Happy Birthday to us–Marlene and Anne! My dear friend Marlene and I have June birthdays, and each year we celebrate with a delicious lunch and photography. This year we chose to dine at High Hand Nursery’s Cafe in Loomis. We made our reservations–yes you need reservations for this cafe–and needed to do it two weeks in advance!
Lunch was delicious and the photography delightful. The only drawback was the high afternoon sun. Here are some of the pictures of the nursery.
Now we’re looking ahead to next year. Destination unknown.
Photo composition comes naturally or it can be learned. This week John has a great tutorial for us. For some of us, it’s a new tool and for some it’s something we’ve been doing. However, for some, including me, we’ve been using these three tools without knowing it!
Let’s take depth first. That is most important to help our two dimensional art seem three dimensional. Are you enticed to walk through those open door rooms to the end? Or maybe walk down to the end of the ramp?
Next scale.
We have climbers at a practice rock. That’s still a high climb for me! Their images help show scale in the image. Then we have a reflection showing the scale of this tall building in downtown Sacramento.
Next perspective.
Living in California I would be remis not to show perspective using our giant Sequoias. Here we have a redwood with my friend Jean providing perspective at the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. If you’ve ever visited Sequoia National Park, you’ve seen the iconic General Sherman. This family was taking pictures and I just joined in.
So there you have it, and I posted just the six images allowed. I’m sure we all had more.
Thanks John, for a review and education this week. When you respond, please link your post to John’s original and use the Lens-Artists tag. There were so many wonderful wonders for Sofia’s challenge last week. I enjoyed them all. Next week, Beth will be leading the challenge, so look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.
When you’re drawn to color like I am, you can make serious shopping mistakes with impulse buys! This week Ritva’s post is all about color, its meaning and its importance. I love red, and when I see red, I automatically try to figure out where I can use the item. More than not, I don’t need it. The older I get, the more level headed I am and can leave the item behind.
When we were young marrieds, my husband drag raced a red Pontiac with cheater slick tires. It became my car. I cannot tell you how many police followed me on the freeway until they realized I was a woman. Then they left me alone. Here’s a somewhat red car with a beautiful reflection.
I guess I like deep colors like red because my skin is pale and pastels just make me look like a ghost. I went to our new friend AI to find out what red symbolizes:
Passion: Red often represents strong emotions like love and desire.
Danger: It is commonly used to signal warning or alertness.
Energy: Red is associated with vitality and enthusiasm.
Power: The color conveys strength and authority.
Courage: Red symbolizes bravery and determination.
Action: It encourages movement and urgency in various contexts.
Is that me? I’m not sure. I’m passionate about photography. But, I don’t go looking for danger. I used to have a lot of energy. I’ve never been power hungry. I do have courage. In an emergency, I do take action.
Let’s look at some more images. If I have a choice, I’ll sit under a red umbrella. I think I should have bought those cups, but I restrained myself. Japanese gardens always include red. While red is a stimulating color, this bridge calms me down. Just walking across it creates serenity.
You know I love flowers. I could have filled this post with flowers, but we are limited. Here are two: a tulip and rose.
Now that Ritva has me in a red mood, I just might go shopping. One more red blouse or a red doodad won’t hurt. But I really don’t need them. What to do?? Maybe I need to end this post and busy myself with some other color. I do like blue, purple, and green!
Talking about color, your textures last week showed beautiful colors of rust, wood and florals. Thank you for participating. When you post your colors, please link to Ritva’s original post and use the Lens-Artist tag. Next week Egidio will challenge us, so look for his post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.
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!
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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It was a cool Saturday morning; a great time for my husband and I to drive to the car show at Denio’s. Denio’s is a large farmer’s market and swap meet in Roseville. Occasionally they host members of car clubs who enjoy showing off their old, rare and souped up autos.
I sort of knew what to expect; you know, having cars parked next to each other. So while my husband talked to the owners, I photographed the cars–mostly close up! It was fun and challenging for me. Here’s what my camera found.
I liked the care the owners gave their cars. They were all polished and clean. Well, except for my first photo. But there was a certain pride of ownership in that truck also. Maybe the next time I visit, it will be painted and shiny too!
It’s July 4th in the United States–Happy Independence Day to all who celebrate. This evening we will celebrate with friends and enjoy viewing some fireworks from their hilltop viewpoint. While my meatballs are cooking in the crockpot, I thought I’d share just a few pictures from the Sacramento Zoo. The zoo is remaining in Sacramento and not moving. I don’t know exactly why, probably a money issue.
Here are a few glimpses of our new giraffe. She’s growing fast, but still seeks out her mother.
The capybara, the world’s largest rodent, is asking to be let back in to it’s shelter. Is it people shy?
Our new lioness is grooming herself. I believe they are keeping the new lion and lioness separated for now, only having one out at a time.
We have a new leopard, a clouded leopard. Named because the spots resemble clouds.
I started this post with our youngest giraffe, and I’ll end it with a close relative-the okapi. This is probably the second best picture I’ve gotten of one of them. They are just beautiful.
That’s it for my brief excursion to the zoo. Stay safe and live in gratitude!
Zoom, zoom, zoom! It’s one of my favorite types of photography, and it is fun! Zooming is part of the Intentional Camera Movement family, but instead of moving the camera, you are just moving the lens back and forth. This yields photos of a different kind!
In this technique, you adjust the focal length of a lens to change the magnification of the subject, giving the appearance of moving closer or further away without physically changing the camera’s position. This is achieved using a zoom lens, which has a variable focal length.
Now, this is going to be a do as I say and not as I do challenge. Remember the “Break the Rules” challenge Ritva recently gave us? I break the rules when it comes to zooming.
If you can catch a reflection while zooming, you get an additional WOW!
Use a tripod. I sometimes do use a tripod. That’s how I got the name of the ride clear in this picture while pulling the lens in.
But sometimes a tripod isn’t handy. Just hold the camera as steady as possible while you’re zooming the lens.
You can start with a long exposure photograph and then have more fun experimenting. This was taken during Christmas time, which is a great time to take out that zoom lens and have fun.
If the light is bright, you’ll need to use a polarizing or neutral density filter to stop down the light. Either that or find shade. This image was taken towards evening. I was totally unprepared to do zooming but wanted to try it. I’ll confess that I don’t usually carry a polarizer or ND filter with me each time I go out. These days, I go as light as possible. I do have them though. You’ll also notice there are no daytime photos in this post. Remember do as I say—not as I do!
Additional suggestions:
Photograph at a low ISO—100 or less.
Use a long shutter speed. Start at 1 second and go down from there. You’ll need a long shutter to give you time to move the lens in or out.
Start with an aperture of F/22 and move around from there.
Use manual focus.
The longer the focal length of your zoom lens the better your effect will be. I’ve used 18-55mm and it yielded good results, but the 18-300 was better. My last thought: prime lenses do not zoom!
Your challenge this week is to take your camera and zoom lens out for some zooming. If you don’t have a polarizing or neutral density filter, then go out at night. There are always lights for you to have fun with: streetlights, neon lights, window light displays. This takes practice, so don’t get discouraged. And, there is no right or wrong in Intentional Lens Movement–just good old enjoyment!
When you post, remember to link to this post and use the Lens-Artist tag. I want to see all of your zooms!
I really enjoyed seeing your post on Tina’s challenge, “The First Thing I Thought Of.” And your humor was greatly appreciated. Laughter is good for the soul. It’s amazing how a picture can have different interpretations.
Next week Ritva will be back leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post. In the meantime, stay healthy 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.
Along a Mountain RoadIronside WineryKings Canyon, Sequoia National ParksMcKinley Rose GardenSacramento National Wildlife RefugeOld Sacramento Railroad DepotSunflower Field
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.
I’ve been talking a lot about how much I love rust – it’s patina and texture. Believe it or not, I’m going back to June when we visited 3M Ranches in Yolo County. Oh, I do love and appreciate those wonderful farms and ranches that allow us to visit their property.
Here’s a little about 3M Ranches from their website:
M Three Ranches is a family-owned farming operation providing high-quality agricultural products for food processors and handlers. We use technology advancements and sustainable practices to ensure high yields and returns for both our clients and our landlords. Having been farming for over 50 years in the Sacramento Valley, our farm is recognized as being a lead grower of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, seed crops, olives, walnuts, and almonds.
These rusty pieces were tossed in a junk pile just waiting for photographers to go crazy. That seems to be a standard way to take care of unwanted things in the country.
Yes, I’ll probably bore you with more rust in the future, but it’s so worth it!
Slow Shutter Speed 