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.

48 thoughts on “Lens Artists Challenge #268: Tell Us Why”

  5. Hi Anne, I think the crops you chose are spot on. The Capitol Moon shot is a wonderful example. Funny thing, my sister lives outside Atlanta and her husband flies for Delta, too. Maybe you flew over their house that day!

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  6. Thank you for taking us along on your photographic journey Anne. It’s a beautiful exhibit of how you’ve grown and excelled over the years. My favorite of the set is the Capitol Moon so yes, I’m thinking your crop is perfect! Actually loved all 3 in the triptych as well as that funky Melbourne building. Well chosen all – thanks for playing along!

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  9. Nice to learn of your photographic journey, Anne. I loved the silhouette at the Marin Headlands with the purple sky. The people are so engaged with the simple pleasure of being on the beach, they don’t seem to notice the sky, and yet I think you are just as engaged. Different fun, but fun. And yes, your Capital Moon is a great crop. The moon, more pronounced. The owl made me laugh, as well as your “adventure” to capture it.

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  13. These are all beautiful and I especially appreciate that you explained your motivation behind each photograph. My photography is almost always influenced by emotion. I see something that moves me and try to frame it in a way that captures that emotion. It doesn’t always translate to others, but at least I have preserved the memory for myself. Beautiful post.

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  14. Beautiful gallery, Anne, and I enjoyed the stories that went with each one. The eagle is truly remarkable. Wonderful image! And I think your cropping of the shot at the vineyard is just right.

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  15. What a collection. Full of wonderful memories. Like you, if a picture means a lot to me for personal reasons, I find it hard to evaluate it as an image. But these all pass the test of being great photos as well as great memories.

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  16. A great set of photos and I enjoyed reading about your attachment to each! My own personal favourites are the eagle (he looks so good face on like this!) and the moon and capitol building. I would say yes, you were absolutely right to crop it tightly, it’s very effective!

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  20. A wonderful collection, Anne! I so enjoyed your words as well. Favourites? The favourite sunset and the moon. Well done cropping. I also love the architecture from Melbourne.

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  23. Ahh lovely photos Anne!
    I heard a lot of people said Melbourne’s architecture is interesting, I suppose it’s true! *putting it on my travel wishlist

    the photo of the moon rising behind the building is spectacular! Love it~

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