I don’t like to garden. However, I did inherit a small rose garden when we bought this house. I do like roses and somehow through their growing season, I get out there and trim them.
This post is short and sweet. Here are pictures of the first roses in my garden this year.
I also inherited a small iris garden which bloomed the first year we moved and nothing since–until now 4 years later. I’ve got two plants blooming. I’m wondering if the rest bloom whether I will get different colors like I saw at Horton’s Iris Garden last week.
I’ll be posting the pictures from Horton’s next week. So get ready for more beauty!
While I don’t enjoy driving on curvy roads, I do like photographing these roads that meander and bring our vision into a photograph. This week Ann-Christine is asking us to post images of curves. I look for curves in most of my compositions.
I’ve chosen to sort through my 2020 archives. I love trees and the way the trunk bends, branches bend and leaves hang.
California State Capitol World Peace GardenU. C. Davis ArboretumEffie Yeaw
My exception from 2020 images is this one taken recently at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. This museum’s architecture is amazing with curves and lines. You’ll be seeing more in coming posts.
There are curves, man made and nature made, all around us. Thank you Ann-Christine for helping us become aware of the softness around us. When you post your curves please link to Ann-Christine’s post and tag Lens-Artists so we can find you in the reader. Amy will be presenting next week’s challenge.
I’m happiest when I have my macro lens on my camera. Yes, I love macro and close up photography. But Patti is correct in this week’s challenge of getting close and closer. Getting close to the subject changes the story slightly. My images are cropped sections of a larger area, but I believe the feeling is the same.
To begin, we visited the Manetti Shrem Museum, an art museum on the U. C. Davis campus. More than what’s inside, I love the exterior. All the lines and angles. They can also be found inside. The first image shows some of the exterior as seen from the hall in the museum. The second photo is cropped in to show more of the detail in the metal. The shadows also add design to the image.
The second set shows a winter scene at Donner Lake. Photographed from the roadside, the long, curved driveway invites the viewer toward the home. I drastically cropped in the image to show the window and its reflection which creates a design of its own. I’m glad we can crop in a photo and respect the owner’s property.
Next we have a path at Fort Ross on the California Coast. Uncropped it shows a winding path leading through a tree umbrella. Cropped, the focus is on the detail of the trees.
Last we have an old farm building. This was taken at one of the Yolo Art and Ag Project farm visits. In the landscape a photographer is taking a picture of the same building. In the close up, I focused on the window. Processing it in black and white added a more realistic quality to the age of the building. Do you think the photographer was doing the same thing?
Thank you Patti for showing us how getting closer can change the look, feel and story of an image. And thank you Tina for encouraging us to find our oddest ends last week. Next week, Ann-Christine will lead our challenge. Please remember to link to Patti’s post and tag Lens-Artists so we can find your post in the WordPress Reader.
This challenge is a challenge for me because I don’t typically keep photos that don’t make it into my blog posts. Maybe I’m too good of a housekeeper! But, I do have one, only because I did a post, forgetting that I hadn’t finished editing. So for Tina’s challenge this week, here is a macro image of an orchid from Green Acres Nursery.
And I did find this one of a flamingo’s rear that I don’t think made it into a Sacramento Zoo post. Let’s just call it “art!”
And here are some true odds and ends I did find in my archives. First the lumber jack from the LumberJacks restaurant and a metal chicken sculpture nearby. These were taken while out with my friend Marlene. We were looking for a metal horse sculpture. Never found it.
I must include these photos from 2020 just before the pandemic hit because I haven’t been able to get good photographs of almond blossom trees since. In 2021 we had a BIG wind storm before we were supposed to go out to photograph an orchard, and all the blossoms were blown off the trees. This year we were one week too late.
I’ll end with an iris from my garden. The plant bloomed one year in 2020 and never again!
Thanks Tina, from now on I’ll leave some Odds and Ends as I process.
Thank you all for participating in Karina’s (Murtagh’s Meadows) Special Places challenge last week. It was interesting to visit your special places. Next week Patti will host the challenge.
I’ve not been feeling well, but I wanted to get our with my camera. Where to go that’s close? Maybe somewhere I can do macro photography. Of course, Green Acres Nursery in Citrus Heights! And it’s about 10 minutes from my home. I met Marlene there and we set out for some photo penicillin.
I like this particular Green Acres because their flowers are under shade and easier to photograph. We stayed about an hour and then went out for lunch. A short but sweet visit. Here are some images from that trip.
It’s great to have such a wonderful garden nursery nearby that allows photographers to take photos. Thanks Green Acres!
Oh my, how do you choose your special place and why is it special? Karina of Murtagh’s Meadows is asking just that.
After thinking and thinking I realized a place that is so special to me that I want to return. Disneyland! Yes, Disneyland!! I just love that retreat into a world of fantasy and wonder. I even did a speech at my Toastmasters club on it. Let’s go back to the beginning of my fascination with Disneyland.
My introduction to this fantasy world was at age 15 1/2 in 1959. Mom and I had just moved to Los Angeles from the Bronx, NY. My aunt took me and my cousins to see this magical place. Now, just imagine my world had just been a few square blocks in the Bronx. I had no idea of what was beyond. We did get to the Bronx Zoo and Botanical Gardens but that was about it. If Los Angeles gave me culture shock, just imagine what Disneyland did!
At that time, it was still new and much smaller, but I was on overwhelm and was hooked. As a mother, I took my boys out of school once a year to have fun at Disneyland. We got there when the park opened and left when they closed the gates.
My love for the park never changed. One sweet memory was when Richard and I went on our own in 2006–no kids. I had to see Mickey Mouse. My collection of Mickeys is a story for another blog. We stood on line outside Mickey’s house in Toon Town with all the other parents and kids. After what seemed forever, we got to Mickey. “Where’s the kid?” His helper called out. “Here I am,” I yelled. This is the result.
Later that year, I went to the park again with my oldest daughter-in-law and grandkids. This time we stayed at one of the Disney hotels. No waiting on line to have my picture taken with Mickey.
Christopher, Minnie and MadisonAnne, Mickey and Teresa
In 2010 my friends Sandy, Gloria and I went to Disneyland. It was a 2-day stay which was long enough for us. My interest in photography hadn’t taken hold yet but I did get one reflection with my point and shoot.
From left, me, Gloria and Sandy. I still have that T-shirt!
Now for the trip of a lifetime for a Disney fan–six days at Disney World in Orlando. In 2014, our kids were attending a trade show in Orlando for the family company. With Richard retired, he and I entertained the grandkids once the trade show started. I was armed with my D3100 and enjoyed taking pictures of the grands. It was a long time since I saw a Disney park through a child’s eyes.
Ryan and OlivaRyan, Anne and OliviaGreg, Ryan, Olivia, Jessicaand AnneShe wasn’t tall enough for the ride so she got a special treat.The ride Olivia wasn’t tall enough for.The grands and Mickey and Minnie.
While Disney World was unforgettable, Disneyland is still my favorite. I keep talking about going back, but I also keep getting older. The park is also getting more expensive! But, whether I get back there or not, Disneyland will always be my special place.
Thank you Karina for bringing me back at least in spirit. When you tell us about your special place, remember to link to Karina’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag to help us find you. Next week Tina takes the lead with her Odds and Ends challenge.
Of course what is interesting is in the eye of the beholder. What I find interesting are landscapes, macros, architecture but seldom objects. However, sometimes things catch my eye and I can’t resist. This week, Patti encourages to photograph or go through our archives for those objects that we absolutely needed to photograph.
For instance this old bellows camera I spotted at the Antique Trove. The flash has been made into a light source of a different kind.
When taken in context, this sign at the Folsom Prison Museum had me thinking, “Duh!” These old handcuffs must have been totally uncomfortable.
This sign as you enter the small town of Mokelumne Hill will certainly have you slow down!
A restaurant in Napa had a sense of humor when it came to identifying their restrooms.
When we visit farms during the summer months, there’s usually a pile of discarded equipment left to the elements. I love rust and all the colors it gives objects. I think these may have been some sort of stakes.
One of my favorite places to visit is Old Sacramento. On one outing I noticed this gate.
Finally, while these are not unusual; for my photographic eye, they were positioned just right. I’ve posted them in this blog before. So, some of you may know what they are. If you don’t, can you guess?
Thanks Patti for this fun exercise! I had a great time seeing all your double dipping posts last week and look forward to seeing what Ann-Christine has in store for us next week. Please be sure to link your posts this week to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artist tag. Until next week!
Yes, I’m still back in December 2021. On the 27th to be exact! Donna and I went out locally to photograph some Christmas lights. The conditions that night were perfect: not too cold and clear.
Last year I had some trouble with my Fujifilm camera. It was the first time using it for this function and I couldn’t get the lighting right. This year I knew it was okay to pump up the ISO. What a difference! This camera handles a high ISO so much better than my Nikon 7100 did.
Here are some of the results. Now pay attention to some of the snow men!
Did you see the great robbery in progress? And the robber’s weapon? If not, look again! As you can see, I also had fun with some slow shutter speed and zooming the lens. Thanks for visiting!
Things happen and sometimes get us off track. I realized that I haven’t been keeping up with my personal posts that I do on Wednesdays. So….I’ll make up for lost time.
Mather Lake is a small lake, and part of the Sacramento Regional Parks System, at the southern end of Sacramento. It’s a great place to photograph swans and other small wildlife like beavers, etc. So I said I’d go and crossed my fingers, hoping there would be swans more in the middle of the lake so I could capture them with my 300 mm lens.
Again, I will thank my friend Ray who made me a short monopod for my heavy lens. Wow, what a difference! We walked around the lake and I was happy. There were many Mute Swans, and some were by the shore! Here’s some of what I captured.
We didn’t see any other critters, but I was happy with these swans. I think they are so graceful in the water. On our way back to our cars, I spotted a juvenile swan. I looked it up and it was a juvenile. It was by itself so maybe it was mature enough to be on its own.
This is not my “Swan Song.” There will be more catching up posts, in addition to my regular LAPC weekly post, soon.
Happy New Year everyone! Tina is asking us to post our favorites from 2021. It’s nice to have that in the past! Hopefully this year, we will move on to a more normal situation. What has gotten me through the last 2 years is photography. I’ve enjoyed going on photo outings with my friends, who have remained healthy and COVID free. Our small photo pod goes out once a week. I’m thinking lunch after our shoot is probably what we look forward to also.
And each week I would anxiously wait for our challenge each Saturday. Not only is posting here fun, I’ve learned so much from comments and seeing all your posts. This year, I’m honored and delighted to become part of the Lens-Artists team along with Sofia Alves of Photographias, and John Steiner of Journeys with Johnbo. We are joining Tina, Amy, Patti and Ann-Christine who have brought us fun challenges in past years. Thank you all for your dedication and hard work.
So, back to my favorites. The first two are lotus. Each year the William Land Park in Sacramento brings forth these beauties. I decided to take the chance and do a black & white of one of them. The other is in color.
I entered the McKinley Park Rose Garden contest last year. The roses were turning brown, and I just didn’t think my images would win against other images taken a week before. This rose won first prize.
While at the Mother Lode Fair in Sonora, this clown stuck his face right at my lens. Of course I didn’t send him away. This will be entered in this year’s photo contest at the fair.
Each year Sacramento hosts “Chalk It Up.” This is my favorite from that morning. It seems like the child is actually in the water. The artist is still working on it. The second photo is a slow shutter shot at a small fair in a Citrus Heights Mall parking lot.
Next we have the back view of the Bourn Cottage in the Empire Mine State Historic Park in Nevada City. And also the ceiling in a restaurant that burned down a few weeks after my photo pod and I ate lunch there! I can’t go back for another shot!
Coming into the Holiday season last year, Donna and I, at the last minute, because it wasn’t raining, to photograph Christmas light displays. I do like to have fun zooming. The photos are handheld.
Last are photos from my trip to the Sacramento Zoo on December 30. I’m still in the processing stage, but I thought these were worth posting now. The flamingo is sleeping, but opens its eye. Maybe it felt the camera’s presence?
Thank you Tina for prompting me to look through last year’s outings.
Again it’s a pleasure to be a part of the LAPC team along with Tina, Patti, Amy, Ann-Christine and new members Sofia and John. I’m looking forward to seeing all your favorites. Next week Tina will be presenting the challenge. Be sure to tag Lens Artists when you post.
Slow Shutter Speed 