Posted on by Anne Sandler

Urban art: Midtown, Sacramento, part 2

Wow, what a busy photographic weekend. But, you’ll hear more about my Saturday and Sunday outings soon. Now, I want to finish up on my visit to Midtown, Sacramento. Midtown is not a separate city, but a community within Sacramento. We have the various directional communities (north, south, east) and in the middle is….Midtown! West Sacramento is in Yolo County and is a separate city. Sacramento City is in Sacramento County.

Now that I’ve thoroughly confused you, here are more images from last week’s visit.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Urban art: Midtown, Sacramento

Actually, I’ve renamed this area of Sacramento Morristown! Yesterday afternoon, I went along with Photo buddy Greg Morris to shoot some of the wall murals. As a former resident, he knows the area well and is always discovering new places to shoot. I had a lot of fun seeing awesome murals, old buildings and decay.

There are a lot of stories to be told in Midtown: the art, the people and the structures all give you an inkling of how people live there. Withing a few blocks you can go from decaying buildings to upscale eateries and shops. Well, I’d better let the images tell you more. This will probably be a three part post. I’ll begin with a couple of murals and people.

Welcome to Morristown!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 1 Comment

There’s a lot of days until January 1, 2015: The 365 photo challenge and the park.

It’s only been two weeks, but taking a photo a day is becoming a habit. We’ve been posting them in the Sac Photograpers Facebook group. I can’t say that they’ve all been wonderful, but I continue to shoot on manual. Gem has been a great dog, allowing me to use him as a model. And, I learned how to get him totally in focus.

Week two was a little more tough since we had a theme. We needed to pick a color and shoot it for the week. I chose green because I though it would be a little easier. Gem was a big help here as I chose subjects during out daily walk. He knows that when I have the camera, it’s not just his walk, and he’s learning patience.

Today, my younger grandkids helped me shoot the last photo of week two. We went to the park. I was hoping to get that last shot, but what I got were two kids having a lot of fun.

Here are the park images and some from the 365 challenge.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Late morning practice: Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Gold River, California

I love the Sacramento Photographers Facebook group. It’s where I learn by seeing what others post, asking questions and attending activities. It’s through this group that I found out about the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, and I thought it would be a good place to practice shooting on manual.

And it is. There were birds, people fishing, a nice path to walk on and a great visitor’s center. I wish I were feeling better so I could have stayed longer, but I did what I could. Also, I shot my D3100 on aperture priority because I couldn’t remember how to change the F stop in the manual setting. Now I’m wondering whether I ever had that camera on manual!

I also realized that I need more practice shooting flying birds and getting them in focus. So, this morning while getting a pedicure, I read all about focus for the D7100. I am determined to push and advance in my photography knowledge this year.

I will go back to the fish hatchery and practice. And, I will continue enjoying the Sacramento Photographers group.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

New year, new project: Marina Bay Trail, part 2

Can the 365 challenge a success after 5 days? I truly don’t know, but so far so good. I’m in an accountibility group, and that helps me post each night. Oh, the session with Gem has to be redone. One of the photographers gave me some great advice–that is until she typed something to do with hyperfocal length. My head has stopped spinning now! Actually, I have heard and read about that, but I think it’s beyond my math abilities and understanding. So I will take the rest of her advice and try again right after I post this blog.

Also, I signed up for a free online course that lasts a month. It’s all good except for the amount of emails that appear in my box each day! So far after four lessons in Module one, I haven’t learned anything new. But, there are more lessons and three more modules.

I’m hoping all this effort shows in tonight’s image of Gem. Now for the birds on the Marina Bay Trail.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

New year, new project: Marina Bay Trail, Richmond, California

I never wanted to get into portriat photography, but today Gem, my dog, was my subject and he did a great job of trying to sit still and look at me. I’m only on day 4 of the 365 challenge and was shooting Gem because I didn’t get out. But, I was learning. I’ve made a secondary challenge to shoot most of my daily photos on manual, and Gem had to be very patient while I was doing the learning curve! I was so excited that I finally managed to shoot him on manual, but he didn’t high five. That’s okay, he got his treat anyway. I’m sure there will be more shots of Gem throughout the year.

Yesterday, I went on an all day Exploring Photography Meetup to Richmond and had to process one of the images so I could post in the challenge group. I posted a sunset, which, as it turns out, wasn’t the best of the sunset shots. But, day 3 was covered. I’ll show you part of the day’s images in this post and finish it up in the next.

The Marina Bay Trail is somewhere between 3 – 4 miles along the Richmond shoreline. They have a yacht club, marina, condos, etc. It’s in stark contrast to the city of Richmond. I think I’ll show you the grounds in this post and the birds in the next.

I’m getting out to shoot tomorrow so Gem won’t have to model.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Twas a few nights after Christmas: Orangevale, California

Okay, so it took me a while before I got out to shoot Christmas lights. But, when I did, it was great. My photo buddy, Laura Munro, braved the cold and walked a cul-de-sac in Orangevale known for its beautiful and, in some cases, decorative homes. I don’t know what their electric bills are, but I’m glad I’m not paying them!

Now, when I say cold I’m talking about high 30s and low 40s (faharenheit) in the evening. For Sacramento, California, that’s cold! I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m a fair-weather photographer. But once I’m out there and start shooting, I forget about the temperature until we head back to the car. That’s when I realized I couldn’t feel my finger tips and my feet were cold!

Enough about the weather. Here are some of my Christmas light images.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

It’s a Global Winter Wonderland: Sacramento, California

I really didn’t know what to expect. A lot of the photographers in the Sacramento Photographers Facebook group had gone to the Global Winter Wonderland and posted their pictures. And, it looked great from the freeway. I guess I expected more than there was.

The Global Winter Wonderland at Cal Expo (the California State Fairgrounds) was billed as a trip around the world with many countries represented. I guess I thought there would be some sort of structure representing the various countries that we could walk into. Instead, there were blow up buildings, animals, plants and a maze. From a photographer’s point of view, at least mine, it was dismal. There were several rides and fake trees had LED lighting. I wanted to try a slow shutter zooming technique that many of the group’s photographers had posted. I used the Ferris Wheel for that.

If I had brought the young grandchildren, we would have had more fun. They would have enjoyed the blow up structures and the rides. And, of course, they would have enjoyed the food. All in all, it was an experience, and I did get some practice.

Here’s your peek at the Global Winter Wonderland!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Still shooting in dismal skies: Crockett, California, final chapter

Right now, I am totally enjoying the sun streaming through my office window. Its warm glow feeds my body and soul. But, remember, we are still in Crockett under fog and clouds. Today, I will show you what two photographers do when they are waiting for their food, and an old truck we stumbled upon.

So, just what do photographers–amateurs–do when lunch is going to be a long time coming? We take out our point and shoot cameras and wander the restaurant. Actually, this was a quaint deli where your could get sandwiches, and it was well worth the wait. I could only eat half my sandwich and enjoyed the rest later in the afternoon. On our way out of Crockett, I saw an old truck on the side of the road in a residential area. I love it when I’m out with a photo buddy and we can just stop and take pictures whenever we want. This truck was a photographer’s dream–old and in rough condition.

Have fun with the images as we say so long, for now, to dreary skies and say hello, for about a week, to the sun.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Still shooting in dismal skies: Crockett, California, part 2

Yes, the sun is out! It’s Christmas Day and Gem (our dog) and I totally enjoyed our sunny, but windy, walk. But, as far as this blog is concerned, we are still in the overcast, foggy skies of Crockett.

I need to go back and thoroughly investigate this charming town. It’s not a tourist area, or maybe we didn’t stumble upon any boutique shops, etc. What we saw was real–architecture and people. Today I’m going to show you what buildings and shoreline we stumbled upon. This is going to be a three part Crockett show piece. When I do go back, I hope to catch the Carquinez Bridge at night.

Here are more images of Crockett.