Posted on by Anne Sandler · 37 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #320: Looking Back

Looking back is one of my favorite things to do. It reminds me of where I’ve been with my photographic journey and where I intend to go. For Sophia’s challenge, I chose the year 2019 to review. It was the year before Covid and a happy year. So let’s dive in!

Each year the wonderful volunteers at Ananda Village plant tulips for their April festival. This terraced field is lined with colorful and varied varieties of tulips. I haven’t gone for a couple of years. Maybe April 2025 will see me return.

Next, I’m looking back at one of the last outings with my dear friend who passed away from a brain tumor. We went to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. That’s Jean standing next to a giant sequoia. The other photo shows a young girl running along one of the paths.

Daffodil Hill closed down the day after these images were taken. The family who planted and cared for these flowers said the hill had become too popular and was being damaged by the large crowds.

I have another wonderful memory of a time with Jean. We went on a road trip into Amador County’s wine country. How beautiful.

Another memory I don’t want to visit again is Folsom Prison. You know the place made famous by Johnny Cash! We weren’t able to go inside for obvious reasons, but the gift shop was great. Here are some pictures of the outside as close as we were allowed to go. Thank heavens for zoom lenses!

Christmas will be here soon enough and so will the Victorian Christmas celebration in Nevada City. I’m not that anxious to face the brutal cold again, but it was fun.

Another private residence, that has since closed to the public, hosted weddings and other celebrations. The owners live on the property. We were lucky to visit on one of the public visit days.

Finally, I’m showing you the Sacramento River Walk in West Sacramento. It’s a walk I’ve taken many times and will continue doing so.

Thank you Sofia for encouraging us to visit our memories. It was a delight to bring the past back to life. When you reply to this challenge, please link to Sofia’s challenge and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Next week, as Sofia announced, we will be having fun with Intentional Camera Movement. I’m new at this and went out today for fun and learning. One hint–find shade or bring along a neutral density filter! I’m looking forward to seeing your abstract images. Until then, take care and be safe.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 11 Comments

Open and Shut: Daffodil Hill, Volcano, California

We photographers never know when or if Daffodil Hill will open for the public. It all depends on the weather, and you know how fickle Mother Nature can be. Last year it didn’t open at all because of the rains. In years past, the owners had to close early because of rain.

This family attraction is located in the tiny town of Volcano, Amador County. It’s family owned and operated. People can visit without charge, but there are donation boxes and a small gift shop at the front. It’s great for families who picnic in the parking lot, walk the paths that wind through the And, if all goes well, 300,000 flowers fill the hillside when in full bloom.

These are personally planted by the family and volunteers help direct traffic into and out of the parking lot. I had been there before and posted about it in a blog. But that visit was during the week, not too crowded and peacocks were showing off in numbers. This time, being the first day and on a Saturday, it was crowded, no peacocks. There seemed to be less flowers too.

So why did I go on opening day? I didn’t think it would be open very long with rain being predicted. Laura had never been there, and I thought it would be fun to take photos of the crowds. With Marlene riding shotgun and navigating, we began our adventure a little late, sat in traffic while waiting to park, and finally entered after a half hour.

And, I was right!! Daffodil Hill closed for the season. three days after it opened! This venue is truly a labor of love and dedication for the family and volunteers. No captions for the flowers–you know what they are!

  • This was the line to get into park.
  • I’m sure this woman was dropped off and was waiting for her family.
  • This was the bathroom line, or just the half I could photograph!
  • The landscape.
  • A soft edit.
  • Everyone enjoys the flowers.
  • The buildings are the same.
  • A path lined with people
  • An old house.
  • Wheel spokes.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Who moved my chairs? Back to Volcano

My red chairs. The simple, inexpensive patio chairs I shot, during a prior visit, as they were positioned in front of a Volcano, California store were moved. And, I was moved. I don’t know why, but when I saw that they were not in the same photographic set up, I was taken aback! Did I want to shoot them again? Did I want to make a good shot even better? Probably not, but I did look at the composition–no, not as good.

I did take a shot from a totally different angle. Of course you’re thinking, “Why didn’t she just move the chairs back?” Good question, I’m going to have to start setting the scene when I can. I’m sorry that I don’t have the original on my laptop here in San Jose. If you want to see it. It’s archived in this blog. Anyway, here’s the shot I took.

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This was my second and Marlene’s first trip to this small town. Except for the red chairs it hadn’t changed! It is full of historic buildings that have been re-purposed and still used.

Volcano was a cultural center in this gold fever valley. It was the first to have a lending library and many other civic and private offerings. I love the look of stone on Main Street’s buildings.

We had just come from the Black Chasm Cavern tour and were hungry. We were directed to the General Store and had burgers. We then walked beyond Main Street and saw more of the town.

I may go back to Volcano in the future, and I’ll definitely move some chairs!

 

We stopped on the way to Volcano. These gates were so inviting. Beyond was a small carnival.
These sculptures were outside the Black Chasm visitor’s center.
They were beautiful and neglected. She’s still smiling even though her chin in damaged.
This one set a dark mood.
Now we’re inside the General Store
There’s a small eating place in the back.
Memorabilia is everywhere.
Our burgers are cooking in the oven.
The oven.
The cafe portion of the store.
Another view.
One of the old buildings.
The fire bell.
Gate and entry to a residence.
Another residence prepared for a cold winter.
Why did the chicken cross the yard?
A hotel.
The National Hotel and Old Volcano Phone Company.
An old phone booth. The flyer posted is Superman asking visitors not to damage the booth because he has no other place to change his clothes!
Full view of the National Hotel.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

It’s a long way down: Black Chasm Cavern, Volcano CA

You don’t notice how far down you travel until it’s time to walk back out of the cavern. Black Chasm was so interesting, I didn’t notice how far down we climbed. We joined a group of children for a 45 minute tour at the last minute.

The tour guide was wonderful, placing us in the back of the tour so we could stay back and take as many pictures as we wanted. In fact, the entire group accommodated our picture taking. However, we were listening as the guide explained the dramatic features of the cavern.

The most important feature of the Black Chasm Cavern are the rare and delicate helictite crystals that adorn the cavern walls along with the traditional stalactites and stalagmites. I’ve been in other caves and caverns, but have never seen helictite crystals.

The cavern has three main chambers. Although we thought the last one at the bottom was the largest, it wasn’t. At the end of our tour, we climbed the same stairs, but this time going up, and up and up! I said to Marlene, “Did we go down this far?”

Here are some images from this amazing cavern. No captions this time.

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Great feedback: Back to Jackson, part 2

Wow, I am so grateful for all the feedback I received from my last post. Most of it was on Facebook. It really helped me shape the next part of my journey.

I began this blog as a way to talk about my new hobby and document my chosen paths. I chose not to take classes, but study tutorials, practice and join Meetup groups. And, it’s worked. It took about 3 years, but I am confident now and ready for the next step–learning more about processing and putting my work out there. I’m not looking to sell anything, but to get more feedback. Most of all, I’m having fun and have met new friends and wonderful, helpful people.

In the meantime, I promised you the images from Jackson and here they are. I will always be open to feedback, and I’m willing to listen and try new things.

The streets in Jackson are decorated for the Christmas holiday.
This is one way to store a bike!
I love texture and found it at a yarn store.
Marlene went in to shop.
I went in to shoot!
I liked this doorway. I’m glad I was able to lighten it up so the doors and plants were visible.
The rest of the pictures are in the National Hotel.
They were very gracious about letting us shoot in their lobby.
I used flash.
Greg and Marlene used slow shutter speeds.
I liked the reflections in this grand piano.
The fireplace.
These windows were beautiful. I caught the colors outside on the street.
Different window and view.
Santa in his sleigh.

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Thinking: Back to Jackson, CA

I’ve been thinking about my photography. I know I’m getting better, but why am I processing more images than before? Do I have to be more discerning? Am I truly picking good images?

Today, Marlene said I was posting very good pictures. So, then how do I become more critical of my work? How do I process the best of the best? I think, right now, I’m processing what I like. This is okay, but in 2016, my focus is going to be on processing. So, this is what’s going on in my head!

Last week we did go back to Jackson. I was hoping eating hot dogs at Fat Freddy’s would cheer up Greg. He’s been ill and, as of this writing, is back in the hospital. We hope he’s back with us soon.

As usual, we stopped on the way there and home, taking advantage of beautiful scenery. In this post, I’ll show you the before and after stops.

As I follow my own path on my photographic journey, I’m feeling positive I’m taking the correct turn, but I keep thinking about how I can do it better.

The rain is helping the grass turn from golden to green.
The cows seem to prefer the green grass.
Trees on top of a hill.
I call this “Texture and Rust.”
I still like the remaining yellow/orange grasses.
This is a ranch off a side road.
We think they are going to replace the bridge you see in the background.
This horse is not only beautiful, but sweet.
He posed for us.
And, apparently gave us his best side!
This is what I mean by processing something I like. It may not be the best in the bunch of images, but I like it.
I also like the texture created by the various colors in the grass.
And, you know I love old, rusted equipment.
Some more expressive trees still holding on to some color.
Another one I liked.
What are these trees saying?

 

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

Rain, rain–stay, stay: All About Photography Toastmaster club

It’s finally wet out there, and Mother Nature is being very kind. It’s raining in the evening and through the night. At least it did last night. But, what’s that got to do with my Toastmaster photography club? Nothing! California is just happy that it is raining.

And, I’m happy with this Toastmaster club that is like no other. Wanting to combine my two passions, I started All About Photography almost a year ago. It’s been fun finding our way, keeping the Toastmaster structure and making the meeting all about photography. Now you see how we got our name.

We are the same as any other Toastmaster club except all our speeches are on photography and our table topics are basically critiques of images. Last Monday I was the Table Topics Master. I selected some images I wanted feedback on and presented them to the club. Before I selected the member participant, I gave a brief background on the picture. The selected member then gave a 1 – 2 minute critique. We do vote on who did the best job and present them with a ribbon.

I’m going to try something new and insert the pictures in the blog individually, not in a gallery.

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This image from the ghost town Bodie was well received, mostly for the color and texture.

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When I shot this, I was trying to show the musician’s emotions. However, the participant felt there wasn’t enough contrast for his face to be predominate. I need to figure out how to darken the tent top.

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I put this one in because I happen to love it and it didn’t get great play on Facebook when I posted it. I wanted to know why and what I could do to make it better. The participant loved it as much as I do, but she noticed the neon open sign in the window furthest away. Can you see it? She thought it was distracting. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed it until she mentioned it!

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This, from near Sedona, AZ, was liked because of the action and depth of field. I thought it might be too busy, but the participant didn’t think so.

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I showed this one because I almost didn’t process it. I thought the vertical orientation made it too tight. The participant thought so also. He thought a horizontal orientation would have shown more of the landscape, giving the viewer an idea of the image’s context. I agree. However, I do like the texture of the wood and grasses.

So there you have it–a glimpse of what we do during an All About Photography meeting. And, to top off the meeting, the former District 39 Photographer told me how much he enjoyed my pictures and thought I had a great eye for composition.

It’s going to possibly rain again tomorrow, so I’ll be busy processing this week’s Tuesday With Seniors photo outing.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

Taking a different course: Plymouth and Fiddletown, California

It was Tuesday with seniors. I was still hobbling. it was the three of us me, Marlene and Greg. But, we took a different course into Plymouth and Fiddletown.

I’ve been to Plymouth, but not to photograph the sights. We used to square dance and went to a yearly festival there. And, just the name Fiddletown was attraction enough for me. So off we went, with Greg taking us down every back road he knew! I was still in the back seat with my foot up.

Plymouth is a city in Amador County, and the 2010 census shows a population of 1,005. This is a very small town with the downtown area maybe three blocks long. It looks like they are trying to create an upscale yet old look with new construction on the main street.

This is in contrast to Fiddletown where the main drag shows buildings empty and almost falling down. A census designated community in Amador County, Fiddletown’s population was 235 as of the 2010 census. It  is registered as a California Historical Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. But, it has a charm to it.

Our guide, Greg, also took us to D-Agonstini Reservoir which I thought was a large pond! And we had crossed the county line into El Dorado County. I’m sure I mentioned in a previous post that you never know where you’ll end up when Greg is driving!

So that’s where our course took us last week. See for yourself in this two-part post.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

How we learn: The rest of Amador County

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.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Tuesdays with seniors: Part two of Amador County

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.