Posted on by Anne Sandler · 34 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #419: Landmarks and Monuments

My camera takes me places I wouldn’t ordinarily visit or think of visiting. However, early on my in my camera toting days one of my groups arranged an outing to the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, and I’ve been hooked ever since. This week, John has given me a platform to show you some of the beauty and history hidden at this cemetery.

The cemetery was established in 1849 when Sacramento founder John Augustus Sutter, Jr. donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) to the city for this purpose. It was declared a State Historic Landmark on May 5, 1957, by the State Historical Landmarks Commission. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Let’s start with the most poignant sites that touched my heart. We can accept when an adult passes, but our hearts go out to the families who have lost children. Note that on Eddy’s gravestone, they put how old the child was in years, months and days.

You don’t see monuments as tall as these in cemeteries any more. These are in great shape, but some are broken and in need of repair. I guess it’s up to the families to do upkeep on monuments. I would assume the families have passed away also.

Some family groups are gated off, and are given fancy farewells.

My last monument is dedicated to those who lost their lives and homes in the devastating Camp Fire in 2018. One resident who lost his home to that fire and relocated to our community took us up there to see the devastation first hand. The blame for this fire landed on Pacific Gas and Electric. The company now turns off electric during high wind storms. The community built this monument to never forget.

The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California‘s Butte County was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The blaze began on the morning of November 8, 2018 when hardware on a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failed during strong katabatic winds. Those winds rapidly drove the Camp Fire through the communities of Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon and Paradise, mostly destroying them.

My camera continues to take me places familiar and not. This year we haven’t been too active because of a back injury–me not the Fuji! But my Fuji keeps whispering that it wants to be taken out. I guess I’ll have to listen! When you share your monuments and landmarks, be sure to link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Thanks John for this monumental challenge! Last week we shared memories and beautiful pictures of them. Next week, Sofia leads the challenge, so look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 38 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #417: Where Does It Lead

This week Egidio led me down memory lane and to my photo buddy who passed away almost 10 years ago. Why? Because he would take us on weekly camera outing adventures. We would never know what road Greg Morris would take us on. The only thing we had control over was the time. We women needed to be back by dinner time!

He would drive and pay for the gas, and we (Marlene and I) would buy him lunch. He knew all the back roads; and if he didn’t, he would take them anyway. The three of us had the same camera, Nikon D7100, but only Greg would use a tripod–consistently. One of his favorite places was Jackson, a town in the Gold Country. His favorite stop was a small diner where he would get hot dogs. For Greg it was the hot dogs and conversation with the diner’s owner.

The Diner
The Diner’s Owner

Sometimes the road took us to another of Greg’s favorites the small town of Locke. Locke is known for being the only town in the United States built by Chinese for Chinese. In 1912, three Chinese merchants constructed three buildings – a store and saloon, a gambling hall, and a hotel and restaurant. It’s still there, but some buildings are falling down.

The toilet garden in Locke
Hungry?
Greg Morris

And then there was the “getting there.” We saw sights along the road and pulled off somewhere safe.

A brain tumor took Greg from us. We could never replicate the road trips, but we did our best. We still try to go out with our cameras weekly. Sometimes we will head out on a Greg Morris road trip, seeing where the road will take us. But it’s not easy when you don’t know the area that well.

I’m dedicating this post to GM. We still miss you!

Thanks Egidio for taking me down the memory lane road. When you post your responses, please remember to link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artist tag. Last week Ritva challenged us with music and it’s meaning to each of us. Your responses were wonderful. Next week Tina will challenge us. Look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #416: Music

I’m not a “You Tuber,” but one evening I got caught up in music videos. Most of the night was spent finding new artists and enjoying my old favorites. Yes, music fills my soul, relaxes me and brings back fond memories.

This week, Ritva encourages us to share music and its amazing effect on us. While I enjoy concerts, memories of the 4-day weekend Sacramento Music Festival, in Old Sacramento, bring back wonderful times, excitement and joy.

For five years, we were volunteers at the youth stage, introducing the students and keeping the area clean. These kids came from all over the U. S. and beyond. And they were extremely talented. After our shift each day, we were free to take in all of the festival.

I absolutely loved the live music. Over the years, we got to know the entertainers and made sure we saw at least one set of our favorites. Each day, we found time to catch a set with Dave Bennett, a multi talented musician. He played the piano, Jerry Lee Lewis style, clarinet, guitar and sang. WOW. We tried to catch sets of both styles: rock and roll and jazz.

Then there was Tom Rigney and Flambeau. They played all musical genres including Tom’s own compositions. He called his instrument a “fiddle” until, one performance, he cross tuned his fiddle to play a classical violin piece. From time to time, other jazz musicians would surprise him on stage and play a duet. Nothing was formal the the Jazz Festival. His group had their own talents also. There were many CDs to purchase. We have a few!

Sometimes the audience was entertaining!

The festival also introduced us to different types of music.

Our Armed Forces were also there to entertain us. This Navy band was excellent.

We did have fun, but, unfortunately, the Jazz Festival had to face dwindling attendance and ended its yearly run. I do miss it. There’s something about live music in a festival atmosphere that cannot be duplicated in a concert hall: the sounds, the people, the food vendors and the excitement.

That wraps up my musical memory. I’m looking forward to seeing yours. Please remember to link to Ritva’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. I totally enjoyed seeing how you captured photos last week by moving your body rather then your zoom lens. Next week Egidio will be leading the challenge, so look for his post. In the meantime, stay healthy and be resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 76 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #415: Move Your Body

I love my 18 to 300 mm lens. I use it all the time because I don’t like to change lenses in the field. How many of you use a zoom lens? Now what would happen if you had a fixed lens and had to walk forward, backward or sideways to get the shot?

You would have to think a bit more before you decided to squat down. It depends on how difficult it would be to get up! For me, it’s very difficult and not very pretty, but sometimes I do it to get the shot. Your challenge this week is to move your body up, down, forward and back.

Here are three photographs that I bent down and stood up for. This was my first time out with my Nikon D3100 and were taken at a balloon festival. It was the first time using my camera in the field. How excited I was. In the beginning, I laid on the ground, then got up and at last looked up. The first two are the same balloon, the third is not; but you get the idea.

Next, we are going to start close to the subject and then walk back to get a different view. Moving back does tell a different story. These were taken at Ananda Village during their tulip festival that they hold every April.

Now for the lotus blossoms. One was taken while I was squatting so I could get the light on the petals. The other was taken standing over the flower so I could get the bud.

Next at Lassen National Park’s Sulphur Springs area, I walked back for a shot of the Sulphur pool and then came up to the fence and looked over the area for the bubbling Sulphur.

Fortunately, the smell wasn’t as bad as the Sulphur pools at Yellowstone National Park!

These movements are one reason I like photography for seniors. It’s exercise! Younger folks can also take advantage of extra exercise! So, get out there and squat, bend down, and walk!

When you post your response to this challenge, please link it to mine and use the Lens-Artists tag.

We built a lot of bridges with Beth’s challenge last week, and I thoroughly enjoyed the variety. Next week, Ritva will be leading the challenge, so look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 44 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #412: Places shaped by water

Water! It’s a conundrum here in Northern California. We either have lots of it or not enough. For instance, We have the Salmon Falls Bridge, near Folsom Lake, Now you see it and then you don’t! That’s because the bridge and the town that once flourished as gold-mining boomed is usually submerged under the American River. The bridge only appears during a drought, and our Discovery Park, along the American River, is sometimes flooded during heavy rains.

The Downie River is a tributary of the North Yuba River in Sierra County, California. The river originates from the confluence of the West Branch Downie River and Rattlesnake Creek in the Tahoe National Forest, and flows south to its confluence with the North Yuba at Downieville. Downieville is definitely a tourist town with one cafe which is closed during the non-tourist season! I know from experience.

Every California landscape has wetlands. They form where rainfall or runoff accumulates, or where groundwater saturates the topsoil. Many parks, nature preserves, agricultural lands, and private lands have wetlands that are carefully managed for waterfowl and other wildlife. We visit various refuges and parks each year to photograph birds.

I cannot forget our many lakes. This is Donner Lake, of infamous history. It is a natural freshwater lake formed by glacial activity that created a moraine acting as a natural dam. This picture was taken from Donner Pass during the winter. Donner Lake is at 6,000 ft. elevation and often receives a good amount of snow. California depends on the Sierra snow pack for our water supply.

Let’s go west for my final image–the beautiful and rugged Northern California Coast Line. This was taken somewhere between Point Reyes and Half Moon Bay.

These are my six choices for John’s challenging challenge! When you post your response, please link to John’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Last week Sofia’s challenge created puzzle challenges with her “What Is It?” challenge. It was enjoyable fun. Beth will be leading next week’s challenge, so stay tuned. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 53 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #411: What is it?

For us older seniors, the best advantage of doing photography as a hobby is that it helps you remember where you’ve been and what you’ve seen! Sofia’s challenge is a prime example. I had to go through many photos and memories to grab what I did!

Let’s start with a sculpture.

This sculpture is located at the Cornerstone Sonoma gardens in Sonoma, California. It is a large, house-shaped outdoor art installation created using hundreds of recycled plastic forks.

Next are two from the Manetti Shrem Museum, University California, Davis

Could you guess that the picture on the left was a curtain covering a door to an outside eating patio? The right image is the fantastic patio cover for the museum entrance that wraps around the building.

IKEA has lots of odd things to photograph. We go there with our cameras when it’s raining or hot. What’s your guess?

If you guessed a stack of shopping carts, you’re correct. I’ve only seen them stacked this way, vertically, once.

Let’s go for some color.

Here’s a hint: I found these at a garden nursery during Christmas time. Do you see the iridescent balls?

No hints on this next one.

It’s a ship’s propeller!

My last two are easy since you know I enjoy moving my camera and lens when I have the opportunity.

Left: Tall grass; Right: Ferris wheel

Thank you Sofia for helping me travel down memory lane. I had a great time and hope you do also when go on you own memory trip. When you do post, please link to Sofia’s original challenge. Thank you Ritva for last weeks challenge. I enjoyed seeing all your edited pictures and learned from your processes. Next week John will be leading the challenge, so look for his post. In the meantime stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 36 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #154/410: One Photo Edited

I just love to take my camera out for a walk. Editing is not something I truly enjoy. That doesn’t mean that I don’t edit. It just means that I’m not that good at it and rely on programs like Lightroom, Topaz, Color Efex and Silver Efex. Photoshop is too technical for me. So, Ritva’s challenge is truly a challenge for me!

Through the next three examples, I will try to explain how I use these editing programs. I’m sure I can use them more expertly; but this is my hobby, and I want to keep enjoying it!

Example 1 (original is on the left/edited is on the right) Fun at a neighborhood fair.

I like to stop by local fairs when I can catch them. It’s one of the few times I use my tripod because I like to catch the rides in slow motion. This picture of a ride that brings seated riders into the air as the chairs spin around.

First I changed it into black and white in Lightroom. Then I cropped it on the left and removed other rides on the right. I brought up the highlights and contrast to accent the twirling chairs. I wanted to draw attention to the blurred chairs and riders. Lightroom was the only program I used.

Next we were in a small town and I liked this tree that formed a tunnel over the sidewalk. I’m so glad that no one trimmed it!

I took this photo into Silver Efex and chose one of their templates. I usually stop editing in Silver Efex at that point, sending it back into Lightroom. Once back in Lightroom, I worked on the highlights, darks and contrast. I like how it came out looking almost like a sketch.

On a visit to an Iris farm, we had so many beautiful flowers to photograph. I was in photo heaven!

Because I wanted to accent just one petal, I cropped in closely. Now you can definitely see the interior and striations of each petal. I also softened the background. This was edited in Topaz Sharpener just to make sure the image was sharp when cropped. It was then brought back into Lightroom. I masked out the background to smooth it out. I’m so glad Lightroom now has a masking feature. I also saturated the colors a bit.

I doubt I will totally enjoy editing as much as I enjoy taking the picture. For me the goal is to get a good composition to begin with. Please link your challenge response to this post, and to Ritva who showed, through her artistic ability, how editing can enhance our pictures.

And thanks to Steve Hyde, Steve Hyde Photography Blog, for challenging us, last week, to choose our best images. Wow, that was tough and it was fun to see what you all chose. Next week, Sofia will be leading the challenge. Until then stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 35 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #408: Over the Top

Interpretation! One sentence can have different meanings depending on who is reading it. Or, if it’s a challenge it can be twisted. Sorry Egidio, I’m twisting again! Since I haven’t visited many places where the scenery is too extreme, too dramatic, or more than what is expected and needed, I’m choosing to look down (over the top) or up (under the top).

Let’s start by looking down from high places.

This was my first and only ride in a two-seater plane. We are flying over Atlanta, Georgia.

From Left to right: Looking down on the hillside in Yolo County; Looking down from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the valley below; The famous Lombard street in San Francisco

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How about going down. This young man is leaping off a bridge into the river. Don’t worry he’s okay!

Okay, let’s look up!

You have to look up to see this great Egret come into the nest for a landing. This crop duster was working the farms in Yolo County.

There you have it, my version of Over the Top! Thanks Egidio for getting us Over the Top! When you create your response, please link to my post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week, we saw lots of celebrations thanks to Patti’s challenge. Next week, we will feature a guest host. Steve Hyde (of Steve Hyde Photography Blog) will take the lead. In the meantime stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 67 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #406: Summer Daze

My goodness it’s triple digits Fahrenheit here in sunny California. Heat waves come and go during the summertime. We are used to it. When it happens, we go to the beach, find a pool, go to a movie or stay indoors. How do you cool off?

Water is one way to distract our children from the temperatures. It could be a beach where people leave important items, a backyard pool, a water feature for children or a boat on the water.

Summer is also time for camping. We camped when my children were very young. We started in a truck and camper and through the years, graduated to a fifth wheel trailer. I mostly enjoyed the campfires and traveling with our friends. The photo on the right, Montezuma Well was from a camping trip to Sedona Arizona with our friends Sandy and Ken.

And, is there anything more fun or hot than County Fairs. I honestly don’t know why they are always held in the summer. There’s usually a concession selling hand held, battery operated fans! Big attractions are Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds and bands. The first two images are from the Sacramento County Fair. My last image shows a mother dancing with her young child to a band at the Sonora County fair.

Oh, there’s something special about the foods we enjoy during the summer like raspberries and blueberries.

In addition to our rivers, we have a few lakes to enjoy and are available nearby for short photography trips. My dog Molly (who is now in doggy heaven) loved water. There was no keeping her out of this lake as my husband found out.

I’ll leave you with a smile–a field of sunflowers.

Depending on where you live, summer may be super hot, hot, mild or even cool. What do you do during your summer daze?

Thank you Ann-Christine for taking us on great adventures last week, and to all of you for sharing yours. When you reply to this challenge, please remember to link it back to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag. I want to know all about your Summer Daze. Patti is leading the next challenge, so look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 35 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #405: Adventures

There are many ways to look at an adventure. When my kids were young and I got lost while driving somewhere, I would tell them we weren’t lost–we were on an adventure! When something would happen with the truck, camper or trailer when we were on a camping trip, I would tell them that it was all part of the adventure.

Ann-Christine shared her Greenland adventure and wants us to share one of ours. I had two dream adventures I wanted to fulfill: going across the United States in our trailer and sailing through the Panama Canal.

We accomplished the first for our 50th wedding anniversary in 2013. My husband is not a true traveler, but he agreed to the trip. We took the Southern route so we could visit my cousin in Texas. Aside from seeing my cousin before he passed away, Memphis was a highlight. I think I’ve shown you some pictures from that amazing city before.

We then visited cousins in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Long Island. Finally we got to Niagara Falls–a bucket list item for me. It was amazing. Here are pictures of the American Falls at night from the Canadian side and all three falls–American, Bridal Veil and Horseshoe from the American side.

I was in awe of the amount of water pouring from the three falls. We did all the touristy things, including the Maid of the Mist boat ride that took us under the Horseshoe falls.

During that trip I discovered that corn can be “as high as an elephant’s eye” and saw the fantastic St. Louis arch.

My other dream adventure was to go through the Panama Canal. Last summer my friend called and asked if I wanted to do a Panama Canal cruise. I didn’t hesitate; I said yes. Richard even wanted to go on this 16-day cruise. It was exciting to go from the Pacific Ocean, through the locks and into the Atlantic Ocean. Here are pictures of a ship in front of us going through a lock and into the lake separating the two sets of locks. The third is our ship leaving the last lock and entering the lake.

At 83, have I gotten too old for another dream adventure? I’m not sure, but if one should come along?????

Now that I’ve shared my adventures, I’m looking forward to seeing yours. When you share yours, please link to my post and Ann-Christine’s post. And remember to use the Lens-Artists tag. I’ll be leading the next challenge, so look for my post next Saturday! In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.