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If the shoe fits: River Walk, West Sacramento, California

This evening about 3 hours ago, I wore a pair of tennis shoes for the first time in 10 1/2 weeks! And, just in time for the rain!! I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to wear a shoe other than Birkenstocks again. Foot surgery has certainly been a bummer and has had an effect on my photography.

First, I found a difference in my energy level. Second, I had to choose places to shoot that were flat and not rocky. And, third, squatting down was difficult. Now I’m hopeful.

With my problems and Greg’s new physical difficulties, we decided to take the River Walk path in West Sacramento. This is located directly across the Sacramento River from Old Sacramento, and I have wanted to shoot from that side for a long time. While the trail goes for a long way, the River Walk is short and easy to walk, even on the grass areas.

Our bonus for the day was Tuesday’s farmer’s market. It’s so much fun to shoot produce! We were also on hand to capture lunch time as the workers came to enjoy food from the catering truck and some of the food booths.

Next Tuesday, I’ll be wearing my shoes, but I’ll bring along Birkenstocks just in case. Hopefully the shoe will keep fitting and keep my feet in comfort.

 

A view of the I Street Bridge.
This goose was willing to pose for me.
This is the paddle wheel on the Delta King boat.
I just liked the shape of this tree.
The middle of the Tower Bridge seen through
A restaurant and buildings in Sacramento.
The Tower Bridge.
This building belongs to CalSTRS (The teachers union). You can also see the vendors in the Farmer’s Market.
Close up of a chain.
A light pole.
Want to buy some dried fruit?
This weird looking thing is a citrus plant. Sorry, I can’t remember its name.
How about some lettuce? I liked the light shinning on it.
An apple a day….
Back to the river.
It’s lunch time.
Another view of the CaSTRS building.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

From one pond to another: William B. Pond

I’m not saying I’m lazy, but…I do like to keep things close, especially when I’m driving. When we were leaving McKinley Park, Marlene suggested we go to the William B. Pond Recreation Area which was close to where we were going to eat lunch.

This park is named after the first Regional Parks Director, William B. Pond and is a man-made lake. We first went down the stairs to the viewing area. From there we saw the lake, ducks, and geese. The highlight for me was the standoff between two Mallards and their mates. We then walked along the river, shooting puddles and sights.

Before we left, we walked over the bridge for another vantage point and saw to cyclists each on what would be a low profile tricycle. You’ll see the image.

I still can’t believe that I had never been to these two beautiful areas that were so close. Sacramento has a lot to offer in recreation in addition to the American and Sacramento Rivers. It was a day of fun and we didn’t have to drive a distance to get there. Again, I’m not lazy; just practical!

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Down the stairs to the viewing area. Marlene is capturing some alone time.
Sacramento does have Fall Foliage.
On the bridge looking down on a fisherman.
Another beautiful capture. The clouds were awesome.
River view from the bridge.
The cyclists.
Looking at the lake from the viewing area.
Look how calm the lake is to show a mirror reflection.
In flight.
While we were walking along a path.
Here’s Marlene, her shadow and reflection.
The one on the left turned to leave. This took a few minutes. Ducks are stubborn. I’m wondering what it was all about!

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

We follow no map to reach our destination: Apple Hill

Tuesdays with seniors is fun because while we have a destination in mind, with Greg as our guide, we take back roads to get there. And, with photographers, you just have to stop and take photographs as you drive along. The joke is that it takes us twice as long to get anywhere!

The trip up to Apple Hill was no exception. We detoured to visit the American River and the Sailor Bar boat launch. The American and Sacramento rivers wrap around Sacramento and outlying communities. That’s why I love this area. It was amazing that we drove, more or less, straight to Apple Hill after leaving Sailor Bar.

Apple Hill is a seasonal treat where growers have stands, activities for kids, crafting booths and more. You can’t leave the area without eating something made from apples. You can get anything apple. I enjoyed dipping my apple slices in caramel. Yum! Oh, there’s another favorite of mine–kettle corn. Richard is still enjoying his apple pie (I froze slices). And, lastly, there is wine tasting.

But the real attraction for a photographer is the countryside and nearby towns. Take a look!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

A photo a day keeps Anne busy: images here and there!

I’ve learned a lot this year. More than I did in my first two years of shooting. Why did it take me so long? I know the answer. I psyched myself into believing that learning was too difficult. Why did I do that?

I had just closed down my business of writing marketing text and articles, and coaching business owners who wanted to sell their business by speaking engagements. That I knew well and had expertise in. But photography?

When I bought my D3100 and read the manual (I always read manuals!), I was amazed at how complicated digital photography seemed to be. And, that’s how I started out. From there I took baby steps with urging from photographers I met on meetups. Some even challenged me. I took on Jayne’s HDR challenge and was amazed at how easy the software was to use. Why did I wait so long. Shooting RAW instead of JPEG–that took 1 1/2 years! Mary pushed me towards the manual setting. I’ve been shooting manual since January 1st. I procrastinated because of fear. It’s easy and gives you the most control.

Taking on the 365 challenge has helped propel me forward. I now help new photographers on occasion and have started a photography club within Toastmasters International, District 39. Next year, I want to tackle processing. I do minimal editing in Lightroom, and want to do more.

I love photography, and it won’t take me as long to move forward. Here are some reasons I love it so much.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Da Bear: Lake Tahoe, California

It took 30 years of camping before Richard and I saw a bear in the wild. And, it took our first day in Lake Tahoe for us to see one fishing! Yes, I did get pictures, but with just an 18 – 140 mm lens, I wasn’t too happy with the results. But, it was exciting.

Marlene and I were there because another photo buddy Jayne had reserved a 3-bedroom time share condo and invited members of the photography community to join her. Unfortunately, Marlene and I were the only ones who were able to take advantage of her generosity. I remember last year I couldn’t go. We were to be there three nights.  However our trip was caught short a day.

The bear and Taylor Creek was our first stop during our visit. We got there late in the afternoon and walked the path to the Profile Chamber where visitors could view salmon. However, once we got there we had 5 minutes before closing and there weren’t many salmon. It was on our way back to the car that we saw the bear. It was a good thing that it was concentrating on fishing and didn’t care that a crowd of people were close and shooting pictures.

In this post, I’ll show you the bear, the rest of Taylor Creek and a cloudless sunset at Nevada Beach. It’s just amazing to me that you wait 30 years to sight a bear and within hours at Tahoe, you sight one.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Home, home, on the ranch: practice again at Gibson Ranch

It’s one of my favorite places to practice. I’ve learned how to shoot sunsets, sunbursts, animals, water fowl, events and buildings there. And, best of all it’s close to home! Gibson Ranch is a park where people board and care for their horses. They also train them there. It’s a place to hold large events like the Civil War Re-enactment. Most of all, it’s peaceful.

When you visit you may see children feeding the ducks and geese, or a father and son fishing. With two playgrounds, it’s also a wonderful place for a family to picnic and play.

For me, it’s a great place to practice photography. On a recent visit, that’s what Marlene and I did. We walked through the horse grounds, caught peacocks high and low with our cameras and tried to have as much patience as the egret had as it was trying to fish.

Here’s our visit to Gibson Ranch and my practice session.

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Taking a different course: Plymouth and Fiddletown, California, part 2

Oh, sorry to leave you right in the middle of Fiddletown, (Where we left off in my last post.) but we will leave once I tell you how it got its name.

Founded in 1849, the town mainly served as a trading camp for the many mines in the area. A popular mining technique, placer mining, was heavily dependent on water. Dry Creek, the local water source, ran dry in the summer months, meaning the miners couldn’t work. It is said that the miners would fiddle around, and the town became known as Fiddletown. Not happy with his town’s name, a local resident lobbied to have the name changed to Oleta (his daughter’s name). This name stood until his death in 1932 when the name Fiddletown was restored.

Embracing the name, residents are not idle. They have fund raisers to support renovations for historic landmark buildings, a Living History Day and a Fiddlers Jam. I’m hoping that some day they will put in a proper public restroom!

Now we will leave Fiddletown and head down to D-Agoustini Reservoir enjoy your journey!

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 · 6 Comments

Busting out: Hobbling back to Locke

I really shouldn’t have, but I needed to. A week of being a couch princess, I needed to get off the recliner and out of the house so I took advantage of Tuesday’s with seniors. I told photo buddy Greg that I would sit in the back seat, foot up and bring a book along if I got tired and couldn’t shoot. Marlene occupied the front seat.

I packed light, got in the back seat, put my foot up on a pillow and readied for my day out. We went down to Locke so Marlene could experience the small town. As Greg says, every time he goes back, he finds something new to shoot. And we did. I found it difficult to shoot, not bend down and see the possibilities through the discomfort. Oh, if you just came into the story, I had minor foot surgery a week before this outing. I was still in the “shoe,” sitting on the recliner part of the couch and was going crazy. Right now, I’m once again on the recliner with my foot up because I was on my feet a good part of the morning.

Getting back to the Locke trip, Greg always goes down different roads. You never know where you’ll end up and what you’ll be taking pictures of. I had fun, was exhausted and, knew before I saw them, that my shooting was off and pictures weren’t super. I didn’t care.

So I did what i shouldn’t have but needed to. Enjoyed it. Here’s the results.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

A quick trip before being grounded, part 2: the California State Capitol building

It was desperation that pushed me out the door on Labor Day. I knew I wouldn’t be able to shoot for at least a week after foot surgery. Laura and I visited downtown Sacramento and the Capitol building during the morning. I knew enough not to be out all day because surgery was early the next morning.

In my last post, I showed you the various statues, sculptures and street life around the Capitol. We shot outside for about two hours. But, it was getting late in the morning and tourists were walking around–a great time to go indoors and see our State Capitol. Part of the first floor is a museum, one wall gives a history of all the California counties and houses the Governor’s office. It’s a beautiful building with an amazing rotunda.

I was amazed it was open on a holiday and very glad I felt desperate enough to want to get out and shoot.

Here’s a glimpse of the California State Capitol.