Posted on by Anne Sandler · 46 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #360: Found at the Fair/Market

I’m reluctant to start this post with a negative; but I really don’t like crowds. However when it comes to festivals and fairs, my camera insists on taking me to them. And, I go willing. Such is the power of photography!

This week Ann-Christine is asking us to show some of the celebrations we’ve enjoyed.

I loved the Sacramento Music Festival, in Old Sacramento, each year. We used to work the youth gig. I was always amazed at the talent of our youth. Of course, we had our adult favorites too. Each festival started with a parade down Front Street. Unfortunately we no longer have this festival, but I do have pictures and memories.

And there’s always something to photograph at small town county fairs.

One year my friend Linda found us a Pirate Festival to explore. These pirates played the part!

A nighttime carnival is something I really enjoy. We have an old shopping center that used to host a small carnival once a year. Now that they’ve decided to tear it down, we’ve lost that fun opportunity. You know how I enjoy slowing down my shutter!

Ann-Christine also mentioned markets. Not only do farmers’ markets have delicious produce, but they provide excellent photo opportunities.

Actually, I do have fun at these festivals. With camera in hand, the crowds don’t seem to bother me. Sometimes people will move when they see me taking a picture. I guess crowds aren’t all that bad.

Thanks Ann-Christine, I enjoyed reliving these fun times. Please remember to link your post to Ann-Christine’s and use the lens-artists tag. I also enjoyed seeing everyone’s lines and patterns posted for John’s challenge last week. Sofia will be challenging us next week so look for her post.

In the meantime, stay safe and live in gratitude.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 47 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #299: Hopeful

I chose to live in gratitude this year, and given the world condition, it’s difficult. So, thank you Patti for reminding me there is always hope and encouraging us to look into our own lives to show what gives us hope.

My rose garden, which I’ve neglected this year and still blooms, gives me hope. I’m not a gardener, but these roses have the resilience to show their beauty without much help from me. Maybe if individually we each show our beauty of spirit we can help bring beauty into this world.

Animals in their own habitat also give me hope. They live life simply and naturally. Some only hunt when hungry and some live off the land.

Holidays and festivities give me hope. For a short while we gather and enjoy, laugh and become childlike. Each year our community has a July 4th parade where golf carts, cars and bikes are decorated. If you’re not in the parade, you’re watching it. This is followed by a good old fashioned hot dog lunch.

Dedication to a passion brings me hope. When I’m out with my camera, I don’t think of other things. I just enjoy. My camera brings me to nature and sometimes artistic festivals where artists display their talents. One such festival is Chalk it Up. These artists paint with chalk, putting their all into it only to have it last a few days. Their dedication to their art and wanting to bring joy to others gives me hope.

I love trees–big ones like our Giant Sequoias and small ones; trees with leaves and those without. Trees are expressive in the way their branches bend, or stand out straight. Trees are strong and have a certain energy. Have you hugged a tree lately?

I’ll end with sunflowers. Just looking at them as they follow the sun, gives me hope. Their determination to blossom every year in the same fields shows that given the right care they will continue to smile at us. Can we give the world the right care and have it smile back?

We may not be able to change the world, but we can affect our small micro world and create hope. We can offer hope to our family and friends by helping and caring for them.

Thank you Patti, for reminding us that there is still hope. When you respond to her challenge, please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. I truly enjoyed your responses to Tina’s challenge last week of Children (human and animal). What a joy they are, giving us hope. Next week Ann-Christine will be presenting the challenge, so look for her post. Until then, stay safe and have hope!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 28 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #263: Faces in a Crowd

If you want to see into a person’s soul, just look at their face. One of my photographic goals is to do just that. Candid images capture their story. Once you ask a person if you can take their picture, you tend to lose the story.

For John’s challenge this week, I wish I had more candid faces, but he did open the challenge to include more avenues. And I’m taking full advantage of his generosity. I went way back into my archives to find images I may not have posted before. They were taken at various places, so here goes.

The first two faces were taken at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento. They’ve been there a long time so they must be on permanent display. I picked them because they are so different. I’m assuming the one on the left is a face, and why is the guy on the right sticking his tongue out?

These two are from a Highland Games fair we went to. It was fun to see the costumes and see the participants in the actual games.

Next is a tribute to my friend Greg Morris who passed away in 2015. He was a fun guy who enjoyed taking funny selfies. The first photo is from an outing to Locke, Calif. there was a wooden form of the Mona Lisa with a hole for a face. Greg didn’t hesitate. The second was taken a year later at Bodega Bay where we held a memorial for him. Pictured are some of the photographers there to honor him.

Speaking of photo buddies, here are two taken at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, Calif. We wore those hats while on our tour. Marlene is on the left and Linda is on the right. It was an interesting tour, but we went kind of crazy tasting and buying the jelly beans afterwards. They are so yummy!

Every year, Sacramento hosts Wide Open Walls, a mural festival. There is no shortage of faces. We drive around the city each year to capture the new art.

Last, let’s go to the Sacramento Zoo. You know I love that place. Once you get to know the animals, they are fun to watch and photograph. We were fortunate to be there at the right time to catch a tutorial on birds. A keeper had brought out a parrot for us to get a close, not behind the thick bars of the cage, look. The next image is of a giraffe and her calf. I think the baby is Rocket, who at two years was sent to another zoo.

So there you have it, faces maybe not in a crowd, but tell a story just the same. When you respond to John’s post remember to link to his original challenge and to use the Lens-Artists tag. I enjoyed seeing all your framing responses to Amy’s challenge last week. There were a lot of different natural and man-made frames that gave me ideas to work on. Next week Sofia will be presenting the challenge next week, so be sure to look for her post.

If you’d like to participate but aren’t sure how to get started, click here.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 42 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #223: Flights of Fancy

Oh John, how many scenarios went through my mind when I read this amazing challenge! My mind was actually going through Flights of Fancy! I finally settled on one. Different Flights of Fancy of various people.

Some people like festivals that take their imagination to a certain time and places where they can leave their current world behind for a couple of days. They dress and act as if they were in that time and place. Take this Pirate Festival I attended a few years ago. It was fun even for the non-participants.

Closely related to festivals are the reenactments. Marlene and I visited the Civil War Reenactment at nearby Gibson Ranch a few years ago. The participants were so into recreating their Flight of Fancy that everything was in the time of the Civil War: dishes, tents, costumes, language, etc. When it came time for the battle, the South didn’t have enough soldiers so they drafted some of the audience. These shots are from the end of the battle with cannons firing and causalities on the ground. Of course, the North won. The South surrendered with a full ceremony. It was great.

Now for my Flight of Fancy. For years I’ve fancied traveling again. Finally the chance came and so did my passion to photograph different places and things. Within that passion is the fun of creating abstract images from colorful landscapes. Here are some ceiling shots I took aboard the ship.

I’m ending with my husband, Richard’s, Flight of Fancy. He looks to the skies and beyond. Actually, his telescope looks for him. He’s an astronomer who images. There’s a camera on his scope that takes pictures of deep space objects like galaxies and nebula. He normally has his shutter open for 24 minutes to take 4 color shots, and he takes 20 pictures. That’s dedication and a nap while it’s happening! Here are a few of his images

From left to right: M8, the Lagoon Nubula; M31, the Andromeda Galaxy; from left to right: NGC 4312 NGC 4321 Galaxies.

No matter what your Flights of Fancy are, I hope they come to realization. When you post your response, please remember to use the Lens-Artists tag and link to John’s post. Last week we were taken to scenic mountains from all over the world. Thank you Amy! Next week Sophia leads the challenge on Exposure.

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

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Shopping and shooting: The Fountains, Roseville

Senario: one week before husband, Richard’s, back surgery; dear friends come to visit from Los Angeles for a couple of days; Richard can’t walk much and is in pain; we stay home first day; second day, just to get out for a while, we, minus Richard, go to The Fountains shopping center and the Romanian Festival, both in Roseville.

Now that you know what’s going on, let me tell you about our friends of at least 40 years. We’ve seen our children grow and marry, our grandchildren reach the age of Bar Mitzvah, and stayed in touch after Richard and I moved from Los Angeles. Life cycle events would bring us down to L.A. more often than bringing these two couples up our way. So, it was a treat to have them stay with us, and it provided a diversion for Richard.

We went to The Fountains because Lois wanted to see the Vera Bradley shop, and Ron’s shutter finger was getting antsy. Shelley and Jim just enjoy walking. So, while Ron and I took pictures, Lois enjoyed signing up for Vera Bradley’s discounts, and Jim and Shellie walked.

Next, I tried to get them to the Romanian Festival, but our way was blockaded by a farmer’s market. We did make it to the Festival, which provided Ron and me another photo opportunity. You’ll see those images in my next post.

For now, come join us at The Fountains. If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ve seen flowers from this unique shopping center before. I also took on the challenge of shooting more than just flowers.

Oh, the end of this senario: Richard’s back surgery went well with just one complication. Now he thinks he can do anything one week after surgery.