It’s time to say goodbye to Amador County; but, I’m sure not for good. I was looking over my images and there are still a few to show you. And, alas, I’ve duplicated some in prior posts. Hope you didn’t mind seeing them again!
With each outing, I learn. Sometimes I learn by watching. Sometimes by trying different things. And sometimes by making mistakes. Mistakes, unfortunately, seem to be the best teacher! How many time do you repeat the same mistake? Not too many I hope. It also pays to go with friends who remember to prompt you like, “What’s your ISO set at?” or “Did you bring your tripod today?”
I’m grateful for those prompts because it shows they care. I’m grateful for all the caring critiques I get on my photographs when I ask for them. This is especially true for the folks in Sacramento Photographers. Ask for help and you’ll get it. And my new Toastmasters Photography Club is also great for giving feedback.
So, as you look at the last of Amador County for a while, understand that with each image I have learned more about photography.
We’re back at Fat Freddy’s. Meet Carlos, aka Fat Freddy.
You could spend hours looking at his walls and the stuff on them. Here he has some funny money and some real that are folded into unique shapes.
How about this shirt and tie.
The outside of his Jackson restaurant.
Now we’re in Volcano. I loved this town. Here’s the jail!
A vintage sign.
An old bench and old building.
Another vintage sign.
The Volcano look.
Red chairs.
A bench dedicated to a loved one.
If you look close enough, you’ll see the most important directional sign on this post: the bathroom!
Another view of the main street in this quaint town.
Isn’t it great that we can just take a day during the week and go shooting–with a camera! Now, I don’t want you 9 – 5’ers to get upset, but we’ve earned the right. You see we’re retired, older and want to do what we can while we can. That’s why a few of us decided to designate Tuesdays as our get away day. And its been great.
The town of Jackson was our destination this time, but you know we never know where we’ll end up. Greg wanted to show Marlene and I Michigan Bar Road. I had already been on part of that road with him, but got too self assured and shot HDR handheld. Mistake! So I was glad to be able to get a second chance. For, Marlene, it was new territory.
We simply drive around (Greg has 4-wheel drive and knows the area so he drives), stop when we see something to shoot and sometimes never reach our designated destination. It’s okay because there’s always next week.
The lone tree.
The dirt road we were on. This was a single shot image.
HDR helped provide this scene.
The drought has made everything so dry. But, the golden color is beautiful.
The trees seem to be reaching deep down with their roots for water.
I love the texture of this old fence and how the barbed wire just cuts into the wood.
Getting close up with the barbed wire.
This road led to the farm where I shot without a tripod. I didn’t get to try again because we turned around.
Yes, I do love fences.
This farm was beautiful.
The National Hotel in Jackson. From our first trip out there.
A Jackson store. Most of these small towns have colorful main streets.
Another store.
Inside a kitchen store, I saw these colanders strung up. Who could pass up that color.
When you go shooting with Greg, you never know where the next turn may take you. For instance, on a recent outing, we came upon some guys flying RC controlled airplanes on Michigan Bar Road near the bustling town of Ione–I jest! Of course we stopped.
The RC pilots belonged to the Gold Country Flyers and were very willing to share stories and have us take their pictures. While Greg was visiting, I started shooting. This was not my first experience with RC Airplanes since my husband tried the hobby once. However, these were very serious pilots with elaborate planes–even one helicopter. I did appreciate their answering my questions and letting me get to know them a little.
Mostly, they had a great passion for this hobby. In fact, the hobby turned into a lucrative business for one gentleman. The airport is owned and operated by the Club which was founded in 1972. The members meet once a month, offer free instruction to new pilots and generally have a great time.
After almost an hour, we left the airport to continue our adventure. That’s what we call it, because we never get lost; we just never know where the road will take us.
A plane awaits its pilot.
These are the stands where the pilots work on their planes.
Getting ready for take off.
The auto pilot!
The plane’s real pilot.
Going down the runway.
Airborne.
Not a plane. This pup was too cute not to shoot. Look at those teeth.
The pilots chat while waiting to fly.
Working on the plane.
The helicopter and its pilot.
I liked the way it was painted and decorated.
I loved these decals.
The helicopter now sits on the pad.
It’s airborne.
I was lucky to get this with a 55 mm zoom lens.
The Club also remembers their members who passed on.
I’ve gotten complacent. I’ve gotten bored. I’ve become too comfortable. Yes, I haven’t currently pushed past my comfort zone with the 365 challenge. For those of you who are not familiar with this ominous task, it means taking a photograph a day for one full year. I’ve just started into my 34th week, and I can tell you there are some days I’m ready to quit.
But, I won’t because I realize what I have learned through the process. I was talking with Greg, a photo buddy, during one of our outings and he said that I was a good photographer. Others have said the same thing, but I wasn’t ready to hear them, being stuck in low photographic ability esteem. That day I said, “Yes, I believe I can finally say I’m not a beginner, but maybe call myself an intermediate.” He then went on to tell me all I needed was to learn the software. I agreed.
This is all part of the 365. I’ve become very comfortable and good at close up, macro, and landscape shooting. I’m having fun doing HDR and trying not to over process it. My camera is mostly on manual these days, and I’m helping new photographers. However, there are still things to learn. This is mostly in setting up and lighting a shot. This is what I need to work on with the 265. But, I don’t have the equipment and don’t want the expense of studio lighting. I’ll just have to ask my photo buddy if I can come over!
I know I need to move past my complacent, bored and comfortable self and expand my knowledge. I’ve set a goal to have that done before the 365 ends. If I’m persistent enough, I can do it. Greg, when can I come over?
Here are some of my 365 images. There are others that I posted directly from outings already shown in this blog.
This was taken during a meetup. Mossy trees.
This is the sculpture at the Roseville Sculpture Garden.
I did fall in love at The Fountains–love with the ambiance of this outdoor shopping center and its beautiful flowers, fountains and decorative benches. This center is a great place to take a camera and practice! You just have to keep saying over and over, “I will not shop.” You can say, “I’ll enjoy a cup of coffee, ice cream, candy, cookies, salad, sandwich and more;” but you could easily spend money in the fabulous stores.
Oh, back to practice. See how you can get distracted. I’ve been there twice to practice. The first time, not knowing what to expect, I just had my 18 – 55 mm lens. I was meeting a friend for lunch and arrived early to catch a shot for my 365. The second time was today with my friend Marlene. This time I had my macro lens with me. I was ready to get deep into the flowers; however, there was a heavy breeze. Even the blossoms that seemed to be not moved, were moving when looked through the macro lens. I think given the breeze, I would have been better off with the 18 – 55 mm lens. But, that’s what practice is for.
In this post, I’ll show you some images from both outings. And, yes, I’ll be going back soon. I want to get there early in the morning to get the best light and maybe less breeze. After all, I did fall in love.
My first visit: The main fountain in the shopping center. I’m amazed that they are still running the fountains with the severe drought.
One of the benches that surround the fountain.
One of the metal sculptures.
My close up of these beauties. I don’t know what flowers are called. I just appreciate them.
An open seating area.
The patio of one of the restaurants.
This solitary flower was begging to be photographed.
I don’t know what this is, but I do like it.
Same with this one. On my second visit, these were almost gone.
Second visit with the macro lens: Love yellow flowers. I had to body block the breeze to get this one.
You can see that the center of this flower is almost gone.
Pretty in pink.
Lovely in red.
This chandelier was the only flower that wasn’t moving!
A little bud waiting to bloom.
I couldn’t figure out what was inside this flower. Looks like a water drop and crystals.
They’re cute, fun to watch, a comfort to hold and a gift of independence for the handicapped. They are Canine Companions for Independence dogs or CCI for short. I recently accompanied my friend Marlene on a photo shoot to capture her friend Jan’s latest CCI puppy litter. Jan, a volunteer breeder, names her litters according to the alphabet. This was litter D, meaning all the dogs names began with “D.” A small litter of one female and three males, these puppies, Labrador and Golden Retriever mixes, were soon to leave Jan’s care and go to their volunteer foster homes where they will be raised and trained to help their soon to be owners.
Canine Companions is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of adults with physical disabilities, alert the deaf and hard of hearing to important sounds, and help children and adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities. They also train dogs who partner with a facilitator working in a health care, visitation or education setting.
These sweet dogs begin their journey with a breeder who oversees the entire breeding process and works with the puppies once they are born. They check the pups for temperament, ability to be trained, health, and physical attributes. CCI oversees the entire process from breeding to placement.
Faced with the puppies moving on to the volunteers who would raise and train them, Jan asked Marlene to take a picture of Litter D. Easier said than done. After arriving, we played with the pups, got them moving about the yard, and, hopefully, got them a little tired. The goal was to have them sit still in the wagon while Marlene took their picture. It almost worked!
It took four of us to get them settled down and looking at Marlene who patiently manned the camera. Of course, I was shooting the whole scene, being glad I wasn’t in Marlene’s position. My friend showed me that not only is she a good photographer, she has a great deal of patience.
Meet litter D and take a look at Marlene’s finished image.
Puppies will play and sleep.
Oh, yes, they will yawn too.
Marlene knows this litter, having visited them before.
A little talking and petting.
Teething.
Back in their pen this one plays.
This one quenches his thirst.
This one falls asleep on an unlikely pillow.
There’s always good smells.
Puppy play.
Jan plays with one of the pups.
All hands on deck!
This was the best I could do from where I was standing. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Marlene’s finished picture taken in front of the puppy’s grandmother.
Well, I was wandering with my camera and my photo buddy Greg. He’s my guide and driver. When you go out shooting with Greg, you get the history of the area along with some back roads scenery.
Amador County is in the gold country. Its history goes back to the gold rush days when people were coming west to find their fortune in gold. Today its hills are covered with ranches, farms and grape vines. Wineries welcome you in to taste their finished products. It’s rural and beautiful.
This trip took us to Michigan Bar road and a small ranch. We didn’t trespass, but we weren’t invited either. You need to be careful not to go onto properties, but shoot from the road. After shooting what we could of the ranch, Greg took us into Jackson via the back roads.
Jackson is Amador County’s seat of government, and is in the heart of the Mother Load. This town blends the old and the new. We found some of the buildings in need of repair, and some were newer but made to look old. Others were rich in history.
There is so much to see, and we will be returning soon with photo buddy Marlene. Just call us the photo wanderers.
This ranch and the skies were perfect for black and white processing.
These fruit trees were gated off so animals couldn’t get to them.
This was one photogenic spread.
I loved the old fence line.
Getting a close up of the wood and barbed wire. I guess that’s one way to keep photographers out!
We drove over the bridge to get these shots.
Greg said he heard that they were replacing the bridge soon. We will return before then.
Taken in the Jackson kitchen store.
This is the door to a radio station. I just liked the color of the frame and the reflection.
Here’s the main street with all the wonderful colors.
This store offered many items including puzzles, toys, candy and ice cream that tasted great on a hot day.
Looking down the street you see the National Hotel built in 1852–a Jackson landmark.
Many people live above their stores.
Fat Freddy’s Hot Dog diner. He was opening up and invited us in. His name is Carlos, but he told us how his shop got the name Fat Freddy’s–too long for a caption.
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church built in 1868. In active use today. (Historical information supplied by Greg!)
This church was across the street from St. Patrick’s. Next time I’ll do better at writing names down!
Slow Shutter Speed 