Gibson Ranch – Page 2 – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Anne Sandler

Back in time: Civil War Re-enactment, Gibson Ranch, Elverta, California

It was one of the most brutal wars, and one fought on our soil–the Civil War, north against south and sometimes brother against brother. It was something to enter a time warp and see the encampments as they may have been during the civil war. I felt immersed in the culture and people. But, it was a re-enactment at Gibson Ranch. That is the very same ranch that we photographers visit to shoot horses, ducks, and a sunset.

Marlene and I first visited the Union camp just because they were near the parking lot. Except for a few cars, portable toilets and large trash bins, we walked back in time. As much as I appreciated the effort to keep things as realistic to the time period, it was tough to photograph because of all the modern day stuff visible. But it was just a challenge.

This will be another two part post. Today I’ll focus on the Union encampment and tomorrow the confederate encampment and the battle.

Here’s what it was like pre-battle in one of our bloodiest wars.

The Company band. We were told that they were killed first because the music they played were battle cues.

One soldiers tent. I processed black and white where I thought it fit.

Two young girls walking around the camp in period costume.

We talked to this young woman who was in charge of what would probably be a platoon.

A better view of the tents. Not like today’s tents.

The cook. Each Company had their own cook and they did cook at the encampment. No going out for a meal.

A soldier who preferred to sleep outside the tent.

A young boy gets bored while waiting with his mom.

Here’s out cook again. Notice the flag is authentic.

Fine china just wasn’t appropriate in the field.

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Anne Sandler

Me and my point and shoot: Return to Gibson Ranch

Now that the weather is cooler, I decided to take my young grandchildren to Gibson Ranch after school. There is so much for them to enjoy there.

First we visited the horses. They saw one getting a bath–actually a shower! They saw the ducks, a peacock, and the playgrounds. There are two. So much fun for a 4 and 6 year old. And we met a horse and rider on the way to the big playground, and they were able to pet the horse. That might have been a first for them.

I’m glad I had my little point and shoot in my pocket because trees were just asking to be photographed. The sun was low on the horizon and made for some nice light. The kids are learning patience and stopped for the few seconds it took me to shoot each tree. I doubt they would have been so agreeable if I had my SLR and actually took time to get the exposure correct.

Anyway here are the trees shot with the little camera that continues to amaze me. I’ll be taking the kids back to Gibson Ranch, maybe each week. They had so much fun.

Posted on August 23, 2014 by Anne Sandler

Out and about with Goose: Dry Creek Falls and Gibson Ranch

Photographers are willing to go out and about whenever they can and they are willing to help. “Goose” Simmons has been a big help to me. I recently went out during an evening with him and shot on manual until I realized my GPS was stolen. Then I went back to aperture priority. I was too upset to think. I think I was so excited to be shooting with Goose that I forgot to lock my car. I won’t forget again!

Tonight, I’ll be learning how to shoot the Milky Way, and I hope I’ll be posting some great images for you soon. Meanwhile here are some (because I ended up with more than 20 shots I liked) shots from my outing with Goose.

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Anne Sandler

Gibson Ranch near sundown

What I love about the “Shoot Or Go Home” photography meetup group is the small, close to home opportunities they offer. Tuesday we ventured to Gibson Ranch (about 10 minutes away) for a photo walk and sunset shoot. I wasn’t feeling well, but I needed to do something I enjoyed after losing the trailer and missing out on a weekend away.

Gibson Ranch is a park where people board horses, organizations hold events and individuals picnic. It was a Sacramento County park, but is now being run by a private company. I think the County still owns the park but has leased it out. We met at 6:30 p.m. and proceeded to walk the area around the stables. It was a small group, so I had a chance to meet some of them. Mary and “Goose” helped me with my prime 50 mm lens. I’m still having troube getting the exposure correct. After enough frustration, I switched back to my zoom lens.

The setting sun created a challenge for exposure no matter what. I’m so glad I’m learning Lightroom. We all gathered at the small lake to shoot the sunset. This was my first time shooting a sunset for HDR, The sunset wasn’t all that spectacular, but I had fun processing the HDR and was pleased with the various results.

So, here are some of the images captured Tuesday night with the “Shoot Or Go Home” photo group.