Who could resist the beautiful rose blooms at the McKinley Rose Garden in Midtown Sacramento. It was peak time and just perfect for photography. A couple of weeks ago two of my photo buddies and I went down and this is just some of what I captured through my lens.
Of course, there were more. But I pick my roses carefully. Thank you to the wonderful volunteers who help make mornings like this possible. We photographers appreciate you!
It’s shadow play this week! I remember playing with shadows as a kid, and we still do–with our cameras. This week John is encouraging us to show shadows affect our photos. I’m going to dive right in.
I’m always looking for shadows when I photograph flowers and leaves. They add dimension and interest to the subject. It’s almost like seeing a flower within a flower or leaf within a leaf. Shadows also accent the folds and lines in the subjects.
Next are shadows captured during museum visits. Here are two different sculptures. The first was at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and the second at the, unfortunately, now closed Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, (Not to get political.) I liked how the lighting created two shadows in the first picture. And somehow the shadow of the photographer shadow bombed the second! I remember thinking the lighting on the sculpture was fantastic.
Sometimes shadows make photographing the beautiful Sacramento murals difficult. Or do tree branch shadows add a mysterious dimension?
Sometimes shadows make a ramp more interesting, accenting lines, and an old window look more mysterious.
Finally a shadow can culminate the end of a fun photo outing with a good friend.
Thanks John for encouraging my shadow play. When you respond to his challenge please remember to link to his post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we had fun with Patti’s juxtaposition challenge. I totally enjoyed seeing your responses. Next week Ann-Christine will be leading our challenge, so be sure to look for her post. In the meantime stay safe and be resilient.
When I look back at my photographic experiences in 2025, I can’t get too excited. Except for my Panama Canal Cruise (which I haven’t been able to process yet), it was a repeat of places we had been before. So, I just picked a few that I liked. I’m sure I posted pictures of the outings from which these were taken, but these were not edited or posted.
Let’s start with the one image I processed of the Panama Canal. This is of the lock just before entering the lake.
Next are pictures of birds. It’s difficult for me to get pictures of Sandhill Cranes because I don’t have a super long lens. I got lucky with this one being closer to the road. The next image is my first of a pheasant. Too bad it was a super foggy day.
You know I enjoy photographing flowers.
I love trees. They are so expressive.
My back is telling me to end this post, and I must listen. Thank you Beth for encouraging us to spread our wings last week. Have a wonderful holiday and happy New Year. I’ll see you in 2026! In the meantime stay safe and live in gratitude.
I’m plagiarizing Patti because she said it so well:
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1. Tina of https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com 2. Patti of https://pilotfishblog.com 3. Ann-Christine of https://lagottocattleya.wordpress.com 4. John of https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com 5. Sofia of https://photographias.wordpress.com 6. Anne of https://annegeephoto.com 7. Egidio of https://egidio.photography/ 8. Ritva of https://sillarit.com/ 9. Beth of https://wanderingdawgs.com/ To find out more about the Lens-Artists Challenges, click here.
Oh boy, I’m so glad Ritva’s challenge is a quiet moment and not more than a moment! I left that joy behind when I was raising three boys and numerous dogs. I have since found solitude at my computer, when writing or processing pictures; when I’m walking with my camera, gazing at nature’s beauty or any kind of non-thinking down time reading or watching TV. I’ve started to turn off my cell phone ringer during these times. It can ruin just “being!”
Since this is a photography blog, let’s concentrate on walking with my camera. Dirt paths often lead to solitude. I walk slowly so I don’t miss a photo opportunity for the small things. As I walk, reality becomes distant.
Fog is a weather phenomena that urges me to stop, breathe and relax. I love walking through the mist. The thicker the better. Maybe it brings me into the mystery of a different existence.
Water, whether waves crashing on rocks or a serene lake, makes me stop, look and listen. At the ocean, I listen to the waves as they rush in and hit the shore. At the lake, I listen to nature if there are birds or even nothing but quiet. How relaxing are both experiences!
The beauty of flowers quiets my mind. How gorgeous they are in full bloom. I have to concentrate to get the macro images. This is a quieting experience for me since I’m taken away from reality.
Animals at the zoo also quiet my mind and body, especially when I see a flamingo sleeping–maybe in an awkward position!
Okay, I put that in just for fun. Let me close with a simple country scene that I can be in all day and not want to leave.
These days, it’s difficult to find quiet. When we find a quiet environment, can we quiet our minds? Thank you Ritva for helping us remember we do need to practice quiet mindfulness. When you respond to her challenge please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artist tag.
Wow, did we have fun last week during our scavenger hunt. You sure kept me busy with your amazing and inventive responses, and I loved it. Egidio will be leading our challenge next week. Be sure to look for his wonderful post. In the meantime, stay safe and live in gratitude!
John wants to know where I go to relax and rejuvenate. At first I didn’t know since I don’t have a designated place that calms me down. I gave it a lot of thought while I was editing photos, and then it came to me. My go to place is anywhere my camera takes me!
Yes, I can be upset, not feeling well, tired, etc.; but when I’m holding my camera, I have energy, I’m happy and not weary. The upsetting world drifts away, and I’m absorbed in a sunflower field, beautiful countryside, rivers, wildlife, buildings or anything that attracts my photographic eye.
At least one photo outing gets me through the week. Thank you John for helping me realize how important this photo hobby is to my physical and mental being. It’s definitely good for my soul. When you post your response, please link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
What a week this amazing photo community gave me in your responses to “abandoned.” They were varied, heart felt and amazing. Thank you everyone. Sophia is presenting next week’s challenge, so be sure to look for her post a week from now. Until then, stay safe and live in gratitude.
If you know my photographic style, then you know my word would be MACRO. Close up or macro photography was my goal when I first started photography, and it has continued to be. So John, macro is my choice. You’ve made this challenge easy for me because I have so many images to choose from. Or was it easy?
In finding my macro images, I found mostly flowers. Some even had visitors:
But there were also some water drops:
This challenge may have seemed short and sweet, but it was difficult choosing the images! So thank you John for this journey of “One Word!” I’m now reminded that I haven’t taken my macro lens out in a long time! Oh, when you post your reply, please remember to link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
Last week Sophia had us all go on Bold journeys, and I enjoyed seeing and experiencing all of yours. I’m presenting next week’s challenge, so I’d better get busy. In the meantime, stay safe, be resilient and live in gratitude.
This is a dilemma we all face–color or black and white (AKA Monochrome). Patti suggests, for this challenge, that we show a maximum of three images processed in both color and black and white.
When I compose a photograph, I don’t think color or black and white. That time comes during processing. Since I mainly use Lightroom, if I think there’s enough contrast, I will use the black and white button in LR just to see what it would look like. If I like it, then I process the image using LR and Silver Efex.
I photographed this water lily and wondered what it would look like in B&W. I liked the drama that was created and finished processing in Silver Efex. Do you think the contrast in the leaves makes up for the loss of color?
Sometimes, an overcast day presents an almost B&W image on its own. This was taken in Bodega Bay on the California Coast. I thought the dark boat, clouds and light shining on the water created enough contrast for a B&W image. But then the color image looks right also. What do you think?
Finally, not knowing Patti was going to present this challenge, I challenged myself to a sunset in B&W. What would a beautiful, colorful sunset look like in monochrome? See for yourself.
I think the monochrome works mainly because of the reflection in the water. But is working good enough? What do you think?
This has been a great exercise Patti. Thank you! When you post your responses, please link to Patti’s original challenge and use the Lens-Artists tag. I’m anxious to see your posts. Last week, we saw a lot of dogs and cats thanks to Tina’s challenge. It was fun to see your pets and grand pets. Next week Ann-Christine will challenge us, so please look for her post.
In the meantime, be resilient and live in gratitude.
Color, that’s what it’s all about. It’s used to entice us to purchase items. We dress in colors that complement our complexion. And as photographers we always use color even if we process in black and white. This week, Egidio encourages to show us how we use complementary colors in our photography.
Nature gives us color every time we go out, especially complementary colors. First is green. What doesn’t complement green. On the color wheel colors shades of orange, red and purple complement green when you cast a wide net.
But we humans know how to use complementary colors also. From a seat cushion, to fireworks against a golden bridge, to an abstract and to a ship’s interior.
When you see ads, interior spaces or store fronts, think about how they use color. Thanks Egidio for this wonderful and colorful challenge. When you post your response, please link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag.
I enjoyed seeing your responses to Ritva’s post that had us looking down last week. You gave me lots of ideas! Next week Tina is presenting the challenge, so be sure to look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and live in gratitude!
When I take my camera out for a walk, I always look for angles, shadows and other leading lines that would make an interesting photo. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to be able to photograph from high looking low. And that’s what Ritva is asking us to do in this week’s challenge: look down.
While I don’t recommend looking down while walking, I do suggest that you stop and look down. What do you see? Sometimes unique opportunities lay at your feet or over a rail. Here are some of mine.
Looking down into a puddle on an asphalt road can lead to abstract opportunities.
Looking down can give a different perspective on a wood platform showing its rough texture, on a bee showing a close up of its eyes and on a flower showing its center blossom.
How about a unique view of a fountain that flows down the stairs.
Talking about stairs. Here are some impressive stairs.
I’ll end with this shot looking down the mid-ship section of a glitzy cruise ship.
This was enjoyable Ritva. One of these photos took me back to before I had a DSLR! When you post your response, please link it to Ritva’s and use the Lens-Artists tag. We don’t want to miss your post.
And a big thank you to all who participated in my resilience challenge of last week. I enjoyed seeing and reading about your resilience. I’m actually still getting responses today. Now that’s resilience!
Egidio is challenging us next week, so be sure to look for his post. In the meantime, happy clicking and stay safe.
Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been looking forward to starting a new year since early on in 2024. I guess what I’m saying that 2024 wasn’t a banner year for me. I spent most of it recovering from an auto accident. But, thanks to my wonderful photo friends, I managed to get out with my camera.
It seems when I have a camera in my hands, I have energy and things have a better focus. I’m fine now, but I have learned a lot about friendship. Let’s take a look at 2024.
I do love to photograph in fog. Here’s one from our visit to Rush Ranch.
Old Sacramento and the area surrounding the Sacramento River and bridges gave me the opportunity for some street photography and interesting landscape images.
I took whatever opportunity I could to use my macro lens. Thank goodness for seasonal sunflowers and bees.
Twice a year I challenge myself and my camera/lens to see how far I can get with 300 mm max. The egret was taken in April and shorebirds in December. Cropping in helps a lot!
I also enjoy photographing lines, angles and shadows, and reflections.
I can’t end a post about favorites without flowers. These were taken locally in Sacramento.
Last year taught me a lot about resilience, looking forward and smiling. That’s my wish for all of you this year. I have enjoyed being part of this wonderful community, and I experience more of life through your photographic expressions.
Stay tuned, next week, I’m leading the challenge. Until then stay healthy and happy. Live in gratitude.
When you post your response to this challenge, you can link to my post or all of the team’s posts. Please remember to use the Lens-Artists tag. If you would like more information about our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here.
Slow Shutter Speed 