enjoying photography – Page 26

Posted on May 14, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

More macro: Sacramento Historical City Cemetery, part 2

When I promise, I deliver. This is part two of my fun morning at the Sacramento Historical City Cemetery. This cemetery is known by another name: The Old City Cemetery. And, because of its historical nature, volunteer tours are given on weekends and various holidays. The who was who of Sacramento are buried here.

What I find interesting, besides the beautiful flowers, are the grave stones and monuments. Some are simple and some ornate. On my first visit there, I found one that simply said: “Our Baby.” Life spans are given in years, months and days. If you’re a history buff, you’ll find it here.

Maybe that’s why the City in its misguided effort is trying to take away the roses to present history as they think it was. But that would take away the beautiful attraction to the cemetery. This move is being fought by the volunteers who planted the gardens surrounding the grave sites. I’ll keep you posted on their effort.

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the pictures. And, as promised in a prior post, I just sent in an order to have five of my black and white images printed!

Purple in all shades dominated the gardens.

This grave site is simply beautiful. Was the palm tree there historically?

I love the red flowers.

Soft in its beauty.

The head stones were beautifully engraved. This one, a sad loss.

Can you imagine these stones without flowers?

Some of the history: The son of Alexander Hamilton is buried here.

Getting close with the macro lens.

A lone flower waits for friends to bloom.

It takes two bugs to do this flower justice.

Another grave made beautiful with a floral addition.

I loved the colors of these.

More macro.

Another bee.

Pretty pink.

Beautiful rose.

A grave site needing attention.

Posted on May 6, 2016May 6, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Old and new: the Sacramento Zoo

What’s old is my new F4; 300 mm lens. Meaning, I bought a used lens. In fact all of my cameras and lenses were bought used/factory refurbished except for my D7100 body. I buy used from reputable sites and make sure the gear comes with a 90-day or 6-month warranty. That way, I’m not taking chances.

My goal in purchasing this new lens was to make it easier to catch wildlife at preserves and get through the cages at the zoo. For such limited use, I didn’t want to spend $1,900. Spending $380. was a much better option.

I haven’t tested the new lens at a wildlife preserve, but I did take it to the Sacramento Zoo. It performed well mounted on my monopod. As long as the animal was not right up front, it was easy to focus beyond the cage and onto the animal.

So far, I’m happy. The only problem with a fixed lens of 300 mm is that you’re stuck with the focal length unless you keep switching lenses or carry two cameras. I didn’t want to do either, so you’ll see many close ups! This next week, I’ll try to test it at the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area. If it performs well, then I’ll be totally happy.

Another day brought Marlene and I back to the zoo after one of our Tuesday outings. This time I only had my 18 – 140 mm lens–the opposite problem of carrying a prime telephoto! I’ll show you images from both visits in this post.

And yes, I bought the 18 – 140 mm as a factory refurbished lens and have been totally happy with this versatile walk around lens.

The snow leopard was close to the cage, but I was able to get her without the cage interfering.

She was really close this time making for a severe crop to remove the cage from the picture.

I would like to think this is a roar, but she was just yawning.

The lion finally decided to pose.

While his mate just relaxed.

This was the most difficult cage to shoot through. Bird cages are thicker that other cages and this guy was more towards the front.

Orangutan close up!

I couldn’t get all the zebra in the shot.

Now I’m shooting with the 18 – 140 mm lens on a different day. Since I usually use a long lens at the zoo, it was a treat to get the entire flamingo in the shot.

These are the Red River Hogs’ hogletts.

You can see how tiny they are in comparison to their parent.

I could also get the giraffes in full action.

This hungry guy was born with a bum hip.

So, he’s been fitted with a special shoe and receives meds and a special diet.

He does like his food. He wouldn’t have survived in the wild.

Here’s Rocket the new baby giraffe. He’s not old enough to be with the others. He and his mom stay behind this fence in what the zoo calls the quiet area. This is where a telephoto lens would have come in handy!

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Printing my pictures: Back to Effie Yeaw Nature Center

I’ve reached another plateau in my photographic journey–I’m beginning to print my photos and hang them in my home. I’ve got three metal prints on the walls now: a 6 x 9 and two 8 x 12 inches. I’m also preparing five black and whites to be printed as 8 x 10 inches. Next I’ll work on my close up and macro flowers. It’s time to do this.

I’m thinking the more I see my printed pictures, the more confidence I’ll get to enter a contest. This whole journey is a process–at least for me. I was chatting with another photographer via Facebook regarding entering a contest. She is entering an image in the California State Fair contest. It’s a great image that tells a great story. She said that I should enter. I said I wasn’t ready. She suggested some of the various county fair competitions. I may do that this summer.

In the meantime, our Tuesday group visited Effie Yeaw Nature Center. I’ve shown you pictures from there before, but you never see the same thing twice. There’s always new discoveries. And, now that Marlene and I bought a membership, you’ll see a lot more of Effie Yeaw.

From Effie Yeaw to wherever my camera takes me, I’ll take you along on this amazing photographic journey.

The trees at Effie Yeaw are so expressive.

They bend with the wind.

Turkeys are happy residents.

This one is showing off.

This young buck knows this is a safe place.

At least they are safe from man.

They are used to us.

Effie Yeaw sits on the American River.

From Caterpillar.

To butterfly.

Or maybe even two.

I love the texture and color in fallen tree limbs.

I haven’t seen a coyote at Effie Yeaw before.

It’s poppy time.

This is a resident owl who lives behind glass in the Nature Center’s office area. They have a lot of programs for schools.

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Of rocks and open space: Griffith Quarry and Traylor Bird Sanctuary and Preserve

It was hot! It seemed like summer had arrived. By the time our Camera Totin’ Tuesdays group arrived at the Griffith Quarry, the sun was baking us. I don’t carry a backpack because I just can’t handle the weight on my shoulders and back. This is just another problem of starting this hobby as a senior with certain health issues. I’ve solved the problem by wearing a vest that’s stuffed with all my stuff. Not all are like me though. We have Tom and Jim who are a year older and have been shooting for more than 30 years are more physically fit than me.

Back to the sun. Fortunately, the quarry, a registered California Historical Landmark that was a granite quarry, was mostly in shade. I guess I was expecting more, but then expectations are sometimes not met. However, I did get some good images. This is a lesson on looking for things in the not so best of circumstances. I’m learning from the experienced members. I watch, listen and then follow example. Jim is especially helpful in pointing out opportunities and how best to capture them.

While two in our party decided to call it a morning after the quarry, four of us moved on to the Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary. This is a park has 90 acres for Equestrian and hiking Trails, and is a bird Sanctuary and wildlife reserve. I really want to go back there in the winter when there’s more chance of catching wildlife and birds. We didn’t see much of either. I was carrying my 18 – 140 mm lens which couldn’t capture the few birds that were high and far away. Needless to say, we stayed only about an hour and then rewarded ourselves with a delicious lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

Lesson learned, bring two lenses or carry two cameras. Go with great people who are fun and informative. Also, go out early or late during the hot weather. Whew!

The view as we entered the quarry.

An old rustic fence.

David went to get a closer look. There’s still some granite left in the quarry.

I liked the way the sun was hitting on the mossy rocks.

More sun lit rocks.

The view from on top.

Flower close up.

Rock formation creates a look through.

In the Nature Preserve, Wildflowers through the fence.

Flower close up.

Strong shadows.

Horse and rider with Tom and Jim.

This bench was in the shade. Nice!

Expressive tree.

Armed with his DSLR, and telephoto lens, Jim uses his camera phone for a wide-angle shot.

Just a nice scene.

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Helping nature create beauty: Crystal Hermitage Gardens, part 2

So many times we see where humankind has destroyed nature, so it’s refreshing to see where we’ve given nature a little help. The residents and members of Ananda Village have done a tremendous job on this years tulip garden. Last post I showed you the flowers, in this post, I’ll show you more of the garden view.

But first, I’m giving you a brief introduction about this amazing place. Ananda Village is a cooperative spiritual community dedicated to the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, and they celebrated their 45th anniversary in 2014. People of all ages live there, enjoying the beauty in service and meditation. They share devotion to God through the path of Kriya Yoga.

The Crystal Hermitage Gardens is the spiritual heart of Ananda Village. Visitors enjoy the beautiful terraced gardens and vistas. There is also a small chapel where workshop attendees can meditate. The gardens are open for weddings, workshops and other events. You can also attend workshops through Ananda Village’s programming.

Whether you’re a photographer or just want to enjoy some time away from your hectic life, you’ll find what you’re looking for here where nature gets a helping hand. Now the for images!

is the spiritual heart of Ananda Village. Visitors enjoy the beautiful terraced gardens and vistas. There is also a small chapel where workshop attendees can meditate. The gardens are open for weddings, workshops and other events. You can also attend workshops through Ananda Village’s programming.

Whether you’re a photographer or just want to enjoy some time away from your hectic life, you’ll find what you’re looking for here where nature gets a helping hand. Now the for images!

Posted on April 23, 2016April 23, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Someone’s in the kitchen:Crystal Hermitage Gardens

Right now there’s 35 matzo balls boiling on the stove, a turkey roasting in the roaster and chicken soup cooling on the counter. I’m in the kitchen to make sure there’s enough water in the stock pots so the matzo balls don’t burn. They can when the water gets low; I’ve done it before!

Happy Passover to all of you who celebrate the holiday also. It’s late this year. I look back at this holiday with fondness. I remember my entire maternal family gathered around my grandparents long table, my grandfather reading the entire hagadah (story) in Hebrew, and the rest of us reading from mismatched hagadahs just to keep busy. It seemed like agony then, but now, if I could only go back. After my grandparents passed, Passover was never the same.

I have tried to create my own holiday tradition for my children and grandchildren. I hope that my older grandchildren will create a tradition for their families when that occurs.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the Crystal Hermitage Gardens which are located in Ananda Village located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Grass Valley, California.

The Exploring Photography Meetup group organized a visit to these beautiful gardens to photograph the amazing variety of tulips planted. I can’t imagine the effort it took to create this beauty for residents and garden visitors. This will be a two-part post because I have many images to show you. Today, I’ll show you the flowers. Most are tulips and there are some others.

No captions again. I’m way too busy in the kitchen preparing my portion for a pot-luck Seder with friends!

Posted on April 19, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Sometimes the animals don’t cooperate: The Sacramento Zoo

They are just like kids—when they don’t want to do something, they won’t. I’m talking about the zoo animals. Remember, I warned you that since I’m a zoo member now, I would be going there more often. The Tuesday group went there recently, and the animals were not cooperative.

I could see the lion looking out the door of its interior enclosure, but she didn’t come out. The red panda stayed behind the bushes since it was busy eating. The snow leopard was too close to the front of her cage so the lens couldn’t get passed the bars and the orangutans were nowhere to be seen. I could go on and on. But you do take your chances when you visit the zoo.

However the pelicans put on a show when they tried to get a duck out of their swim spot. The gorillas were grooming each other, and an unusual duck walked by.

Through this, I’m learning a valuable lesson—patience! To get great animal pictures you have to watch and wait. I hope to apply this to all my shoots. I’m at the point where I want to take my photography from good to great and the zoo is a wonderful place to practice. I’m also hoping the new, used lens I just ordered will help me have that patience and see it pay off!

These guys believe in cleanliness.

Sometimes it’s a stretch to get the yummy parts.

Overlooking her domain.

She’s thinking about coming out.

Look straight into her eye.

The leopard finally got back further in her cage so I could get her.

Here she is again.

The beauty of the flamingo.

Baby ducks.

Most of the other flamingos were on the other side.

It was nice to be able to capture just a few.

This is one unusual duck!

These pelicans are territorial.

This one is trying to scare off a duck.

Just posing.

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

When photographers say goodbye: Bodega Bay

Memorials are for the living, and this one was a long time coming–with good reason. Photographers from the Sacramento Photographers Facebook group had gone to Bodega Bay in April 2015, and my deceased photo buddy Greg Morris was among them. This trip turned out to be great but not without stumbling blocks that bonded the group. Greg had a flat tire and another photographer locked his keys in the car.

Greg had always said that he did not want a funeral or memorial, but on the anniversary weekend of their fun and problematic trip, the group planned this outing as a memorial to Greg. Marlene and I were also invited. I then invited Greg’s daughters and friend.

It was a wonderful experience. When we got to Goat Rock Beach the photographers quickly got into action. We placed flowers we brought on a large rock surface. Then some gathered small rocks and spelled out his name. They all gathered around and spoke about how Greg affected their lives. Then, they did what photographers do best, and what Greg would want them to do, took pictures.

I gathered Greg’s family and some flowers, and asked them to come down to the beach to throw the buds into the ocean. I felt the family needed some sort of closure. I know I did.

After lunch, we went to Bodega Head beach to shoot some more and then headed home. I did practice some more with my ND filter, but it was too bright out there. I’ll have to get to the beach earlier or later for that, meaning an overnight stay.

I hope you enjoy this memorial trip as much as I did. I hope Greg didn’t mind!

We gathered at this market.

Making Greg’s memorial.

Completed.

Northern California beaches are rocky.

My flowers kept coming and going with the waves.

Waves hit the rocky shore.

The wind and waves sent a watery mist over the photographers.

At lunch.

Vanessa, the bird whisperer feeding the gulls french fries.

The “stairs” going down to Bodega Head Beach.

A beautiful beach.

Wonderful California shoreline.

On the way home we stopped at several places.

Farms and countryside vistas.

Ocean weathered homes.

And finally, the setting sun.

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Almost caught up: Going home from the Sonora area

Yes, I just have this week to edit and then I’ll be caught up. But, that won’t happen before our next outing! I went on two shoots this week–fun, fun, fun. It will be even longer before you get to see the images from my adventures. So much to do and so little time.

I’m delving more into the Nik software. It’s fun and not too difficult to figure out. However, I need to pay more attention to Photoshop which is intimidating and not so easy to figure out. So I’m going to challenge myself to learn layers next. Someone keep me to it!

While I’m pledging my time to software, this post is about our trip back to Sacramento from Sonora. Some people would just go home; not me and Marlene. We decided to take many back roads. I wasn’t worried as long as we were going north and west. We found Copperopolis , Farmington and Lockeford after leaving our hosts and Tuolumne City.

This drive was fun, but eventually we had to find the highway and head home. It was a great tip. Thanks again Sandy and Ken!

Old and abandoned in Tuolumne.

Tuolumne fire department.

A large furnace in Tuolumne.

The saloon was an add on to a lodge.

An old theater in Tuolumne.

The Farmington fire house.

The Farmington general store.

View from a vista spot.

This overlook was beautiful.

So glad we stopped.

Lockford is a larger town.

I liked this building’s design.

An old clock.

Door, window and reflections.

A Pawn Shop. Should have gone in!

Posted on April 11, 2016April 11, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

No time to edit: Day 3 in the Sonora area

The more I shoot, the further behind I get in editing! Right now I’ve got three photo outings still to edit, and I’m going out to shoot tomorrow. The more I understand what processing software can do and the more I load onto my computer, the longer it takes me to edit individual images.

And, then there’s the fact that I’m shooting better images–more to edit. I’m getting better at tossing out a lot of them and getting more critical of my work. I’m at the point of saying to myself, “If someone else posted this, would I think it was outstanding?”

I guess it’s great to have this problem! And, it’s great to have friends like Sandy and Ken who devoted two days to taking me and Marlene on a fantastic photo journey. Today’s post is on our journey to Cherry Lake on Cottonwood Road and on Highway 120. We opted to skip visiting Yosemite because of rain in the Park. But, we were near it, and Ken probably drove many more miles.

Those miles took us to Cherry Lake a man-made lake about 25 miles east of Sonora. This lake is large and is a favorite for boating, etc. It was effected by the Rim Fire in August 2013. You’ll see some of that devastation in my images.

We also stopped at Rainbow Pool where I practiced again with my neutral density filter. Sandy and Ken hadn’t been up as far as Cherry Lake so it was an adventure for all of us. After lunch, we visited Columbia State Historic Park. Set in an old the old Gold Rush era of the 1950s, Columbia is a real town that has been preserved with shops, restaurants, and hotels.

We enjoyed the day and reliving it through the editing process–shoot, edit, post. That’s my life and I love it.