I’m certainly drawn to color. Red especially. So, it delights me that Sofiapicked this topic as her challenge this week. On Monday, I was rear ended by a large pickup truck, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. I’m okay.
Red. Let’s start off with my favorite:
Next yellow:
Blue:
I’ll end with some colorful photos:
Thanks Sofia for bringing some color into my life when I need it! Much appreciated. Please link to Sofia’s post when you publish and use the Lens-Artists tag. I totally enjoyed your responses to John’s topic of Faces in the Crowd last week. There was some great images and street photography. I’m up next, so look for my post. Until then, stay out of the way of pickup trucks especially when you’re sitting still at a stop light! Stay safe.
If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.
I just love the Yolo Art & Ag Project. They allow us photographers and artists to visit the most amazing country places. This post is about our visit to the Rumstaller Farm in Dixon California. And this place was amazing!
This is an excerpt from their website:
We Grow Beer. Easy to say…hard to do. Just spend a morning with us! This is where our beer is born, where its soul comes to life. Dirt, sun, rain, wind…sweat. It’s an opportunity to grow the highest quality, most unique tasting beer in the world…not with engineering, or in a lab…but in the Dirt!
Yes, they brew beer, but there is much more. They grow the hops, have walnut and citrus orchards, sheep, dogs, sunsets, bonfires and concerts.
It’s all in one large area where people can relax on their old furniture, visit the bandstand, buy their beer and wine, etc. In fact, you can spend a relaxing few hours viewing the orchards and hops growing areas, or sit in a comfy couch or chair. It’s up to you. Here are some pictures.
I know these are a lot of pictures, but I do have more. This is a wonderful farm that I will visit again–and again!
If you want to see into a person’s soul, just look at their face. One of my photographic goals is to do just that. Candid images capture their story. Once you ask a person if you can take their picture, you tend to lose the story.
For John’s challenge this week, I wish I had more candid faces, but he did open the challenge to include more avenues. And I’m taking full advantage of his generosity. I went way back into my archives to find images I may not have posted before. They were taken at various places, so here goes.
The first two faces were taken at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento. They’ve been there a long time so they must be on permanent display. I picked them because they are so different. I’m assuming the one on the left is a face, and why is the guy on the right sticking his tongue out?
These two are from a Highland Games fair we went to. It was fun to see the costumes and see the participants in the actual games.
Next is a tribute to my friend Greg Morris who passed away in 2015. He was a fun guy who enjoyed taking funny selfies. The first photo is from an outing to Locke, Calif. there was a wooden form of the Mona Lisa with a hole for a face. Greg didn’t hesitate. The second was taken a year later at Bodega Bay where we held a memorial for him. Pictured are some of the photographers there to honor him.
Speaking of photo buddies, here are two taken at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Calif. We wore those hats while on our tour. Marlene is on the left and Linda is on the right. It was an interesting tour, but we went kind of crazy tasting and buying the jelly beans afterwards. They are so yummy!
Every year, Sacramento hosts Wide Open Walls, a mural festival. There is no shortage of faces. We drive around the city each year to capture the new art.
Last, let’s go to the Sacramento Zoo. You know I love that place. Once you get to know the animals, they are fun to watch and photograph. We were fortunate to be there at the right time to catch a tutorial on birds. A keeper had brought out a parrot for us to get a close, not behind the thick bars of the cage, look. The next image is of a giraffe and her calf. I think the baby is Rocket, who at two years was sent to another zoo.
So there you have it, faces maybe not in a crowd, but tell a story just the same. When you respond to John’s post remember to link to his original challenge and to use the Lens-Artists tag. I enjoyed seeing all your framing responses to Amy’s challenge last week. There were a lot of different natural and man-made frames that gave me ideas to work on. Next week Sofia will be presenting the challenge next week, so be sure to look for her post.
If you’d like to participate but aren’t sure how to get started, click here.
It’s a busy day today. Tomorrow we head up to Lassen National Park where we will have no wifi, no internet or cell reception. So, I need to get this post done NOW! Nothing like a little motivation.
But Amy’s challenge of framing a photograph sent me way back (10 years ago) when I started photography. Actually, I wanted to see whether I was framing at that point. My trip back showed me that I was framing, but wasn’t shooting or editing that well. I don’t think I had Lightroom at that time. So, I ran my selections through a quick edit process.
Anyway, here they are. I saw that I used trees as a natural frame.
My next example is using a background as a frame. This is my younger grandson at Disney World. He’s now entering High School.
When does a stairwell become a frame that is leading lines? This was taken in Old Sacramento.
This colorful door is framed by neon and color. Could you resist taking a picture? This is Peggy Sue’s diner in Mesquite Nevada. The inside is just as amazing as the outside. And, oh, the food is good too.
My last picture is of the Tower Bridge in Sacramento. The bridge entrance is framed by street lights. The car light trails make this frame seem like an open box.
Thank you Amy for getting me to see just how far my photo abilities have come. I enjoyed looking back! When you post, please link back to her post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week, we all agreed that life is a work in progress, and I enjoyed your responses to Ann-Christine’s challenge. Next week John is presenting our challenge, so look for his post.
Now back to loading the trailer.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Aren’t we all a work in progress? Each day brings changes and new challenges. We work through them and we progress. This week Ann Christine asks us to show works in progress through our photos.
As I progress through my own photographic ability, I’ve learned that the things we photograph are also progressing. Some works in progress repeat year after year. For instance, the salmon swim upstream in the American River to lay their eggs. The Nimbus Fish Hatchery, raises Chinook salmon and steelhead for release to the American River. The salmon run occurs in fall, with hatchery operations taking place from the beginning of November through mid-December. The steelhead trout run occurs in winter, with hatchery operations taking place from January through February. In this series of images, the salmon are being diverted into the hatchery.
In addition to man helping nature, nature can handle things on her own. For instance, the London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road in Australia was once connected. However in January 1990 the middle collapsed and left the arch separated from the rest. Nature has a way of showing us that her force is a work in progress. Now the separated arch is called the London Arch.
Next is the WPA Rock Garden. I admire the dedication of the wonderful volunteers who keep this garden beautiful so we can all enjoy the flowers and small creatures. It is definitely a work in progress.
Last is the pride of work and ownership. Valley Oak Mill California, mills wool into yarn. Customers bring in their raw products and take home yarn. I visited this business as part of the Yolo Art & Ag project a few years ago and was impressed with the owner’s pride in her work. Her business is definitely progressing.
For me, I don’t want to stop progressing and working. I look forward to learning new things and meeting new people. As Ann Christine quoted Mark Twain in her post, Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.
Thank you to all our July guest hosts, especially Janet who encouraged us to not overlook anything. You all gave such creative responses to her challenge. And thank you Ann Christine to encouraging us to think about various works in progress. Please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. Next week Amy will be providing our challenge, so be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Slow Shutter Speed 