I have been remiss in posting. This is caused by some traveling and a broken computer. You don’t realize how much, as a photographer, you depend on your computer until you don’t have it. Not only could I not edit photos, I couldn’t get to my archived images. Frustrated doesn’t begin to explain how I felt.
So here I am playing catch up. For this post I’m showing you images from the nesting trees where great egrets and blue herons build their nests each year. The birds feel safe there because the two trees are in the middle of a gully. One sits in the nest while its mate flies and brings back twigs. It’s fun to watch them.
This is a stretch for my Tamron 18 – 300mm lens but I did get some nice images.
This is about the only instance where I can predict they will be flying. This type of photography helps me learn how to watch carefully and be fast.
Boy, have I been in a mood lately! And It’s not a good one! Why? It’s because my computer has been down and out for about a week. No blogs, no working on pictures, no…. Fortunately, I was able to keep up with your postings on my laptop, but it doesn’t have my pictures or editing software on it.
The tech guy is about to leave and I’m already working out my mood by doing this blog post.
When I first read Sofia’s challenge, I wondered do we as photographers create the mood in a photo or does a photo give us the mood. How much is up for interpretation? What feelings do we put into the photo? Will others see it the same way as we do?
I can tell you it’s been my experience that two photographers can photograph the same scene and the pictures will come out different. Two people can look at the same image and get different stories and feelings from it.
So, here’s a brief look at some moods. Some I create like when I’m feeling blue and down, I take myself and my macro lens to Green Acres Nursery for a pick me up.
Tension eases when I photograph flowers. When I process them, my mood is relaxed. The flowers help me create that mood.
Nothing beats the excitement of doing something you are challenged at. My limit of a 300 mm lens and my lack of speed and fine motor coordination makes wildlife photography a challenge. On a typical outing, I usually come home with a few good images. The mood? Exhilaration and happiness.
When I look at these animals, I sense their need for survival and curiosity at the humans behind the lens.
There’s another type of excitement–having fun. You all know how much I enjoy doing slow shutter photography, especially at night. We were out to capture Old Sacramento at night and the ferris wheel just added to the fun.
The action and colors of the ferris wheel are exciting and photographing it is challenging.
And lastly, there is the amazement of the unexpected. My moment of amazement happened when I woke up one morning at my son’s home in Reno NV and saw a snowy landscape like I’ve never seen before. I was truly excited and in awe of the beauty before me. Mother Nature did her very best the night before. Never mind that three men had to dig us out!
I think I may have turned Sofia’s wonderful challenge around, but that’s the way it affected me. Even challenges are subjective! If you haven’t posted your response yet, please remember to link to Sofia’s original post and tag Lens-Artists. I truly enjoyed your back lighting responses to Ann-Christine’s challenge last week. Next week, it’s John’s turn to challenge us. So look for his post. In the meantime stay safe!
As photographers, we look for unique lighting situations. This week Ann-Christine suggests we look for images where the sun is lighting our subject from behind. I’ll admit that I take advantage of light without planning for it. I’m thinking I should get up early for that sunrise, but…… Or stay up late for sunset, but…. Or plan for the blue or golden hours, but… I just enjoy being out there with my camera photographing in whatever light nature gives me.
I’m a little late with my response, so I’ve had the chance to see many wonderful responses already. Here are some of my photos where I’ve put the sun backlighting my subject.
You know I photograph lotus flowers each year. The next two images are from the same shoot at Land Park’s pond. On the left, the lotus seems to be bowing under the sun’s strength. On the right, the sun creates translucent petals.
Other floral or leaves. Almond blossoms are backlit and in shade. Autumn leaves seem to be soaking up the sun so they can continue to change their color. A tree captures the sun on the back of its leaves during autumn.
Animals. I’ve chosen a deer and a horse. I enjoyed the glow the sun gave their bodies as it shined behind them.
When the sun is at your back, you create a self-portrait–your shadow.
My next images were taken just a few minutes or seconds apart. See the difference the setting sun makes in this landscape. I may have worked with the color in the second image, but I really can’t remember. You can still see the difference.
Finally, this challenge must end with a sunset!
Thank you Ann-Christine for this enjoyable challenge. Backlit images are so relaxing. Please remember to link to Ann-Christine’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the WP reader.I enjoyed seeing all your still life images last week and got many ideas. Next week Sofia’s challenge is on Mood: Places, photography styles, situations or portraits where moods are recognizable.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
This week Patti challenges us with Still Life. Yikes! Fortunately she gave us a broad description of what she wanted us to post. “You can photograph just about anything: flowers, silverware, a variety of products (think of advertising), fruit, kitchen utensils, tools, and objects around your office or home,” she says.
Since this is my second attempt at posting my response, I’ll be brief. Three types of still lifes I enjoy photographing are flowers, buildings and sculptures.
Thank you Patti for giving us a broad definition for still life images. In my first attempt at this post I was more eloquent, but frustration kicked in when WordPress wouldn’t let me post it. Let’s cross our fingers for this one. When you post your reply, please remember to tag Patti’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
I enjoyed seeing and reading about your environments last week as you responded to Tina’s challenge. Next week Ann-Christine will be leading the challenge. Be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
I love where I live even though I came here kicking and screaming. Sacramento and its proximity to beautiful environments like rivers, forest, farms, ranches and cities makes this a great location for photographers. In fact, I’ve blogged about it many times and have shown beautiful images of my favorite spots. So, in response to Tina’s challenge, I’m going to show you a recent new environment I traveled to.
Among our choices for a ship’s tour of the island was “Luecila Beach and Scenic Drive,” and that’s the one we picked. Our drive to the beach was a little more than one hour. We did see flowers and traditional houses as promised in the tour’s description. Photographing through the bus window was nearly impossible. I can describe the area as beautiful, lush and green. What amazed me were the houses with huts in their yards. I asked the guide about the huts. He replied that they were for guests who come to visit. Hospitality?
The beach was worth the long drive. It was beautiful. When we arrived, I was hungry and tried to purchase a piece of papaya fruit. The women in the kiosk didn’t take credit cards or American dollars–just francs. They ended up giving it to me without payment. It was delicious. I thought they were very gracious.
Sandy and Peg didn’t want to walk on the beach so I discovered its beauty on my own. Here’s a gallery.
Our bus.An old church near the beach.Before going down on the sand.On the beach.A woman showed me a shell she found.Yes, it’s time to get back to the ship.
I’m so glad to have walked this beach since I was sick and couldn’t see Mystery Island. I spent two days in our cabin. That’s life!
This was one of the new environments I experienced during my trip to Australia. Please remember to link to Tina’s original post when you respond and use the Lens-Artists tag. I’ll be sharing more of my trip on my blog. I enjoyed your responses to Siobhan’s challenge of Glowing Moments. Your interpretations were varied and creative. Next week, Patti will present the challenge so look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
There are some moments that take our breath away, and it usually involves the sun. When it’s not shining things look dull and our mood is affected. When it is shining especially at sunup and sundown, our photographic juices get going. Guest host Siobhen of Bend Branches encourages us to post images of glowing moments that are special to us.
You know I love flowers. My friend Ray and I went to photograph a small tulip patch recently. I wanted to practice with my new lens. I’m doing better with it and think there’s just one more hurdle to overcome. I like how the sun makes the leaves almost transparent in places and highlights the flower.
The sun’s glow also helps create shadows. Notice the glow and shadows on the house and on the lawn. These were taken in Luray Virginia.
A trip a few years ago was special for me because we were with my cousins in Palm Desert. The sun is so special in the desert. The giraffe, with its special glow, was taken during sunset at the Living Desert in Palm Springs and the other two in the Painted Canyon, Mecca Hills.
My last examples are of waking up to a sunrise on a blanket of snow in Reno. These were taken in December last year at my son’s home. What a treat!
It was fun going through my archives to find glowing images. Thank you Siobhen for this relaxing challenge. Please remember to link to Siobhen’s post and use the Lens-Artist tag in your response. I enjoyed everyone’s interpretation of tricks last week. They were imaginative and beautiful. Thank you Donna. Next week Tina will be challenging us, so be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
I had two motivators for visiting the Sacramento Zoo recently. 1. I was gone for almost a month and hadn’t seen the new baby giraffe now named Cheyenne and, 2. I wanted to test out a new lens. With my Nikon, I had an 18-200mm lens which was a perfect walk-around lens. Unfortunately, Fujifilm doesn’t make a lens with that type of zoom. Recently Tamron came out with an 18-300mm lens for Fuji and Sony. So I bought the Fuji mount. The only drawback is its lack of an aperture ring on the lens. I was told that I could assign that function to the front dial and use the top dial to change the aperture.
When I purchased the lens, I was told that Fuji would make the switch automatically and when I put my Fuji lens back on it would revert back. I played with it while at the zoo and didn’t quite do it correctly. I ended up with sharp but noisy images. Thank heavens for Topaz!
The zoo didn’t disappoint. The cheetah was walking around; not running.
The red panda was walking the branches instead of sleeping.
The giraffes were being giraffes. Have you ever seen a two-headed, six-legged giraffe? We did get to see Cheyenne, but she was behind a fence and quickly went back inside with her mother.
The river otters were in their hammock.
And the lions were preparing for a nap.
One of the Okapi was out eating.
I almost forgot the alligator.
So, this was my morning at the zoo with friends Marlene, Laura and Ray. It’s good to be home and doing photography with friends.
Happy April Fool’s Day everyone. And thank you Donna for this tricky challenge. Tricky for me because I don’t create creative images. But I do like to play with Photoshop filters. I enjoy trying one by one to see what they would do to an image. It’s fun. Here are some examples.
If you’ve been following this blog, you know I like to zoom my lens in and out and slow my shutter speed down. Yes, I’ll stop at a neighborhood carnival just to take pictures. And holiday lights are perfect subjects too.
Here are some single shots:
Who would cut up a cute turtle?Water drop design.An upside-down fountain created with a crystal ball.What is this???This picture is mine, but I don’t remember where, when or how? I’m approaching 80 years, so give me a break! 😍😁
I’ll admit that this was a difficult challenge for me since I’m not a truly creative person. I can see an opportunity and take it while composing a picture, and I’m venturing a little bit into Photoshop. So Donna, thanks for the gentle push. Please link to Donna’s post when you reply and use the Lens-Artists tag so it will show up in the Reader.
Thanks to all of you for showing us your New Experiences last week. I enjoyed them all and learned more about plays, bees, hang gliding and more. Next week our guest host, Siobhan of Bend Branches will be leading our challenge, so look for her post.
Interested to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and join us, click here for more information.
What I described as my dream come true began here in my LAPC challenge post. My dream was to visit Australia and Leanne Cole. But my journey didn’t end there. My friends (who invited me to tag along with them and their family) had arranged for us to visit Sydney and Cruise the South Pacific, visiting New Caledonia. My previous post showed you Melbourne and sights along the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Port Campbell.
From there, we flew to Sydney to begin another adventure. Our adventure began with not being able to hook up with Uber for a ride to our hotel. We ended up taking a taxi to Bankstown where we stayed for a few days until it was time to board our cruise ship. One day was spent in a shopping center, picking up items we needed. Another day was spent doing laundry. My friend Sandy caught a cold. You get the idea. We relaxed and rested. We did get into Sydney one day and took a Hop On and Hop Off Tour Bus.
My friends and their family had already been to Sydney, so I was eagerly looking out the window. They didn’t seem to want to get off and I didn’t see any reason to do so. Here are pictures taken through the bus window while it was moving! Again, like in Melbourne, the buildings were amazing. There were many small parks scattered throughout the city.
The Australian MuseumThe Harbor Bridge
We did get off to see the Opera House, and we weren’t the only tourists there!
So that was our one day visit to Sydney. I was impressed with the amount of parks and the beautiful buildings. I also appreciated the rest we received after a whirlwind week in Melbourne. Seeing wild cockatoos and hearing other types of birds was also a treat.
Next we board the Carnival Splendor and head for New Caledonia. Stay tuned.
Experiencing something for the first time can be exhilarating, exhausting, and engaging. Looking forward to that experience can create feelings like anxiousness, happiness, and anxiety. It’s even more exaggerated when the experience is something you wished for but thought would never happen.
My recent trip to Australia falls into that last category. My wish: to go to Australia and photograph with Leanne Cole in Melbourne. You see, when she was in the U.S. in 2015, I had the great opportunity to take her to Santa Cruz and go down to Monterey for a day. She was visiting a friend in Saratoga. We both remember that day. I was amazed at how at ease she was with her camera. And the thought of visiting with her in Australia was a dream come true.
This exciting trip was with my friends Sandy and Peg who are sisters. They invited me along as their adopted sister. Peg was detained a day so Sandy and I flew the long trip together.
I had a day alone with Leanne, walking Melbourne, when Sandy went to pick up Peg at the airport. We had breakfast, lunch and met Sandy and Peg for dinner. What a wonderful day that was. Melbourne is an exciting city with amazing architecture and the Yarra river running through it. Here is a sample of images from that day.
Convention CenterWebb BridgeEvan Walker BridgeFlinders StationThe Manchester Building
The next morning Leanne picked us up and took us to Port Campbell where we spent 2 full days photographing iconic scenes—places I have seen in Leanne’s blog many times.
On the way to Port Campbell
Whaler’s Bluff Lighthouse
Leanne had arranged a wonderful rental house for us at Port Campbell where we enjoyed our 2-night stay. We explored the beaches and sights.
The Twelve ApostlesLoch Ard Gorge from aboveLoch Ard Gorge belowLondon BridgeLondon Bridge
On our way back to Melbourne, Leanne took us to a rainforest, Maist’s Rest.
I had never been in a rainforest before, and this was outstanding. The ferns (which I love) were huge. Here’s a peak.
We had a wonderful time and experienced new things. This was the highlight of my almost 1-month vacation. Thank you, Leanne, for driving and being our very own tour guide. I totally enjoyed our girl friend time and the fun with all four of us. We all appreciated your time. And I’ll admit that Australia has great coffee!
There will be future posts on my blog about this trip. From Melbourne we journeyed to Sydney and then cruised for 11 days. Maybe I can fit some into an LAPC post.
But today, your challenge is to show and tell us about a new experience you had. It could be a trip, the birth of a child or grandchild, a road trip to a new place, the possibilities are endless. As you respond, please link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
We all enjoyed your responses to Sofia’s challenge of Spring. Your narratives and images were imaginative and beautiful. Some of you even got in the Spring mood while walking in snow! Next week, April 1, Donna Holland will be challenging you and she’s not fooling around! Be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Slow Shutter Speed 