Nothing can make you smile like a sunflower! When you see a whole field of yellow and orange looking at you, you just get a great feeling. This year I had the opportunity of visiting Woodland twice and photographed two sunflower fields and Metzger’s Zinnia Patch.
When we visit the sunflower fields, we are careful not to disturb the plants and shoot from around the patch. As photographers, we are happy we’re allowed to take pictures. Cooperation goes a long way!
Bee colonies are kept near the fields to help polinate. I can assure you they are busy bees! Here are some “sunnies.”
Now for the zinnias. What is special about this patch of zinnias is that the Metzger family allows people to pick the flowers and encourages them to share with others who can’t get out. You’ll see moms and their kids having fun choosing their favorites.
I got my sought after shot this year–a sunflower field so dense that when you shot over the top, all you can see is yellow. Thank you Karen A. for scoping the fields out. And thanks to a step ladder! Yes, I’m sort–too short to have gotten the image without a little help.
I remember in past years going crazy to find sunflower fields, only to be there too early or too late. This year things were different in Yolo County.
I’ll make this a short post so you can see them. Oh, what did I learn? Patience prevails and always have a step ladder in your car trunk!
Hope these make you smile!
Back-lit.
Happy sunny.
Bees were busy.
Getting in the middle.
These fields are large.
Shooting over the Sunnies.
From the side.
They are beautiful no matter how you shoot them.
There were wheat fields opposite the sunflower fields.
Yes, sunflowers were popping up again. But this time in a different field, in Davis, and different time of day. We, Marlene, Linda and I, found the field about 11 a.m., and the sun was getting high in the sky. A visit to the California Automobile Museum, in Sacramento, caused us to arrive a little later than we would have liked.
My goal was to shoot over the field and get a wide shot. However, we forgot to bring a small ladder. Okay, I’m short! I did my best, trying to stand as tall as possible. It was a different type of shoot than the last during sundown. There was no back lighting, just blaring sun. I’m finding that I now make do with the environment I shoot in, figuring what type of shot would work best.
For instance, at the Automobile Museum, the cars were so close together and the lighting poor so I decided to do mostly close ups. I went for the hood ornaments, the tires, the horns–whatever looked interesting and different. I’m now shooting with intent and not just doing snapshots. I’m actually able to pull out something good from what doesn’t look like a great photo opportunity.
I’m still learning, but I’m more confident in my abilities. There’s another sunflower shoot on July 5. Maybe I’ll join them, you never know what will pop up!
A historic fire engine.
The back of the fire engine.
I like the way this car was set up with the backdrop and bench. A fellow photographer was great to share some processing tips for me to get this look.
I liked the patterns in the back of this car.
Stephen, Linda, (back row) Marlene and I had some fun. All four cameras were set to shoot on a time delay.
Notice the reflection in this hub cap.
This lady is flying!
I tried some different presets in Lightroom here.
This classic car looked great in monochrome.
Here’s the sunflower field.
A sunflower bud waiting to see the sun.
The backside of a sunflower! I was trying different angles.
Beautiful red rock is what will first catch your eye when you venture into Sedona, but for me, the attraction is the vortexes. What, you ask! A vortex is an energy field that affects you in various ways.
A masculine vortex will energize you and a feminine vortex will calm you down. And, it works. Today we spent the day in a calming vortex and I’m so relaxed even though we went for a short hike. Because of these vortexes, Sedona has become the center for all things spiritual. You’ll find all sorts of shops dedicated to the spiritual arts: readings, crystals, massage, and more.
In addition, sorry to say, Sedona has become some what of a tourist trap. We are staying in West Sedona away from the heart of the tourist frenzy. I will tell you more about this area in subsequent posts. We are here until June 6, so enjoy the red rock beauty with me.
This guy is a resident of Red Rock Crossing Park, a feminine vortex
Families come here to wade and swim. This rock is a natural slide.
This girl gets ready to slide down.
And there she goes.
A bee gets nourishment.
The park is surrounded by red mountains.
A determined plant pushes its way through the rock.
Okay, I’m a type A wanna be type B. I took on this 365 challenge and I’m still at it. What do you mean it’s only been a little over a month! It sounds longer at 36 days. And, I’m still shooting on manual.
This is helping me understand the exposure triangle relationship and how to make the image come out the way I want it to. Of course some are shot with my point and shoot, some are of the dog and more will probably be, some are of the grandkids and some are taken on walks.
This challenge has also helped me develop a more keen eye as I look for things to shoot everywhere. I always have my point and shoot with me. Here are some of the less mundane images I’ve captured so far. A few have been on meetups, but most are from everyday life.
This was shot during a Meetup. I think I posted a different version on a blog.
I took this today while walking the dog. I processed it as a single photo in an HDR program and then in Lightroom.
I took this when the younger grandkids were playing with bubbles.
Later I thought I’d crop it in more to see whether the bee was in sharp focus.
During this walk, the bees were active. I posted this image.
This was a try at an abstract using water, oil and food coloring.
When you’re getting your tires worked on, what do you do? I took a photo!
This one was from a visit to the Sacramento Historical Cemetery. It was a subject of one of my blogs.
This was one of my first attempts to stage a shot.
You may remember this one that was from a photo outing.
This was from a photo outing too.
I was practicing at a creek one afternoon.
I posted this one also from The Aerospace Museum.
My only other try at staging a photo. I was trying to emphasize the color green.
Continuing on the theme of “What was, isn’t,” we’ve made a lot of changes ourselves personally. For us what was–a 31 foot 5th-wheel trailer–isn’t any more. After losing a wheel and axel on our way to a star gazing trip, we decided it was time to sell the aging home away from home. We just bought a new, used 24 foot travel trailer. At our age, this makes more sense. We will use our time share for distance travel.
The Hallberg Gardens faces the same dilemma, Louise Hallberg needs help to revive her dream. She too, is aging. I wish I lived closer so I could get in there and work. I confess, I have a black thumb; but I could help clean up. I’m hoping Hallberg Gardens will survive.
Meanwhile, here are the rest of the images from the Meetup.
It’s sad when you know something that was once beautiful is in danger of going away. I’m talking about the Hallberg Butterfly Gardens in Sebastopol, California. Louise Hallberg’s garden officially became a non-profit organization in 1997. I say officially because she has lived in the same house on the property since a child in the 1920s.
Today, at 97, Louise still tends the gardens with help from a few friends. The grounds do need work and tender loving care. However, they are still a haven for butterflies and insects. The Meetup group that arranged this outing billed it as a chance to pull out the macro lens. I don’t have one, but I shot with my 55 – 300 lens some of the time and my 18 – 55 mm the rest of the time. We didn’t see too many butterflies, but there were birds and flowers to compensate. I do wish the butterflies would stay still for just a moment! We did have one that seemed to want to show off, and I was able to get some great shots of him (or her!).
I hope someone will come along and take over the property. It would make a great historical park. While we were there, I did meet Hallberg, who had a helper with her. She is frail and just got out of the hospital recovering from a fall. If you’d like to help, visit their website at http://www.hallbergbutterflygardens.org/. It would be great to keep Hallberg’s vision and this garden alive. This will be another 2-part post. There’s so much to show you!
Slow Shutter Speed 