Posted on by Anne Sandler

On a mission to find one: The Santa Clara Mission, Santa Clara, California

Imagine living in a place for 12 years and not knowing one of California’s Missions was nearby! I’m no longer unaware, but the Santa Clara Mission was difficult to find. It is hidden within the campus of Santa Clara University. Well, not really hidden. It’s the centerpiece of the campus. However there is no sign saying, “Hey, Anne, look here for the mission!”

Fortunately, students were at the Starbucks where I stopped and told me how to find the Mission. It’s location and lack of signage got me wondering: I know the mission came first, but how did Santa Clara University manage to build around it?

Here’s the answer from the University website.

Historic Mission Santa Clara is a beautiful icon that sits at the center of our campus.  First established in 1777, the Franciscan Order handed the Mission over to the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1851, who then started Santa Clara College, the first institution of higher education in California.  Today, the Mission serves as the student chapel for Santa Clara University.

If you’re not familiar with the California Missions, they are a series of 21 missions founded by Catholic priests of the Franciscan order between 1769 and 1833, in an effort to expand Christianity among the Native Americans along the California coast. I’ve visited many, but not all, of the Missions. This one blends so well with the College architecture.

I did get inside the chapel, but wasn’t prepared with my tripod. I did the best I could with a high ISO and Lightroom. The images are little grainy, but you can still see the simple beauty.

The surrounding campus is also beautiful. It must be nice to be a student there. Enjoy your Mission and campus tour. I did, once I found it!

Campus entrance. The Mission is in the center back.
First you pass this fountain.
A typical building.
The Mission.
The grounds surrounding the Mission are beautiful.
On the back side of the Mission.
Wisteria draws you around the Mission.
More walkway.
A nice place to mediate or study.
Simplistic beauty.
Inside the Mission.
An alcove.
The alter.
A chandelier.
The pipe organ.
One of the many sculptures on campus.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

I lost what? Martinez Regional Shoreline and Large Metal Prints

Now, you’re curious and really want to know what I lost: not a camera or lens–my photos! I knew I had an outing to show you, but it didn’t show up on my hard drive. I found it in Lightroom, my photo processing program. The only thing I can conceive that happened is that I accidentally deleted them after I processed the batch. It’s either that or there’s a little gremlin living in my computer and playing jokes on me!

Fortunately, I hadn’t taken them off the SD card yet. The trick, after I downloaded them again, was to transfer my Lightroom edited images back onto the hard drive. You have to fool Lightroom a bit, but I did it. Now, all is well.  Take that gremlin!

I put the effort into this because I wanted to show you how they make metal prints. The tour of this print shop, Large Metal Prints, was fun and educational. As a bonus, they gave us each a free 6 x 9 inch print of one of our images. The next week, I had two more 8 x 12 prints done. You don’t need to put these in a frame, and they come out beautiful. These were the first of my pictures I’ve had printed to put on the walls.

And, before we went to the print shop, we stopped and shot photos at the Martinez Regional Shoreline. It’s a pretty little park with walking paths and bridges. We had just enough time to do a brief walk around and grab lunch.

In the future, I’ll be more careful with my images. If I lose a batch, I might not be so lucky to still have them on my SD card.

The park is very pretty set against the shore.
Here a biker uses the path.
American Avocets doing synchronized swimming.
One of the bridges.
Variations of color.
Another bridge.
An old boat in the grass and a train across the bay.
I loved this willow tree.
First stop at the print shop. We look on their monitor to see which of our pictures would print the best.
The print is then printed on paper. The metal plates are cleaned.
The metal plates are then taped to the prints.
The sheet of prints and plates are then put through this machine that imprints the image onto the metal.
My untrimmed picture.
The pictures are trimmed.
And then sanded so there are no sharp edges.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 8 Comments

After a rain, shoot, shoot, shoot; part 2

Right now in Northern California no one is shooting pictures. We’re experiencing a series of storms. I’m not complaining! My go-to-practice place, Dry Creek, has water past its shore line, and there are flood warnings in place for the rivers and other creeks.

Being stuck inside has its advantages, I’m catching up on a few things, completing this post and giving you exciting news.

For the exciting news: I’m being featured on, Australian photographer, Leanne Cole’s Blog, Introductions post this week. I’ve known Leanne since I started shooting and had the privilege of shooting with her when she visited the U.S. last September. She’s given me advice and watched my progress these 4 years. The post will appear in the States on Monday and Tuesday across the ocean. You can find the post at http://leannecolephotography.com/.

I’ve also submitted an article for the upcoming Dynamic Range digital photography magazine for women in the coming issue. This is a great magazine full of information and beautiful photography. And, you don’t have to be a woman to enjoy it. Check it out!

Now, back to this post’s continuation. Today I have pictures from Schweitzer Grove and McKinley Park. Schweitzer Grove is a 17-acre park tucked into suburbia, and McKinley park is known for its rose garden.  Fortunately, there are people and other flowers at the park. Take a look while I continue to catch up on things.

People are sometimes more interesting than the flowers at McKinley Park.
This volunteer was tending to the area she planted.
Looks like love to me.
The flowers were simply beautiful.
Most of these are on trees.
Buds are ready to blossom.
Close look at the Bird of Paradise.
Looking at the whole flower.
The last flower from McKinley Park.
A small bit of color in Schweitzer Grove.
Remember the redwood tree burls, this tree has one also.
This Lazuli Bunting was posing! Yes, I have a bird book!
I’m not sure if blossoms will bloom from this or if this is the flower??
Acorns in the pine tree.
The grounds.
Wildflowers were everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

After a rain, shoot, shoot, shoot: Effie Yeaw,Schweitzer Grove, McKinley Park

It’s sometimes called cabin fever, but for photographers it’s more intense. Since you can’t shoot, you edit, read tutorials or discover new processing programs. So, when, on a recent Tuesday, Marlene and I were the only photographers to partake in Camera Totin’ Tuesday, we took full advantage of the partly cloudy weather.

Our first stop was Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael. This wonderful preserve houses all sorts of animals, provides educational programs and welcomes photographers. Located on the American River, there is a lot to shoot. On this day, I was looking for deer; but, I was amazed by the area’s beauty after winter rains. And, yes, I did find deer. I couldn’t believe how they let us get so close to them. They know they are protected from human harm, but natural predators are still around. You’ll see more from Effie Yeaw because Marlene and I bought a season pass.

Next we found Schweitzer Grove Nature Area. This is a 17-acre park also in Carmichael that allows dogs to be off leash. It’s quiet and green–a great place to walk babies, dogs or just yourself.

After walking Schweitzer Grove, we drove over to McKinley Park in Sacramento. We were hoping to still see some roses, but there were none. Still, we weren’t disappointed for there were other flowers and people that caught our attention. If you remember, I did a post on this park before and the roses were beautiful. We’ll be back.

What did I learn? My passion for photography grows along with my experience. We have so many beautiful preserves, parks and rivers here in the Sacramento area so you don’t have to drive a great distance to shoot. And, finally, I’m so enjoying the friendships I’ve made with other photographers. Marlene has been my  sidekick for more than a year now, and I do appreciate her willingness to go out with her camera.

It’s raining right now, but it’s supposed to be partly cloudy for our next Tuesday adventure. I know we’re all anxious to get out there and shoot–with our cameras!

This will be a two-part post. There are too many pictures for me to put in one.

The rain has created a beautiful meadow.
Trees at Effie Yeaw are so expressive.
Here’s a beauty.
Deer are in the meadow. They really don’t care about us.
Moving to find a better feeding spot.
Marlene and I walked this path right through the meadow and deer.
The pond is beautiful with color.
How low can a tree limb grow?
I think this deer is cleaning the other???
Looking through the branches.
Looks like a smile to me.
Now for a close up.
This deer was checking me out.
An egret looking for food at the river’s shore.
I guess it wasn’t a good spot!
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 8 Comments

You never know what you’ll find: The Sutter Buttes

Tuesdays may be a designated day, but you never know where we’ll end up. We decided to drive around the Sutter Buttes. Formerly known as the Marysville Buttes, this small mountain range is a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes that reside in the flat plains of Sutter County. And, you never know what you’ll come across when you journey around them.

The first stop was Mary’s Chapel. This is a sweet, small chapel and cemetery in Yolo County. It was interesting to walk through and read the head stones. The chapel was closed, but is still used sometimes.

I did this drive a couple of years ago with Laura and we found a farm with unique animals. That farm is still there. This time two other women were amazed. The most curious animal was one that looked like a donkey/zebra! We didn’t know what to call it!

More driving. We found the almond trees had almost lost their blooms and color. The hillsides were deep green and the sky partly cloudy. We took a tour of Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, but didn’t open a window. The mosquitoes were so thick; but, fortunately, Karen’s car window on the passenger side was fairly clean. We did end up catching a sunset near an almond orchard–the perfect end to a fun, adventurous day.

Mary’s Chapel
Plastic flowers are everlasting.
Almond trees line the road.
Mustard in the orchard.
Here’s the strange animal. Donkey or zebra.
I do believe this is a llama.
This goat wanted to say hello.
Cows grazing in the pasture.
Love the blooming orchards.
The orchard in black and white.
The Sutter Buttes are in the background.
The wetlands in Gray Lodge.
A beauty in Gray Lodge.
The setting sun also in Gray Lodge.
The sun creates a warm glow.
The sun in low in the sky.
Sunset in the Buttes.

 

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Mustard and Alpacas: Napa California

We expected wineries but photo buddy Karen took us on a special tour of Napa and Napa Valley. We didn’t see the touristy Napa Valley as described here, taken from the Napa Valley website: “More than 400 wineries dot the fertile soils of Napa Valley, one of the world’s premier viticultural regions. But wine, as visitors quickly discover, is only the beginning. Lavish resorts and top-rated chefs work alongside the farmers who tend this land: the result is something understated and exceptional.”

We saw the real Napa Valley. During our day we saw Lake Solano Park, Monticello Dam, rolling green hills, mustard tucked in between rows of vineyards, livestock grazing, alpacas and where her husband’s family ranch used to be. And we visited Napa City towards the end of day for some fantastic lighting.

Let’s see, what did I learn? I discovered the difference between llamas and alpacas, and again took the ultra wide lens out for a spin. So take a look at the Napa we saw on our recent visit with Karen.

We started out at Lake Solano Park.
I loved the red buds floating on the water.
Cattails are a favorite of mine.
What is this goose trying to tell me?
The road around Monticello Dam.
The expressive mountain across from the dam.
I liked the folds in the rock.
Workers were putting up netting to keep rocks from falling onto the road.
A pasture for cows and alpaca.
Okay, the difference between an alpaca and llama is the ears. Alpacas have short ears, as pictured, and llamas have longer ones.
Rustic fencing.
Sunlight casting a shadow on the fencing.
Mustard plants brighten up the vineyards.
A tree canopy.
I love this tree. On Thursday, I’m going to learn how to take out the front windmill!
One of the three bridges in Napa.
A Napa shopping center.
Bikes in front of a store.
A street lamp and the setting sun.
The sun casts a glow on the city street.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 14 Comments

Do you know the way to San Jose? Livermore & Sunol Regional Wilderness Park

My trip to San Jose, for my yearly vision board session, with Marlene was going according to plan. We stopped in Livermore to shoot the sights and eat lunch.

While Livermore is nationally known as the home for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, it’s a small, lovely town nestled in rolling hills. We walked around Historic Downtown, and I thoroughly enjoyed the way it was designed.

Next we stopped at the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park. I always wanted to get off the freeway to see what was hidden in the hills as I would go to San Jose, but never took the time. This was the time! It’s a beautiful area and now green because of our recent rains. There are many parks, lakes, etc. for residents to enjoy. Our stop was at the Sunol Regional Wilderness. Located in Alameda County and near the town of Sunol. It was primarily ranch land, and today cattle still graze in some areas. We enjoyed shooting in this beautiful park; however, our adventure went awry when we left.

I have no idea what got into me. Maybe it was the Greg Morris influence, but I saw that Calaveras Road continued on into Milpitas. I had my trusty GPS with me. And Marlene didn’t say “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go that way!” So off we went on a joy ride that would include mostly hairpin turns on an extremely narrow road. Not knowing the road, I was going around 18 to 25 miles per hour and the drivers coming the other way were cruising at about 40 miles per hour! Worse, remember those hairpin turns? They came around so fast and had to break when they saw me. Moving over wasn’t so much of an option with a shear drop on one side and a mountain on the other. At one point, Marlene suggested that the car came with a horn to use as a warning device.

We made it. But we weren’t able to pull over and take pictures of the beautiful scenery that included the Calaveras Reservoir. So, we made mental pictures, and I can’t show them to you. You can click on the link to see someone else’s images!

Going off plan proved adventurous, somewhat nerve racking at times, but gave me something to write about.

One of two fountains that were across the street from each other.
Looking down the street.
The second fountain.
A woman relaxes at the fountain.
Marlene is taking pictures.
Ready for a bath!
A fun way to give the daily specials.
A tiled mural.
A close up of the mural.
At Sunol Regional Wilderness
The cloud cover was beautiful.
Cows grazing on hillside.
I liked the way the sun flowed over the hills.
Beautiful color drenches the hillside.
This reminds me of Yosemite’s Half Dome.

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

What’s in a name?: Capay Valley

Well, what is in a name? Everything! As a former journalist and copywriter, I know that a name is very important. When you name a new company, it has to fit the personality and style of the group. It also has to appeal and suggest a benefit to the potential customer. So here we are with our newly formed Tuesday group, and still no name.

Now you’re thinking, why do they need a name. It’s simple, for the reasons above. After weeks of thinking, bantering and laughing –mostly because I threatened not to let them go home at the end of a long day shooting–we have a name! It is Camera Totin’ Tuesdays. I won’t go into what other choices we came up with, at least not in print. It’s amazing how silly you can get on Diet Coke, tea and water! Boy, do we know how to have fun.

And the name’s working already. We have two women wanting to journey with us when they can. Sometimes we know exactly where we’re going, and other times we just drive and see where the road takes us. We are secure with a GPS and a “Home” button.

This journey took us into Capay Valley. Karen was our guide since she knew the area. This valley is a mostly rural area northwest of Sacramento in Yolo County. Dotted with small towns, it was beautiful with rolling hills and great color. It’s amazing what a little water can do. With mostly farms, the culture is quite different from urban Sacramento and its suburbs.

I think the name Capay has something to do with American Indian culture since a few different tribes have inhabited the valley. I wish I could say for sure because names do tell tales!

We ate lunch at the Road Trip Cafe. These Paper trees were in their patio.
Also in the patio was this mural painted on the block wall–a tribute to the area’s veterans.
There were also other tributes to veterans.
When entering the town of Esparto these brightly colored paintings greet you.
Here Karen takes a picture of a silo.
Looking up the ladder of the silo.
The sun came out just to light up the old windmill.
And, do a sunburst over this old shed.
This is the Cache Creek Casino’s golf course.
It was a treat to see the clouds reflected in the water.
Have you ever seen a helicopter bus before?
Puddle reflection.
Beginnings of a sunset.
We’re getting a little more color now.
The sunset at its highest peak.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Fun day, snow day: Donner Lake, CA

Let’s see: boots, check; flannel lined leggings, check; three layers on top, check; knitted head scarf, check. I’m all ready for a fun day of shooting in the snow at Donner Lake.

Marlene, Linda and I went off early one Saturday morning to get ahead of the weekend crowds. However, to our surprise, there weren’t a bunch of people on the Donner Lake roads. It was beautiful with temperatures in the high 50’s (Fahrenheit) and sunny. What fun.

The reality is that we drove around the lake, drove to the mountain top and drove into the nearby town of Truckee. Yes, we did get out, walk around and shoot. But, we didn’t hike. Still, the thrill of stepping into a foot of snow was there. At one time, I did fall, butt down, into the fresh icy snow. When I fall, so do my two cameras hanging from a sling. I got up and wiped them down with a towel I brought along. They didn’t suffer. Neither did I.

Since this was my first time shooting in the snow, I read tutorials. Of course they contradicted each other! That’s the frustrating about learning photography, there are many ways to achieve the same end. So, I decided to bracket my shots. At least one of the three would be good, right? When I uploaded them to my computer, I decided that the original exposure shot was the correct one. They did need some processing in Lightroom to tone down the white and, sometimes, blue of the snow.

And, we met a few nice people who were more than willing to chat. I get it now Greg! What did I learn from this experience? I discovered that whatever your physical capabilities you can have fun in the snow. Just make sure you’re covered for whatever weather Mother Nature brings–boots, hat, enough clothing layers and good friends.

Donner Lake as seen from almost to the summit.
Now these people are hiking! Underneath the snow there is a trail!
Icicles hanging from a roof.
Now this small house is truly snowed in!
Icicles.
We talked to the man who’s sons made this snowman and another. What fun!
A look at some of the lake side homes.
In Truckee, a brewery has made a home of an old gas station.
In Cisco Grove (down the mountain from Donner Lake) a young boy is getting a sled ride.
These red buds were abundant in Cisco Grove.
Here’s a closer view.
Back at Donner: The stairway to…..?
I enjoyed shooting with my ultra-wide lens. A deep view of the Lake.
This gentleman in his 80’s built this home. He’s come up to do some shoveling on the stairs. He summers in Alaska!
The sun’s rays are streaming through the trees, giving a rainbow effect.
Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Going and looking back: Grass Valley, California

We are in a morphing stage. Since Greg’s passing, our Tuesdays With Seniors group hasn’t been the same. We’ve reformed and are now enjoying the company of pre-seniors. It was during this time that our two new members, Rita and Karen, and I went to Grass Valley and the Empire Mine State Park.

I had been there twice with Greg, and he was the tour guide. He mostly showed me the town, various high points and the countryside. He used to live in Nevada City and for him it was a homecoming.

I find Grass Valley old town a little less touristy than Nevada City. We went to both, but shot mostly in Grass Valley. Once again, I needed to shoot the familiar scene a little differently. I didn’t do HDR or carry a tripod as I had done on my two previous visits. I tried different angles and got in a little closer in some shots, especially at the mine.

This time our visit to the Empire Mine, where I did use a tripod and shot HDR,  yielded an unauthorized brief tour of the cottage. The ranger in the office turned her head and allowed the docent to take us in. We were like children in the candy store, that is until the alarm went off. Our docent, probably feeling like he got caught with his hand in the candy jar, was busy trying to turn off the blaring sound. Soon we heard an additional but different blare–the second alarm! We took our shots quickly because we knew that once the alarms were turned off, our sneak peak into the cottage would be over.

But, the fun isn’t over, and I look forward to more adventures with this re-formed group. We will have a new name which will be decided tomorrow during our Napa visit.

 

This mural was on the side of a convenience store near the historic part of town.
I couldn’t get a decent shot of this beautiful library the last time. So glad I came back.
Karen and I played around with catching a sunburst on the old Del Oro movie theater.
This picture of a bank shows how hilly this area is.
Just a bunch of hanging signs on Main Stree.
Inside the cottage.
I loved the old furniture. I used HDR because I didn’t want to damage anything with a flash.
Love the old tub in the downstairs bathroom.
This is what we would call the family room today.
At the blacksmith shop.
The docents make real, usable items in this shop.
In the old machinery bone yard. Close ups.
I love old rusted machinery.
I’m sure this was used to carry stuff out of the mine.
Just one of the buildings being fixed.