencing on this home. Someone told me it was a harlequin pattern.
This is a view of an apartment building in an alley.
You know we use our dogs as an excuse or motivator to exercise. They know it and pretend they want to go for a walk. There’s the reality: they walk us! It was on such a walk that I received a surprise.
I had agreed to walk with Richard and Gem at their new place, Dry Creek Park. They have a new playground and sort of trail. When I go to Dry Creek, I walk along the creek with my camera to practice. This time I knew we weren’t going to the creek, but I need a shot for my 365 challenge so I brought my camera.
Now you’re probably wondering what the surprise was…wildflowers! My dog had this all planned out! So enjoy the walk that Gem took us on!
Slow Shutter Speed, that’s the name of this blog. Why? When I began this passion, I was overwhelmed with all of it. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long journey and thought that name was fitting. Of course now, it has another meaning for me: using slow shutter speed to blur objects, create abstracts and to shoot at night.
I love shooting lights at night, playing with the zoom and blurring the motion of whatever I’m shooting. So, when I heard there was a small carnival at a local mall, I took my camera and tripod down there. I had a blast, especially when people stopped and asked me whether I was from a newspaper or magazine! I’m not ready for that, but it was nice to be asked that question.
Then, a couple of nights later, I went to Old Roseville to shoot the two theaters on Vernon Street. Again, I wanted to capture the marquee and play with the zoom effect.
I’m still learning on “slow shudder speed,” but I feel like I’m not taking snapshots any longer.
The carousel at slow shudder speed. You can still see the horses and the mechanism that runs the carousel.
Same carousel but an even slower shudder speed. Where did the horses go?
A zoom on a slow shudder speed creates an abstract.
This looks like a giant top when shot at slow shudder.
Now add the zoom!
Another zoom effect.
This ferris wheel had lights out in one section. You can see the effect.
Slow the shudder speed down more and you get this.
Even slower and the entire wheel is covered in lights.
Here the lights look even more uniform–slower shudder speed.
I needed to use slow shudder speed to get this night shot crisp.
Old, quaint, touristy, and surviving are just some words to describe Sutter Creek in the California gold country and Amador County wine area. I say surviving because you used to have to go through the town as you drove highway 49. Now there’s a bypass so drivers don’t get bogged down in the town’s traffic.
From the town’s website: A wonderful balance of old and new, today’s Sutter Creek maintains its Gold Rush facade while catering to the wants and needs of visitors from around the world.Shop, dine, slumber, stroll, wine taste, and enjoy the quaint atmosphere of Amador County. Sutter Creek, the jewel of Amador County & the Gold Country, is steeped in history being born of the California Gold Rush and nurtured by the deep rock gold mines of the 19th & 20th centuries.
I wasn’t as impressed with Sutter Creek as I was by Downieville. But then, we were able to buy lunch in this town! Sutter Creek was more commercial, not catering to any season. But it is surviving.
Here are some images.
Looking down the main sidewalk.
An old pump outside a store.
Now what is Kokopelli doing in Sutter Creek?
I liked this building and caught it in between cars.
The side of this building seems to have been painted over many times.
Another building I liked.
This is the first clock I’ve seen on a street that had the correct time.
“Bring your macro,” said Marlene Frankel. “Shooting flowers is a great opportunityto use it.” This was the second time we were scheduled to visit Daffodil Hill and it closed due to rain. The next option was a nursery, The Amador Flower Farm, in Plymouth. With that as our destination, we headed out to beautiful Amador County and its wineries, and Sutter Creek.
On our way to the flower farm, we stopped at Young’s Winery to shoot the beautiful landscape. Although the sign said by appointment only, we thought they wouldn’t mind if we shot some images. Today, I’m going to show you the winery. In my next post, I’ll show you some of the macro shots and Sutter Creek.
Young’s Winery is just beautiful, and is a photographer’s dream. I’m tempted to call them and ask if they would give us a photo tour. In addition to making and selling wine, they rent out space for weddings and other celebrations.
The best part of Amador County is that it is only one hour away from Sacramento. It’s easy to get to and you don’t have to set aside an entire day for a photo outing. Here’s Young’s Winery. My next post will show you how the macro did. And, yes I did buy it.
For me, this image shows the winery at its best.
I just loved the colors in these leaves. This was not shot with the macro.
This machine was near the winery p0arking lot and entrance.
Of course you know I would love the fact that it’s a bit rusted.
And it has moss growing on it!
These chairs invite you to view the scene.
Their colors are inticing.
Here they are positioned so visitors can look out over the field.
Another view of the field.
I’m not sure what this little structure is for. Maybe houses a mower, etc. We didn’t look in.
They have a pond on the property. I’m sure a lot of weddings take place here.
Wow, I’ve been busy in the present time! I was testing and bought a used macro lens, and I’m looking forward to learning more about macro shooting. However, this post is about Downieville, a historic town. at the confluence of the Downie River and North Fork of the Yuba River. In my last post, I showed you images of the trip up and back, saving the town for today.
Downieville was founded in late 1849 and named after Major William Downie who founded the town. The town soon became a bustling gold rush town and is the county seat of Sierra County. Today it attracts summer tourists with fishing, mountain biking, back country off-road adventures, motorcycling, kayaking, and gold panning.
Of course, we were not there in the “season,” and no restaurant was open! But, the hardware, beauty shop and a few other stores were open. Enjoy the town. Maybe in the future I’ll have some macro images to show you!
The North Fork of the Yuba River is right behind this Inn.
The grocery store.
This person sat on this bench the entire time we were in Downieville.
We were hoping to find food here, but it was closed.
I wonder what’s behind the red doors.
This bell tower was outside the grocery store in a parking lot.
The hardware store.
Still selling fishing tackle.
One of the closed restaurants.
This sign was on its door!
This old cash register was outside the steakhouse.
A house near the edge of town.
I liked the way they stored the bike.
An unfinished mural.
I can’t remember which building this was attached to, but it had cute signs.
It was an adventure back in time. With a population of 282 (the 2010 census) Downieville, the former gold rush town, now caters to summer visitors. However, photo buddies Marlene and Greg, and I were there last week. I can believe that they are a seasonal vacation spot because all the restaurants were closed and set to reopen for the season. I still don’t have any idea when the season starts!
Fortunately, the grocery store was open, had a microwave and allowed me to use it after I purchased a frozen rice dish. The small town hospitality came through. Sure I could have a glass of ice with my bottled diet coke–no extra charge for the cup! As we shot photos on the main drag, people passing knew each other. One of the residents explained that when they want to dine out, they go to the nearest town. It’s a simple life.
I’ll show you pictures of Downieville and give you more history in my next post. In this post, I’ll show you the sights on our way to the town and on the way back. You’ll be transported back in time along the North Fork of the Yuba River.
We stopped at this bridge along the North Fork of the Yuba River.
The Yuba River makes its way over rocks.
You can see the effects of the drought.
Even though the water is low, it is still beautiful.
I wanted to capture this hole.
The small falls near the bridge.
The old Oregon Creek covered bridge.
This bridge is not used any longer and probably won’t be repaired.
Another look inside.
On our way home we stopped at this Post Office. It was closed, but operational.
Is your Post Office a cabin?
Does it have a portch where you can sit.
I just liked this old barrel.
A house near the Post Office.
An old truck we found in the brush.
This truck probably hasn’t been moved in a long time.
I love street photography, but I’d rather it was candid. I know that’s the more difficult way to go, but it tells a better story. Fortunately, it was a weekend and the people were out enjoying the weather and beauty of the UC Davis arboretum. There were families, students, runners, cyclists, and many more. I’ll tell you about each image in the gallery. If I have room, I’ll also put in some odds and ends that I either forgot or didn’t fit into my three categories.
Some street photography!
Woman admiring the Red Bud, taking a cell phone shot.
Woman sketching.
Woman enjoying the serenity along with others relaxing by the creek.
A boy watching the busy ducks.
There were lots of dog walkers.
And dog sitters! This woman actually had two dogs, but this poodle was regal.
Waliking through the arbor.
A street musican entertained us during lunch.
Marlene and Laura stop to talk to a dog owner and pet the dog.
Here we are. From Left, Laura, Me, Marlene. At least I think that’s the order! It was Marlene’s idea for us to do this shot of our shadows.
Romance on the bridge.
Locks on the bridge.
Walking under a cement bridge.
An arch made out of rusted shovels.
A closer look.
At one time or another we have to use the bathroom. This one is tiled on the outside.
I’d like to think that the arboretum put on a fancy dress just for Laura, Marlene and me when we visited last week. However, I think we were lucky to catch the area in its glory. Spring had come, and beauty was everywhere, wildlife was out and people were strolling along the creek.
In my last post I explained that the arboretum is a 100 acre park that borders Putah Creek. About 17 gardens have been planted along the creek, giving variety to the eye and much to shoot for photographers. I also promised a three-part post with the second showing the arboretum’s landscape and the third–the people.
In this post, I’m showing you the landscape as seen through my eyes. I’m not going to caption these images since there are a lot of them. So, enjoy the beautiful creek, trees and shrubs. After all they dressed up just for us!
Slow Shutter Speed 