Posted on by Anne Sandler · 14 Comments

Competition and education: The Motherload Fair

For years I’ve been looking at my friends’ (Sandy and Ken) ribbons attached to their photographs. They participate in the Motherload Fair, Sonora, photo competition. It’s a small fair and I asked them to let me know when the next one was happening. That was about 2 years ago. A pandemic interfered. But this year they suddenly decided that with California opening up, the fair would happen.

So I entered seven pictures in various categories. The entry fee was $1 per picture. I did say it was a small fair!

Sandy and Ken print and mat their own images and I drove down for a lesson in printing and matting. I did learn a great deal. First, matting is no easy task. I did one mat and Sandy did the rest. I’ve decided that in the future, I would print out a standard size and buy a standard mat! I don’t have Sandy’s math abilities or patience! I also bought a printer just like hers. Richard has already printed out one of his astrophotography pictures. So that’s the education.

When Ken brought in our entries, he was amazed at the lack of pictures. The Fair staff said that there wasn’t a lot entered this year. Now for the competition. Of the seven, I had four first place images with one of them being best of division, one second place image and two honorable mentions. Sandy took best in show and others. Ken’s won many ribbons also.

Here are my first place images:

Since this was my first time to this fair, I brought my camera. Well, I always bring my camera! Here are some captures that are captioned.

  • This clown had no problem getting in front of my lens!
  • The fairway to the rides and animals.
  • In the exhibit hall, this amazing quilt!
  • Fair food. We had tri-tip sandwiches.
  • The merry-go-round.
  • This was the first day and not crowded.
  • Bathing the cows.
  • They don’t seem to mind.
  • Do pigs always sleep?
  • I’ve never seen a chicken like this one!
  • A sweet goat.
  • Another variety.
  • The Ferris Wheel.
  • This band was a Creedence Clearwater tribute band.
  • They played well and had people dancing.
  • Even a mom and son.
  • Under the purple evening lights.
  • Nighttime camera zooming.
  • These were hand held.
  • No tripod.

Sandy and Ken are already talking about next year. Will I enter?

Finally, here’s Sandy’s Best in Show image. It’s hard to see because of all the ribbons!!

I’m sure I have more to learn. Maybe next year!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #155: On the Water

Sacramento may be called the “City of Trees” but a truer name would be “River City!” Or maybe Rivers City for the two main rivers that run through Sacramento. In addition, there are many creeks. Cripple Creek runs through my community. If we travel an hour or two, we can visit water areas in the Bay Area.

So, John, it’s a pleasure to take your challenge on! I love living here so close to the rivers, creeks and ponds. But as my images will show, there are many aspects to water around here.

How about the San Francisco Bay shore line where many water fowl are present. This one was photographed while walking the Marina Bay Trail which is a short 1.7 miles. If I still had my bird book (lost when I moved), I could probably ID it for you.

We also have water in fountains. This one was photographed in Tiburon while waiting for the ferry to Angel Island.

The city of San Francisco seen from Treasure Island also gives us a great bay view.

Putah Creek runs through the UC Davis Arboretum, attracting all sorts of water birds. Here we see a great egret.

And then there are ponds. We found this on on private property, and yes we asked if we could photograph it.

Rain water leaves puddles behind that capture wonderful reflections.

Water can also hide hidden treasure. My friend Ken is gold panning near a river.

Last we have the Spirit of Sacramento. She’s an old paddle boat that got stranded when the Sacramento River receded. Once after a lot of rain, I saw her in water. She hasn’t been moved in ages.

So there you have some of the water examples in and near Sacramento. Thank you John for this fun challenge. Next week I’ll be hosting a Black and White challenge. Take care and have a great week.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #154: One Photo, Two Ways

Years ago while taking pictures, with a small point and shoot, at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado, Richard asked me why I was squatting. I truly didn’t know photography then, but I knew that to get a better picture I needed to get down low. In her challenge this week, Tina is asking us to look at the same scene in different ways.

I’ve gone back into my archives to 2019, and found two instances where my changing distance, angle and perspective changed the image. First are the tulips at the Crystal Hermitage Gardens, Ananda Village. Just walking to face the flower while standing up changed the image. The picture on the left was lower to capture the sun and texture of the leaves.

Some more flowers. Sunflowers. Here we have a total landscape of the sunflowers. How beautiful and happy they look. Now coming in as close as we can without going into the field and changing orientation, a busy bee took the spotlight. The third image shows a little more of the bee’s habitat. And the last shows a side view of a sunflower opening.

For my last example, I chose a recent outing to the Salmon Falls Bridge, Pilot Hill, only seen during a drought and when the river bed is low. First, a full landscape view showing the river bed and bridge in the distance. Then close to the bridge. And finally a close up of the bridge itself. Each tells a story.

Thank you Tina for giving us this fun challenge!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 8 Comments

Twice is nice: Crocker Art Museum

With Sacramento County opening up, we took the opportunity to visit the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento–not once, but twice! We wanted to see and photograph the Tiffany Glass exhibition from the Driehaus Collection.

Even though they are open, you have to reserve your spot. We were lucky. Our small camera group got tickets for the once a month free museum day in Sacramento! But our luck ran out because the Tiffany Glass exhibition wasn’t due until the following week. But the Museum is interesting in itself. It has two distinct parts: original and old and new and modern.

Here are pictures of the original and the new buildings. They are cleverly joined together so patrons can walk from one to the other without going outside.

Now I’ll show you some of the architecture inside the buildings. First let’s look at the old side. Rich wood and ornate moldings bring you into a page of history.

  • The ceilings are ornate.
  • Another ceiling in the ballroom.
  • Looking into the ballroom.
  • The ballroom.
  • Beautiful staircase.
  • Entry.
  • Beautiful furniture and art.

Now for the new more modern addition.

  • Sculptures in the main hall.
  • View from the second floor.
  • If the cafe were open, people would dine here.
  • This is a projected, moving image on a stairwell wall.
  • Chandelier in the entry way

But what about the Tiffany exhibition? We did go back the following week. Paid to get in and were told after we took a few shots, that we were not allowed to take pictures! At least the guard let us get some pictures before he shut us down.

I’m going to end this post with a painting I thought was amazing. I don’t think my photo can convey the emotion it evokes and its artistry.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 18 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #152: Shade and Shadows

Before Ann Christine posted this challenge, I hadn’t thought of the difference between shade and shadow. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered whether we sit in the shade of the tree or the shadow cast by the tree! Here’s a definition I found on line, “Shade is the darkness of an object not in direct light, while shadows are the silhouette of an object’s shape on another surface. Created by the same light, shades and shadows react differently, and both influence how one perceives space, color, and feeling.”

Here, some trees cast their shadows to give us shade!

This is building situated so it casts shade.

Here mushrooms grow in the shade. As the sun almost intrudes.

In these examples, shadows create patterns. We photographers love patterns!

Lastly, the sun helps two buildings to cast both shade and shadows.

    So which comes first, the shadow or shade? Only the sun knows. Thanks Ann Christine!

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 15 Comments

    A wonderful day trip with Alyse: Pacific Grove

    It’s a good thing I always take my camera with me when I travel out of the Sacramento area. Typically, when I visit Alyse in San Jose, I will photograph the beautiful flowers in her neighborhood while I walk. We also go to the movies, which I seldom do at home. This trip in May, she wanted to take me to Pacific Grove. She said she would sketch while I photographed. An artist, Alyse hasn’t drawn or painted anything in years. I was delighted that she would be sketching.

    As always, Pacific Grove was beautiful. It was the weekend and Alyse and I weren’t the only ones there! So, I tried to incorporate them into the pictures. You may have seen some of these images in a recent Lens-Artist post challenge on Blue and Green. In that post I promised that there would be more photos because I had just edited a few.

    The Pacific Grove coastline is so lovely that I don’t think you’ll mind seeing a few pictures again! But I’ll try not to duplicate.

    • This tree attracted my attention even though the lighting was terrible.
    • Visitors on a stretch of sandy beach.
    • A young girl playing in the ocean’s froth.
    • So many people on the rocks.
    • Alone on the rocks.
    • The tide washes in.
    • The tide goes back out to sea.
    • Alyse posing with a statue featured in my last Pacific Grove blog.
    • The flowers are blooming on the shore.
    • The rocks add texture and character to the scene.
    • Cormorants sunbathing.
    • Not the lone cypress, but alone anyway.
    • The Lone Cypress. It’s supposed to by over 250 years old. It lost a limb in a storm, but has been examined and is okay. This iconic tree is the main attraction along the 17-mile drive.

    I’m glad Alyse and I took this day trip. I have wonderful photographic memories and she has, what I hope to be, a return to doing her art.

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 29 Comments

    Lens Artists Challenge#151: From Large to Small

    Being short, I’d like to think that size doesn’t matter, but Patti says it does! In this week’s challenge, she asks us to pick a color and “Start with a photo of a big subject in that color (for example, a wall) and move all the way down to a small subject in that same color (for example, an earring).”

    I first went out to photograph pink (Not my favorite color, but I inherited them.) roses. I photographed a large one, a medium one and a small one. Then I decided to look through my archives and found something more suitable, and it’s in my favorite color RED. Here we go.

    Large

    Medium

    Small

    Thanks Patti. I guess size does matter!

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 18 Comments

    Poppy field? Not this year! Mokelumne Hill & Jackson

    Maybe we didn’t go far enough last time we went in search of a poppy field. So we drove further south on Highway 49 to Jackson. No poppy field. It was then I decided that there would be no golden orange field for me this year. Little clusters of poppies were along the road. We even went further than Jackson to Mokelumne Hill, a quaint little town that Marlene and I had been to before. No poppy field!

    So here are some pictures from Mokelumne Hill.

    • A spotless Lady Bug?
    • You can’t miss this sign!
    • A quaint small church.
    • I liked the trees in front of this house.
    • Take a nap?
    • The very old part of town.
    • A secret society?
    • These stores were here a few years ago. Nothing changed.
    • So was this wagon.
    • These windows grabbed my attention.
    • A cluster of poppies

    Now on to Jackson and lunch.

    • In an antique store window.
    • How much would you pay for this?
    • A model trailer made from wood.
    • We didn’t go downstairs.
    • Timed reflections.
    • The old courthouse.
    • I’ve taken pictures of this church before. It’s still beautiful.
    • This gentleman was walking with his banjo in a case. He seemed glad to have his picture taken.
    • Cute little dog!
    • I call this picture “Feed Me!” What would you call it?

    Next year will be the year for me to find a poppy field! In the meantime I did have fun taking photos with my photo buddies.

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 33 Comments

    Lens Artists Challenge #149: Cool Colors, Blue and Green

    I am moved by color. I am absolutely drawn to warm colors naturally, but can appreciate the cool colors when nature gives us beautiful green grass and blue skies. This week Tina asks us to feature blues and greens in our posts. It worked out for me since I was in San Jose this weekend, and my dear friend Alyse and I drove down to Pacific Grove. She sketched while I photographed.

    Pacific Grove is on the ocean near Monterey. It’s also the site of the well known Pebble Beach Golf Course and Tournament. So, I found a lot of blues and greens to photograph. I’ve got four images to show you today because that’s all I’ve been able to process.

    Let’s start with our first stop. This area is known for its wind blown Monterey Cypress trees.

    Alyse was sketching this sculpture and the surrounding area. I’m guessing that the exposure to harsh weather and salt helped make it look blue.

    A little further down the road, a group of cormorants were sunbathing on a huge rock. Some more blues and a spot of green.

    Finally, we have an array of color with flowers along this rocky coast.

    I hope to process the rest of the pictures this week. They will be featured in a blog post soon. Thank you Tina for setting us off on a cool color search.

    Posted on by Anne Sandler · 26 Comments

    Lens Artists Challenge #148: Spots and Dots

    Spots and dots? This challenge from Ann Christine put my lack of creativity to a test. Fortunately, I got some ideas from members who posted before me. They do say that imitation is the best form of flattery!

    Animals were shown in a few posts; at least those having spots. So off I went to my Sacramento Zoo archives.

    I also found a dog with spots. Not a dog called spot. I spotted him in one of my tours of a small town. Sorry, I couldn’t resist having some word fun.

    And you’ll never know what you’ll find at IKEA. With a Photoshop filter, I turned a dotted pillow into a swirl with a center dot.

    Every year there are Christmas lights that you can shoot normally or zoom. But they all start out as brightly lit dots.

    Finally, you know how much I love photographing flowers. Whether it’s a macro, showing the stamens or a field dotted with golden poppies, I totally enjoy it.

    This was a fun exercise. Thank you Ann Christine for the challenge!