It’s hard to remember the cold, rainy weather when the sun is shining and the temperature is in the low ’90 degrees (fahrenheit), but that’s where we were just last month. Given a nice day, Ray and I went to find the small tulip patch at Jensen Botanical Gardens. We didn’t realize just how small would be! But, the tulips were beautiful just the same.
Flowers and macro are my therapy. I hope you enjoyed seeing these as much as I had photographing them. As for the weather, we went from the high ’60s to low ’90s in one day. Fortunately our furnace broke a couple of days ago and the air conditioner still works. Stop to enjoy the flowers everyone!
I have been remiss in posting. This is caused by some traveling and a broken computer. You don’t realize how much, as a photographer, you depend on your computer until you don’t have it. Not only could I not edit photos, I couldn’t get to my archived images. Frustrated doesn’t begin to explain how I felt.
So here I am playing catch up. For this post I’m showing you images from the nesting trees where great egrets and blue herons build their nests each year. The birds feel safe there because the two trees are in the middle of a gully. One sits in the nest while its mate flies and brings back twigs. It’s fun to watch them.
This is a stretch for my Tamron 18 – 300mm lens but I did get some nice images.
This is about the only instance where I can predict they will be flying. This type of photography helps me learn how to watch carefully and be fast.
I had two motivators for visiting the Sacramento Zoo recently. 1. I was gone for almost a month and hadn’t seen the new baby giraffe now named Cheyenne and, 2. I wanted to test out a new lens. With my Nikon, I had an 18-200mm lens which was a perfect walk-around lens. Unfortunately, Fujifilm doesn’t make a lens with that type of zoom. Recently Tamron came out with an 18-300mm lens for Fuji and Sony. So I bought the Fuji mount. The only drawback is its lack of an aperture ring on the lens. I was told that I could assign that function to the front dial and use the top dial to change the aperture.
When I purchased the lens, I was told that Fuji would make the switch automatically and when I put my Fuji lens back on it would revert back. I played with it while at the zoo and didn’t quite do it correctly. I ended up with sharp but noisy images. Thank heavens for Topaz!
The zoo didn’t disappoint. The cheetah was walking around; not running.
The red panda was walking the branches instead of sleeping.
The giraffes were being giraffes. Have you ever seen a two-headed, six-legged giraffe? We did get to see Cheyenne, but she was behind a fence and quickly went back inside with her mother.
The river otters were in their hammock.
And the lions were preparing for a nap.
One of the Okapi was out eating.
I almost forgot the alligator.
So, this was my morning at the zoo with friends Marlene, Laura and Ray. It’s good to be home and doing photography with friends.
Happy April Fool’s Day everyone. And thank you Donna for this tricky challenge. Tricky for me because I don’t create creative images. But I do like to play with Photoshop filters. I enjoy trying one by one to see what they would do to an image. It’s fun. Here are some examples.
If you’ve been following this blog, you know I like to zoom my lens in and out and slow my shutter speed down. Yes, I’ll stop at a neighborhood carnival just to take pictures. And holiday lights are perfect subjects too.
Here are some single shots:
Who would cut up a cute turtle?Water drop design.An upside-down fountain created with a crystal ball.What is this???This picture is mine, but I don’t remember where, when or how? I’m approaching 80 years, so give me a break! 😍😁
I’ll admit that this was a difficult challenge for me since I’m not a truly creative person. I can see an opportunity and take it while composing a picture, and I’m venturing a little bit into Photoshop. So Donna, thanks for the gentle push. Please link to Donna’s post when you reply and use the Lens-Artists tag so it will show up in the Reader.
Thanks to all of you for showing us your New Experiences last week. I enjoyed them all and learned more about plays, bees, hang gliding and more. Next week our guest host, Siobhan of Bend Branches will be leading our challenge, so look for her post.
Interested to learn more about the Lens-Artists Challenge and join us, click here for more information.
We’ve been to the Crocker Art Museum many times so as I walked around I was looking for new art and maybe a new slant on things. I settled on shadows. Here are some art and shadows.
Some walls and indoor architecture were interesting also.
We are in the new building which is attached to the old building across the courtyard. This is their dining area. The cafe has been closed since the Pandemic.
The Antique Trove always has new items and booths to explore. I was attracted by the neon signs. Of course all of them were advertising beer.
Here are some other items I found interesting.
Where do you go when it rains and you want to take your camera out? We have more museums to explore in the greater Sacramento area. We do need some more rain to get us out of this drought, but maybe not those atmospheric rivers we had. If I had my way, it would rain at night and the sun would shine during the day!
Lately, I find that I’m usually choosing one lens to put on my Fuji camera when I go out for a photo outing with my friends. We are usually gone for few hours. I carry nothing else except for an extra battery. I mostly use my 18-55 lens which covers landscape and close ups. I’ve taken it to Bodega Bay to catch ocean scenes and to the Antique Trove to capture some indoor close ups.
When I go to the Sacramento Zoo, I always take my 55-200 mm lens. It does a great job of capturing giraffes and also gets me up close and personal with an orangutan.
You know I love Macro. When I need a lift, I take my Fuji and macro lens to the Green Acres Nursery. There I find many macro-opportunities.
Macro lenses are great for photographing other things like this bird. I was in the Rose Garden and saw it above me.
And then there’s my old trusty prime F/4 300 mm lens I use on my Nikon D7100 for bird shots. I don’t use it often but when I do, I appreciate it. Actually, this lens is why I’m holding on to my Nikon.
If I know I’ll be gone on a longer photo outing and not near my car, I’ll put on my waist pack containing an extra lens giving me a total of 18-200 mm in length. It also carries extra batteries, filters, water, lens cloth and tissues. My problem is, I don’t like changing lenses in the field. Maybe that’s why I challenge myself with one lens each outing.
My challenge for you is to take a lens for a walk. Yes, choose a lens and walk. You can also use your cell phone or point and shoot camera and see what you can do with it. Another trick, when you’re using a zoom lens, is to pick an aperture and stay with it. If you don’t have time or the weather isn’t cooperating, then delve into your archives. Look for images that represent one F stop or close to it. Most of all, have fun! Remember to link to this post when you take us on your one-lens walk and use the Lens-Artists tag.
We all enjoyed looking back with you during Sophia’s challenge last week. I thought your responses were unique and interesting. Next week our newest team member Donna Holland of Wind Kisses will be leading the challenge. Be sure to look for her post. Have a great week!
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
My last chance is my first chance! Tina encourages us to post favorites from 2022 that have not been previously shown in LAPC. This is easy for me since I just took these photographs this past week.
We went up to Reno to stay with the grandkids. We were smart enough to take the train because we don’t have the proper tires to drive in the possible snow that was predicted to fall at higher elevations. The train ride was beautiful and I did take cell phone pictures going and coming. Today’s images are of the snow storm that hit us the night of December 10. I have never experienced anything like this. I’ve been in a hurricane and many earthquakes, but this was different.
It was snowing and I took some pictures. These were before the big storm hit.
During the night the wind started. It was slapping the house hard and the windows shook. I woke up early Sunday morning and went to the family room windows. It had started to snow hard and the trees were swaying violently. There was nothing I could do so I went back to bed. When we woke up, the wind had stopped and there was about 3-feet of snow. My son’s truck was stuck in the snow. He had someone come to dig it out and clear the driveway and walkway to the front door. It took three men about three hours to complete the job.
The black object was part of the snow blower. You can see the snow shoot out of it.
My kids were a day late coming home because the highway was closed. I woke up early Tuesday morning and caught some of the sunrise. My son’s back yard looks down on Reno.
Again, I’ve never been through a storm like this. When we took the grandkids to school on Monday, the scenery was just beautiful.
I’m looking forward to seeing some of your hidden favorites. Please link to Tina’s original post and use the Lens Artists tag. We totally enjoyed all your patterns during last week’s challenge. As we at LAPC take a 2-week break for the holidays, we are excited that Donna Holland of Wind Kisses is joining the LAPC team. She’s been a faithful follower, poster and guest host. Please be sure to follow her at her site, windkisses.com.
Have a fun, enjoyable and safe holiday season. We will be back on January 7, 2023 when John will be leading the challenge.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
There’s so much to see in Luray, Virginia, beginning with Luray Caverns. I have visited many caverns and caves, but this was the largest. It was long and winding; not like others where you traversed down narrow steps to the bottom. And, of course you had to climb back up. These caverns were more or less level, walkable and well lit.
I was amazed by the colors and water features. In some cases, you could see the water dropping from the stalactites. There were audio tours available, but we just started out on our own. There was so much to experience and photograph.
Here are some of my favorite images.
The caverns were the stars of the show that also included a museum, a Garden Maze, Shenandoah Heritage Village, Toy Town Junction and a Rope Adventure Park. We did go into the Heritage Village and Toy Town since it was included with the cavern price. The other attractions were at an additional cost. You could spend some serious money there, especially if you have children.
By the time we got back to the condo, all us seniors were weary and ready for a relaxing evening. Our next stop is Staunton and Lexington, VA.
I enjoy a good treasure hunt, especially when it involves photography. I’ve participated in a couple of outings that involved finding treasured objects, and had fun. This week Tina encourages us to participate in her treasure hunt. So here goes!
I found all but the moon. But that was for extra credit since I do have a sun image. Each image is captioned.
Thanks Tina, this was fun. It’s good to be back with LAPC after being gone on an enjoyable vacation. I’m sorry to have missed some challenges, but without internet, it was not possible to participate. If you haven’t posted your response yet, be sure to link to Tina’s original post when you do. Next week, Patti will host the LAPC challenge. Be sure to look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Memories, looking back at past trips and the fun they were. John is encouraging us to do just that, including how we got there.
When the kids were young we camped. We started with a small truck and camper, then graduated to a larger camper, then an 18′ trailer and then this 31′ 5th wheel.
This 5th wheel morphed us from camping to RVing. My most pleasant memories are of our travels in a small camper, cot set up for the baby over the dinette, the older kids out in tents, and totally enjoying a shower when one was available. RVing came when we were empty nesters. I will admit having the ability to shower whenever, having a full kitchen and not having to climb up into bed had it’s advantages. This trailer took us across the U.S. and many other places. I enjoyed the freedom RVing offered. Now we have an 18′ trailer that Richard uses for his astronomy trips.
Planes. In 1959 my mom and I traveled from NYC to LA, non-stop, on a prop ( Not sure if it was a prop jet?) plane in just 5 1/2 hours! (We were seated on the wing and as a teen, I watched the propellers.) But remember, we’ve made progress with our jet aircraft. It now takes maybe 12 hours to get across the U.S.! Sorry, just had to gripe!!
The most memorable plane trip was in 2014. It was the first plane trip for my younger set of grandkids. We were on our way to Disney World in Orlando with them and my son and daughter-in-law. It was great to experience the trip through the wonderment of their young eyes.
It was also their first trip to a Disney park. We had them by ourselves for a day. They are now 14 and 12 years old.
One type of transportation John left out of his title are ships. When I got my first camera, we took a cruise to Mexico with our friends, Sandy and Ken, on the Carnival line. Talk about a photo wonderland. That ship was so glitzy and I had so much fun.
A bonus to this cruise was spotting the Queen Mary, now a tourist attraction and hotel, docked nearby. What a great ship with an amazing history.
In less than 2 weeks, I’ll be joining my friends again for a New England Cruise. Richard has chosen to stay home, so I’ll be bunking with Sandy’s sister Peg. I can’t wait. I haven’t been away since 2014.
Thanks John for this trip down memory lane. Sometimes I think those are the best trips because we can keep reliving them over and over. When you respond to John’s post remember to link to his and use the Lens-Artists tag.
Also thanks for sharing all your favorite finds with us. It’s always fun to see other’s treasures. Next week Sofia will be presenting the challenge, so look for her post.
If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.
Slow Shutter Speed 