Embarcarado – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on June 24, 2023June 24, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #255: Telling A Story

I have been told that every picture should tell a story. Lately I’ve been looking for the story in images I photograph. I’m working hard at finding the story in a simple, beautiful landscape. Maybe that’s the story! This week, Patti is encouraging us to show one to five photographs that tell a story. I have two single images that I think tell two very different stories, and, no, they are not landscapes.

The first was taken while on a photo outing in San Francisco on the Embarcadero.

I don’t think I need to explain the story in this image. Homelessness is worldwide. It isn’t contained to any one city, state or country. I have more pictures of the unhoused, but this shows the plight of someone who is decently dressed, trying to get along.

My second story is heartwarming to me. My granddaughter was impatiently waiting for her guests to arrive for her birthday party. Her anticipation and excitement was overwhelming.

She kept checking the window near the door for her friends’ arrival. And it was a fun make over pamper party. Having raised three boys, this was a special treat for this grandma.

Two single images telling two very different stories. Thanks Patti for this insightful challenge. Please remember to link to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader when you reply to this challenge. And thanks to Tina for last week’s spirituality challenge. I was amazed at all the different interpretations you all offered.

Next week we will welcome five guest hosts for July’s challenges. They are:

July 1 Ritva Sillanmaki asks us to explore INSPIRATION FOUND IN THE KITCHEN.
July 8 Philo of Philosophy Through Photography looks at SIMPLICITY.
July 15 Dawn Miller of The Day After leads with FENCES.
July 22 Dan Fenner of Departing in 5 Minutes invites us to join his UNBOUND SUMMER.
July 29 Janet Webb of This That and The Other Thing will explore OVERLOOKED.

Please look for their blogs and challenges. I’m looking forward to see all your responses.

The Lens-Artists team will be back in August with Ann-Christine hosting on Saturday, August 5. Look for her post on Leya at noon ET. Take care and enjoy your July activities.

Interested in joining the Lens-Artists challenge? Click here for more information.

Posted on September 10, 2022September 11, 2022 by Anne Sandler · 41 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #216: Urban Environments

It’s been a while since I’ve been in a truly urban environment. Downtown Sacramento is as close as I’ve gotten, but I already posted many pictures of buildings and street art. So how do I put a twist on this challenge from Sofia? I thought immediately of San Francisco. In July, 2018, Marlene and I took the ferry from Tiburon to the Embarcado.

A couple of pictures taken from the ferry.

It was a full day of walking, taking pictures and people watching. The Embarcado attracts tourists of all ages, people who live in San Francisco and want to eat in well-known restaurants, and anyone who is looking for a speciality item. People watching was what I enjoyed the most.

I was immediately overcome with sadness and wonderment at watching a couple help their very senior dog. I’m now helping my senior dog, a schnoodle, although his stroller is much smaller.

Kids just love the environment on the Embarcadero. This red-head was a stand out and this girl was enjoying this unusual swing.

Street entertainers helped liven up the crowds.

Workers also need breaks.

Artists are also creating and selling their finished products.

And, I can’t close this post without crowd scenes!

Do you see Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream shop in the last picture. Of course I just had to get some Cherry Garcia! I want to go back and do this again. I love street photography. These were just some of the pictures from that trip. Maybe Marlene and I will do this again in the Fall.

Thank you Sofia for letting me go down memory lane with this twist to your challenge. When you post your reply to this challenge, be sure to link it to Sofia’s post and use the Lens Artists tag. Last week John’s challenge brought us to many places in a variety of ways. It was fun reading your posts. Tina leads next week’s challenge so look for her post.

I will be taking 3-weeks off. Yes, I’m actually going on a vacation! I’ll be back soon.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Anne Sandler · 12 Comments

Walking and shooting: San Francisco

Many people have asked me what type of photography I enjoy doing. I always answer, “Everything but portriat!” Of course that leaves landscape, buildings, macro and more. One is street photography, and I don’t feel as comfortable with this as I do macro, etc.

Part of the problem is that I’m not fast enough to catch the moment. I also fail to see the opportunity. I think I can do better with some training and experience. So, I jumped on the chance to walk along the Embarcarado in San Francisco. This fun day was sponsored by the Exploring Photography Meetup group. We started at 8:30 a.m., taking the ferry from Vallejo to San Francisco. We were to walk and take photos along the way and meet back to catch the ferry ferry at 4 p.m.

We were told to take small sized gear so we wouldn’t be conspicuous. So I took my D3100, my 50 mm lens and shot on aperture priority. But, how can you be conspicuous with a bunch of tourists snapping pictures! At least the D3100 was lighter than the D7100.

It was also good experience using the 50 mm prime lens. I stopped trying to twist the barrel after a while! It was a fun day as I looked for people their stories. I took so many pictures that this will be a two-part post.

So get your walking shoes on and follow along!