Posted on by Anne Sandler

Back from Death Valley, part 5

I just don’t understand WordPress and their new setup. This is going to be a short post since it’s the second time doing it. I wrote and added pictures and accidentally published without adding tags and categories. In the old setup, you could edit the published post and update it. I did find where I could revert to a draft, pressed the button, and lost the entire post!

Enough grumbling. Death Valley is so diverse geologically that you could never be bored. Even though we couldn’t do major hiking and some trails were closed, we did get a good sense of this beautiful park. Today I have shots of Ubehebe Crater, The Sand Dunes and Mosaic Canyon. Our favorite was Mosaic Canyon and most of the images are of it. Explanations of the areas are in the captions.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Photographer error: Benicia, California – part 2

One of my photo buddies posted that she had made the same error of shooting on JPEG instead of RAW which limited her editing. I could only post a reply that she wasn’t alone. So did other photographers of various levels. So, how do we overcome photographer error. Again every problem I’ve had with my cameras have been mine. Sometimes is not understanding the camera fully; sometimes it’s just brain fade. Routine may be the answer for me. Before I leave, check the camera settings. When I get to where I’m going to shoot, re-check the camera settings. The night before I leave, make sure batteries are charged and SD cards have ample room. We’ll see how it goes. If anyone has a better way, please let me know.

Meanwhile, today’s images are from the Benicia Marina. This was a stark contrast to the State Park which I didn’t find very well kept or pretty until I reached the shore. The marina was full of boats and yachts. Condos lined the shore. And, the sun was peaking through the clouds.

Still running on JEPG here, so editing was limited on these images. No more photographer error in the future!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Photographer error: Benicia, California

I’ve come to believe that Nikon has arranged for everything to be photographer error. Things happen, but it’s never a Nikon problem! For instance, at a recent outing where we learned more about flash photography, my new 18 – 55 mm lens wouldn’t work. An accomplished Nikon photographer helped, but he couldn’t resolve the problem. So, I shot with my 55 – 300 mm lens all evening. The lens and flash (remember, that is new also) were really heavy and got heavier as the night pushed on. I did learn a great deal about using my flash, and I bet I’ve increased muscle mass too!

Oh, how did the lens issue come to be photographer error? Our fearless leader of the Sacramento Photographers looked at my camera during dinner. He asked me if I knew the lens was locked. I had totally forgotten the lens had a lock. Of course I knew when I first tried it out, but……

And, yesterday I didn’t realize that with all the moving of knobs, etc. the camera must have been put on JPG image quality. Yesterday’s shots in Benicia were all shot at JPG, leaving me less ability to edit. Anyway, you’re going to see some images from the Benicia State Recreation area today. This is going to be a three parter since I was there all day and visited three different areas.

I’m hoping to get to Hakone Gardens before I leave San Jose. I’m going to carefully look over the camera before I start shooting. I’ve got to because Nikon won’t help me prevent photographer error!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: Fall foliage found in Quakertown, Pennsylvania

It was like coming home–at least our home for a week last year. We camped in Quakertown during our cross country trip last year! This time we came for cousin Karen’s son’s wedding. She kept telling me that Pennsylvania had the beautiful fall colors, and she was right. I knew that our campground was in the country and would be the perfect area to find what I was looking for.  So off we went, and I wasn’t disappointed. Richard drove and I scouted.

I didn’t have a chance to edit the images until we returned home yesterday. I’ll show you the best. Most were shot with the D7100 and a few with the D3100. Next year I’ll look for the autumn colors here in the Sierras–just a little closer to home!

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: Looking for Fall foliage at Hyde Park, NY

Coming back east for an October wedding had a promising bonus–shooting the Fall foliage! So with that in mind, Irene, Neil, Richard and I went upstate to Hyde Park for some Fall color. I was ready with my cameras, lenses and tripod, but alas, we may have been too early for full Fall color. However, we did have a great time at the FDR library and home. It was a trip worth doing.

The library was as interesting as the Lincoln Museum we enjoyed in Springfield, Illinois last year. I have a few pictures to show you. I wasn’t able to take many in the library because of the no flash rule. And, we were too late to book a house tour. But just to be there was terrific.

As for Fall foliage, there is some promise in Pennsylvania. I did take some shots at a highway overlook while going through New Jersey. Time is getting short, so let’s cross our fingers for some great Fall colors in Pennsylvania.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY

Long Island is. It is a long island, and my cousins live about 30 minutes from each other. We visited with Morty and Mary who are my cousins on my father’s side. (Irene and Neal are cousins on my mother’s side.) Morty took us to Port Jefferson which was further down the island and to the north side. It was beautiful. We ate lunch, walked, had ice cream and walked. The bonus was the weather. Sunny!!

I’m so glad Morty and Mary are healthy and doing well. I’m younger and it’s fun to hear stories about relatives who I didn’t get to know.

Since we are leaving for Pennsylvania tomorrow, these images are the last from this very Long Island!

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: Long Island, New York at Planting Fields Arboretum

When you’ve flown to the east coast what do you do? You start south and work your way north! We’ve been in Long Island visiting family for almost a week now. I’m sure my cousins feel like it’s been more than that since we are staying with them. They are gracious hosts, driving us, feeding us and fitting our needs into their lifestyle.

They took us to the Planting Fields Arboretum on a cloudy day. It seems that last year we brought extreme heat and this year humidity and rain! We did go to there last year, but at 99 degrees (Fahrenheit) it was too hot to stay. I was thrilled that this time we were able to walk most of the grounds of this beautiful arboretum and hear stories of how they’ve enjoyed the grounds for years past. Also, there were three bridal couples having their wedding pictures taken at the park. Yes, I did take some shots of that activity, but in the end deleted them, keeping one showing the bride’s gown in the distance.

On the one sunny day, we went north in search of fall foliage, and I’ll cover that in the next blog. Meanwhile, enjoy these floral images. I’m not going to caption these because I don’t know the names of the flowers. They range from orchards to cactus. I did get a small amount of the autumn colors in the trees.

 

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: Peachtree City, Georgia

Well, we’re not exactly on the road again, but we are on the east coast. Last year we took an amazing trip across the United States in our 5th wheel trailer, and this blog was essentially a travelogue for three months. We’re back on the east coast again, but this time we traveled via airplane.

Coming out for a wedding, we are visiting relatives who live on the east coast. Our first stop was Peachtree City. We wanted to visit our niece, Roberta, last year, but they were traveling. This time we caught them at home, and since my brother and sister-in-law have moved here, we were able to see the entire family. Two teenagers can keep a family busy with sports and other activities. Roberta’s family is extremely busy. She has got to learn how to use the word “no!” During our two-day stay she made 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies while running a taxi for Daylen and Evan and taking care of her parents.

We did take an outing to a Fayette County park. From a photography point of view, it was a typical park. We walked the path, had a picnic lunch and then the clouds came. Picture perfect! There are a lot of images so please be patient. And they are out of order–software problems today!

It was a great two days; and then we flew to New York where we are now, and then on to Pennsylvania.

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

No traffic; no light trails: Sacramento, California

The challenge: to learn how to shoot light trails. The second challenge: Not a lot of traffic to create an effective composition!

That’s the way it was on Friday night when I joined a group of photographers to shoot light trails near Old Sacramento. I did succeed in overcoming the first challenge–I now know how to shoot light trails. However the second challenge left me disappointed. You’ve been there before. You have this image in your mind, but in the real world, it doesn’t happen.

Even though there were not enough cars running through intersections, I did have a great time. The group from Sacramento Photographers is great. There’s always someone to help you, and you learn by just talking to them. Oh, the pizza at the end just capped the evening. I’m ready to find traffic now!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Out and about: Effie Yaw Nature Center (a local treasure)

Where would you go to photograph deer and wildlife? Around Sacramento, you would head for the foothills or the Sierra Nevada mountains–or maybe not. Recently I went to the Effie Yaw Nature Center and found deer and other wildlife within 30 minutes from my home. This place is a true treasure.

Yes, the animals are well fed and not afraid of humans, but they make for good practice. We didn’t get through the entire center because hunger and heat intervened, but I’m going to go back. I’m also going to take my younger set of grandkids for a visit once the weather gets cooler.

Best of all, this center is on the American River which is still picture perfect even in the drought we are experiencing. Here’s a peak at the Effie Yaw Nature Center.