Posted on by Anne Sandler · 44 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge # 269: On The Edge

We can be on edge, meaning we are anxious, frustrated or irritable. In photography, those words can take on a different meaning. This week Patti challenges us to show images that are on the edge and gives us a broad definition.

So I hope my pictures fill the bill.

I’ve looked over the edge of many mountain tops of our Sierra Nevadas, but this beautiful scene is one of the most spectacular–taken from Ananda Village.

When photographing flowers, we try to get the petals and centers sharp. Sometimes when we take the shot we find wings that are sharp and edgy.

Horizon lines give us a delineation between land and sky. Sunsets make this edge spectacular.

Buildings and windows provide photographers with endless edges. Here we have a large window with smaller edges that together provide an amazing reflection. Taken at Mare Island (a former Naval Base).

Also at Mare Island, a naval ship’s design forms an edge that accents the U. S. Flag.

Sometimes when you get down low, you find a simple mushroom can give you folds and edges. Hint: Don’t lay down on the grass in a senior community. Everybody who passes by asks if you’re okay!

Visiting Niagara Falls was on my bucket list. I was amazed at the amount of water (3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second) spilling over the edge of three falls. This picture is of the American and Bridal Veil Falls.

Now for a different kind of edge. This is more of an artistic definition. From Cambridge Dictionary: edgy adjective (unusual). Unusual in a way that is fashionable or exciting.

On a whim, I took a beautiful, colorful lotus blossom and put it in black and white. I thought that gave it an edgy look. It’s become a favorite.

Thank you Patti for this wonderfully edgy trip through my archives. It was truly fun. Remember to link to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you post your reply. Last week Tina had us sharing our favorite images and why we took them. You all had great and varied favorites, and I enjoyed them all.

Next week Ann-Christine will be leading the 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. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Change is sometimes not good: Lassen National Park, part 1

You can’t stop change, and sometimes you don’t like it. I was anxious to get to Lassen National Park again. It had been so many years. So I called the national reservation number and made a reservation. I thought I was so smart because I had a map of the campground which showed all the sites. This was great, a pull through site right near the flush toilets.

I was so excited to be camping and not RVing again. When I opened the truck door, the forest smell hit me. Wonderful pine trees. It was going to be great. But maybe not all that great.

The pull through was not on flat land and there was no ranger in sight. All the sites had reserved signs on them. We had difficulty getting in and out of the trailer because the campsite was steep. We assumed that all the campsites were taken because they had the reserved signs. So we were stuck.

Since I have a few days worth of photos, I’ll continue my rant in part 2. In the meantime, here are some pictures of the Lily Pond trail located at one end of Manzanita Lake. I didn’t go all the way because the altitude was bothering me.

I don’t want you to think that I’ll be complaining throughout this series. We had a great time and there’s more to come!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #268: Tell Us Why

We take pictures for different reasons. Sometimes we see something that strikes an emotion, maybe we see a great composition, and sometimes we see something funny. This week Tina is asking us to tell her why we’ve chosen our images.

My images today are ones that I’m emotionally attached to and they are mostly from my early days of photography. I’m hoping that they are technically good also! I haven’t re-edited them. So let’s start.

This was taken during one of my first outings with a club in 2013. I thought I was over the flu, but half way hiking to the falls at Table Mountain in Oroville, I got tired and knew I was in trouble. I yelled for my friend to throw me her car keys and turned around. Half way back to the car, I sat down to have lunch. While munching on my sandwich I saw a couple and their dogs, in silhouette, walking along the horizon line. This was taken with my Nikon and an 18-140 mm lens. Yes, I cropped way in. I may not have gotten a water fall image, but I thought this was an opportunity too good to miss. When I got back to the car, I slept until woken by my friend.

Next, let’s travel to the Marin Headlands, 2014, on the California Coast. This was an evening outing with another group. I never took a photo course, but asked other photographers a lot of questions. This was my first time catching a sunset on the ocean, and I was asking a lot of questions! This picture taught me about color, lighting and catching people in partial and full silhouettes. I think I was using the old stand alone Lightroom at the time and may have known about working with color. Other than that, this image didn’t get a lot of editing. It was also taken with my trusty Nikon.

Moving along to 2015 and a fun outing to photograph mossy trees. This memory is more about the fun we had. We spent a lot of time hunting for the trees and finally found a grove of mossy trees. However, we were out in the wine country and there were no public bathrooms around. We drove up to a winery only to be told they didn’t have public restrooms and they weren’t open unless you booked a wine tasting. We finally persuaded them to let us use their restroom. Beth bought a $20 bottle of wine as a thank you and wouldn’t let us chip in on the purchase. I’m hoping she enjoyed that wine. I chose this image because of the shapes of the trees. My challenge at that time was cropping the picture correctly. You’ll let me know if I did okay.

This next picture, taken in 2016, was pure fun. This eagle was on a tree limb that stretched over the road at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. In order to get this image, I had to climb up and out (waist high) of Laura’s sun roof. She had slippery leather seats that I kept sliding down on. With her encouragement, I did it! The look on that eagle’s face is telling me that he was wondering what I was doing and why! Still Nikon.

We jump to 2017 for a trio of pictures.

The first is simply my favorite sunset taken at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The colors are true.

The second is one I call Capitol Moon. This was taken when the moon was huge and we were positioned at the end of the Capitol Mall in Sacramento. The original showed the whole building, but I thought with the moon so close to the dome, this crop would work better. Did I guess right?

Last is my first ride in a two seater plane. My great nephew had just gotten his pilot’s license and offered to take me up. His dad flies for Delta so he’s no stranger to flight. I think he was graduating high school. I had a blast. I asked him to take me into the clouds, but he said he wasn’t licensed to go that high. Darn! Atlanta from the sky.

Last we go ahead to this year and my trip to Melbourne. I fell in love with the architecture. And, of course, touring the city with Leanne Cole made the trip more exciting. I chose this because of the design and art of the structure. I want to go back and take more time with it. Taken with my Fuji XT3.

I hope you enjoyed my emotional journey. Thank you Tina for prompting me to take this path. Remember to link to her post and use the Lens-artist tag when you prepare your post. And thank you Egidio for last week’s RECHARGE challenge. I enjoyed seeing how all of you relaxed and rejuvenated. Next week Patti will be leading the challenge.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 21 Comments

Out on the County Roads: Pollock Farm

When you’re a suburbanite, driving on various country roads that are labeled County Road __ or __, can be confusing. And you can never count on your GPS to get you there. That’s why I appreciate directions given by the organizers of the Yolo Arts & Ag visits! The visit to the Pollock Farm in Woodland was no exception.

Fortunately, we only had one wrong turn. This farm is 137 acres of olive trees. The owners Lynnel and Herb Pollock have left the original structures dating from 1861 – 1872 to decay at their own pace, giving photographers and artists a wonderful opportunity to capture those times. They live on the property in a 1950s house.

Here’s a glimpse of what we saw.

An artist chatting with a photographer.

I love how carefully the wood is chopped and stored in this last photo. Might we expect a cold winter? That would be great!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 49 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #267: Recharge

You can’t live in today’s world without needing a recharge. Our bodies get run down, we become tired and we emotionally need to find peace. Guest host Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes says he turns to nature to rejuvenate and asked us how we recharge our bodys’ batteries. I love nature and landscape photography, but my immediate thoughts went to the Sacramento Zoo.

Why? The zoo is small, I’m familiar with the animals, there are new animals coming in and animals are conceived and born at the zoo. Yes, I have my favorites like the red pandas, the orangutans, the giraffes, and more. I enjoy walking around and watching the animals. Some are so funny like the giraffes when they make their funny faces.

The zoo offers a respite from the world’s troubles and lets me relax. We usually go out to lunch afterward also. And, if we have time we make a stop at the WPA Rock Garden. There I take out my macro lens for a different kind of fun photography.

Here are some pictures from the Sacramento Zoo.

Cheetahs
Giraffe
Pelican (He’s missing a wing and is a permanent resident.)
Snow Leopard
Red Panda
Meerkat
Wolf’s Guenon
Black Crowned Crane
Duck
Red River Hog (No longer at the zoo.)
Red Panda
Okapi
Flamingo
Sumatran Orangutan

These animals are fun and offer us great photo opportunities. Why don’t you chill out at a zoo near you!

I think everyone had fun with Donna’s challenge last week. I enjoyed seeing all your interpretations of TIME. When you post the way you recharge, please remember to link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Tina is set to present next week’s 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. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 43 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #260: Time

Where did the time go? Wasn’t it just yesterday…….? When you’re a senior senior, (That second word was for emphasis!) time goes by so fast. And when you’ve graduated to become the matriarch of your family, you think of how fast time has flown by. Donna’s challenges typically send me on an emotional trip of some sort. Her Time challenge has me thinking of family, and most recently of my grandkids.

Wasn’t it just yesterday the younger set were:

And now they are:

Olivia and Ryan are now in middle and high schools. I remember picking Ryan up from elementary school and Olivia from preschool.

I also remember the older set of grands coming to my house before and after school. Here is Madison posing with her then boyfriend before her prom. And then at her wedding this year. Just 10 years apart.

And here is Christopher at his High School prom and at his sister’s wedding party.

Yes, time flies by. In October Richard and I will be celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. Here’s the family at our 50th anniversary.

What will October 5th bring? Our family is scattered in three different states now. It’s amazing how time changes things, especially family dynamics.

Nothing can change the dynamics of LAPC when it comes to challenge responses. I so enjoyed seeing all your amazing black and white/monochrome images last week. They were creative and well done. As you respond to Donna’s challenge, please remember to link to her post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Next week Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes will be hosting our challenge. Be sure to look for his post. Until then, stay healthy and safe!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 9 Comments

Still Catching Up: Effie Yeaw

It’s nature at its closest: Effie Yeaw Nature Center. This amazing place is on the American River in Fair Oaks, about 15 minutes from my home. This Sacramento County Park has a visitors center and bathrooms near the center. Other than that, it’s up to Nature to make changes. Sometimes when we visit, there are no deer in sight and other times: WOW!

Our visit in August was one of those WOW moments. We saw many moms, their fawns and young bucks. I also got a good shot of a woodpecker and two of the American River.

Woodpecker
What’s she thinking?
A Jack Rabbit
American River
American River
Older buck

The deer at Effie Yeaw are used to us humans walking by, but we are still careful not to get too close. It’s all about respect and that this is their home we are walking through.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 178 Comments

LAPC #265: Black and White or Monochrome

Is monochrome black and white? Is black and white monochrome? You may be surprised at the answer. I was after I did some research. Here’s what I found.

Black and white is the result of only using black or white and shades of. The shades of meaning grayscale.  Here are some black and white photographs.

Monochrome photos contain variations of only one color and nothing else. Meaning, different shades of one color like blue, red, green, etc. Here are some of my examples.

Now here’s something I learned from my research. Since black and white photos contain variants of the color gray ranging from absolute black to absolute white, all black and whites are monochrome images. But not all monochrome, by nature of their dominate color are black and white photos.

Here are some of my photos shot in color, converted to black and white and then I added a sepia tone. This process puts them in the monochrome category.

How do you shoot black and white images? My research suggests that we shoot in color, so we get the additional tonal range that color provides. Then convert your photos to black and white when you process. I photograph in color. If I see a great deal of contrast, I use Lightroom to take a quick look at how it would look in black and white. Then I edit in NIK Silver Efex.

There’s so much more to editing black and white images, but let’s save that for another post. Here are two of my favorite black and white images.

Are you ready to show off your black and white or monochrome images? I’d like to see them. Did you shoot them in color and how did you process them? When you post, remember to link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find your wonderful images.

I enjoyed seeing all your photos using primary colors. Sofia gave us such a fun challenge. Next week, Donna will be challenging us. Be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.