Posted on by Anne Sandler · 40 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #419: Landmarks and Monuments

My camera takes me places I wouldn’t ordinarily visit or think of visiting. However, early on my in my camera toting days one of my groups arranged an outing to the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery, and I’ve been hooked ever since. This week, John has given me a platform to show you some of the beauty and history hidden at this cemetery.

The cemetery was established in 1849 when Sacramento founder John Augustus Sutter, Jr. donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) to the city for this purpose. It was declared a State Historic Landmark on May 5, 1957, by the State Historical Landmarks Commission. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Let’s start with the most poignant sites that touched my heart. We can accept when an adult passes, but our hearts go out to the families who have lost children. Note that on Eddy’s gravestone, they put how old the child was in years, months and days.

You don’t see monuments as tall as these in cemeteries any more. These are in great shape, but some are broken and in need of repair. I guess it’s up to the families to do upkeep on monuments. I would assume the families have passed away also.

Some family groups are gated off, and are given fancy farewells.

My last monument is dedicated to those who lost their lives and homes in the devastating Camp Fire in 2018. One resident who lost his home to that fire and relocated to our community took us up there to see the devastation first hand. The blame for this fire landed on Pacific Gas and Electric. The company now turns off electric during high wind storms. The community built this monument to never forget.

The 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California‘s Butte County was the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. The blaze began on the morning of November 8, 2018 when hardware on a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failed during strong katabatic winds. Those winds rapidly drove the Camp Fire through the communities of Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon and Paradise, mostly destroying them.

My camera continues to take me places familiar and not. This year we haven’t been too active because of a back injury–me not the Fuji! But my Fuji keeps whispering that it wants to be taken out. I guess I’ll have to listen! When you share your monuments and landmarks, be sure to link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Thanks John for this monumental challenge! Last week we shared memories and beautiful pictures of them. Next week, Sofia leads the challenge, so look for her post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 39 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #418: Memories

Memories, yes, I have lots of them. This week, Tina encourages us to share some memorable moments. But my photographic memories don’t start until 2013 when I got my first camera. I got it just in time to record our cross country road trip. Here is the trailer we lived in for 3 months and the truck that pulled it for 16,000 miles.

Visiting our relatives was an important part of the trip, especially given our ages. Pictured is me and my cousin Irene who lives in Long Island, NY.

Getting further into my new hobby, I joined a photography group, mostly to learn. I did ask a lot of questions. Fortunately, photographers are patient and enjoy sharing information. One of the most memorable outings was photographing light trails. This was taken on the walkway next to the I-5 freeway.

Photographing the Milky Way the first time was another memorable night. This was taken at Blue Canyon where my husband’s observatory is.

I quickly learned to seize the opportunity while we were camped in the foothills. I was walking our dog when I saw this sun rise in the mist. Fortunately, I had my camera with me. After that experience, I always take my camera when went on a walk.

I’m so glad to have captured the lotus while they planted them in the pond at Land Park in Sacramento. They have since stopped this yearly attraction.

I’ve written about my yearly April visits to the nesting tree in Lincoln, Calif. There are so many egrets and herons building nests that my only challenge was the length of my lens: 300 mm. The tree was across a gully and nestled between two shopping centers. This egret is bringing back a twig for its mate that was guarding the nest.

Finally, a favorite from my visit to the Santa Cruz Arboretum.

I’m so happy to have these photographic memories. But memories are made every day. What does the future hold for me. We will see!

Thanks Tina for taking me down my own memory lane. When you respond to her post, remember to link to her original post and use the lens artists tag. We were certainly led down many roads last week. Thanks Egidio, for that creative challenge. John will be leading next week’s challenge, so be sure to look for his post. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Out and About: High Hand Nursery

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.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 37 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #402: Looking Back at Wonder

My camera! No, it’s not a wonder, but it brings me to amazing wonders. This week Sofia has us looking at the moments, places, people that we treasure and cause us to wonder.

I live in a place that brings me and my camera to many wonderous places–rivers, lakes, mountains and parks. Let’s take a look.

You know how much I love to photograph flowers, especially macros and close ups. Whether in a nursery, garden or sunflower field, I love the challenge macro photography brings. It gives me something else to concentrate on, shoving the world out. I become relaxed and happy.

Landscapes are nature’s way of humbling us. Just look at the beauty waiting for us to capture with our cameras–especially sunsets.

Wildlife especially birds are amazing to watch. They are free to go anywhere and mostly travel with friends. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Animals are also wonderous, and zoos invite us to visit many that we normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to see–like this beautiful or handsome Okapi. It’s wondering why I’m pointing that black thing at its rear. Who could resist that beautiful pattern!

And then there’s the funky or maybe artistic photographs that we take for fun and later wonder why to took them!

These are my moments of wonder. Thanks Sofia for this fun challenge. When you post your response please link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week, Patti had us concentrating on our compositional abilities. I enjoyed seeing your many wonderous compositions. Next week John will be leading the challenge. Until then enjoy good health and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 37 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #384: What Astonishes You

The answer to Beth’s challenge used to be easy, but we live in a complicated world where things change daily. It’s the speed of communication that astonishes me.

That’s why I love this community. It gives me the chance to stop and reflect on less complicated and more beautiful things. So, here are some of the things that astonish me.

Let’s start with something truly astonishing–a two-bodied donkey!

Because I’m not creative, letting my camera capture the unusual and beautiful for me, I’m astonished at the artist’s ability to draw on a sidewalk as people walk by.

Since we adults have lost that youthful wonderment, I’m astonished at my grandson’s reaction, at a young age, to an exhibit at the Railroad Museum. He now has his driver’s license! Adulthood is right around the corner.

Of course, Nature is truly astonishing. Crashing of the waves on a rocky shoreline and the sun rising on a misty morning are just two of nature’s wonders.

But when you are able to capture a total solar eclipse that will not return in your lifetime, that is truly astonishing. This was taken in 2017 in Idaho–a moment I will never forget.

So, thanks Beth for taking me away from the world’s worries and into times of wonder and excitement. When you respond to her post, please remember to link to her post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Next week Ritva will be leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post.

In the meantime stay safe and be resilient!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 31 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #382: Rejected

Wow, what a tough topic Egidio has given us this week. You’d think the way I hold onto clothes, I would do the same with pictures. But I don’t. I tend to toss the pictures I don’t edit or think I would post. So here I go twisting again. I went back to when I began taking pictures–more as a tourist than a photographer.

This taught me three things. 1. As I said, I don’t keep pictures. 2. I do minimal edits because I don’t have the technical ability. 3. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear! At least I can’t. I can be out all day photographing, but rarely take more than 10 minutes in the editing process.

My examples today were taken from 2010. My camera at that time was a tiny Lumix, 10 mega Pixel camera with a zoom lens. I didn’t get my first SLR until 2013. In my mind, these images prove that gear does matter! I now use a Fujifilm XT3. These were edited in Lightroom Classic just for this post. They were not edited before.

This first two photos emphasis size with a giant sequoia and small boy. I think I had some sense of composition back then. I edited it to bring out color and sharpen.

In the next two, I tried to un-center the cactus by cropping and did some sharpening.

For the next examples, I cropped and worked with the lighting. I put more light on the deer, uncentered it and darkened the background.

Finally I took out most of the foreground twigs in this picture. To be honest, today I probably wouldn’t have even photographed it! Now that I’m looking at the pictures, I see that they are different?? Somehow after finding the picture, Lightroom couldn’t find it again. But, you can see that I did the editing work.

So, there’s my rejected photos. Will I change my lazy ways? Probably not. I enjoy photographing images more than editing them. Thanks Egidio for helping me realize that I need to get it mostly right in the camera. 😊Please remember to link to Egidio’s original post when you respond and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Last week I loved seeing all your minimal photos in black and white in response to Ritva’s challenge. I’m a fan of both, so it was a treat. Next week Tina will be leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post. In the meantime stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 45 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge# 381: minimalism in black-and-white photography

My world is definitely black and white today, or should I say gray. We have a dense fog that just won’t lift. So I guess the time is right for Ritva’s black and white (B&W) challenge.

I enjoy black and white photography. However, the environment has to be right. Sometimes when I’m out with my camera, I know the timing is right for B&W images. Other times, I see the opportunity during the editing process.

However, this week Ritva is combining minimalism with B&W. Now that’s a challenge! I was surprised going through my archives that I had quite a few images that met those requirements. Because my back is just not liking today’s damp weather, I’ll make this a short post. Here’s some of what I found.

Thanks Ritva for this challenge. When you post your response, please link to Ritva’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week I had so much fun seeing what you found Around the Corner. Next week Egidio will be leading the challenge. In the meantime, stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 49 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #365: Longing

After reading Egidio’s post and his challenge this week, I thought heavily on what I’m longing for. Health, wealth, increased life expectancy. Yes, really deep subjects. Then I got real. What am I truly longing for. I had the ride in the small 2-seater airplane, but I didn’t take to the sky in a balloon. That’s it. I want to ride in a hot air balloon!

It almost happened at a balloon festival back in 2012. I had just bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3100 and was anxious to use it. We went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Windsor, California. This was a great introduction for me since it was relatively small.

We pulled in with our trailer the night before. I was woken at 4 a.m. the next morning to grab my camera and take pictures of the dawn patrol. In the dark, the only setting I could see on my camera was a green “A.” I knew that would put me on “auto.” That’s the way the following images were captured.

Later that morning, with my camera set to “manual,” I photographed these:

I was signed up for a balloon ride the next morning, but they cancelled all rides because of wind. I’ve not had a second chance yet. However, maybe next year I’ll have another opportunity for a ride with two neighbors who also have the same longing.

Meanwhile, In 2017, my friend and I attended the balloon festival in Reno, Nevada. This was a much bigger festival and the availability for taking pictures was less. But once the balloons got in the air, it was a magnificent sight.

I’m still longing for that ride and hope that 2026 will be the year it happens!

Thanks Egidio, for helping me isolate another activity from my bucket list. When you reply to his post, please link to it and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we saw a great deal of quiet — the places you go to for solitude and relaxation. They put me in a very mellow mood. Next week Tina will return and challenge us. Stay tuned!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 55 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #358: Live and Learn

Living is learning! I started learning to be something else other than a mom when pouring a glass of water for a friend during dinner. By rote, I poured him a half glass. He then asked if he promised not to spill, could he have a full glass! That’s when I decided I needed to do something just for me.

I enrolled in a non-fiction writing class at Pierce College, Woodland Hills. This led to writing for the L. A. Daily News as a community columnist and taking my own photos for the articles. When retirement hit, I decided I was done with writing and got my first SLR.

Then the learning began. I learn by doing. I went out on photo outings and asked a lot of questions of other photographers. Later, I joined a photo club where my photos would be critiqued. Then I found LAPC, and here we are!

That was a long way to introduce my response to Tina’s challenge. Through my photographic progression I’ve learned many things like:

Have the eyes in focus!

Use the sun correctly.

Have your picture tell a story.

Be ready. Sometimes you just have to take the shot.

More lessons learned are in the captions.

Fill the Frame
Get Down Low to Accent the Foreground
Find Leading Lines

Oh, there are many more lessons I’ve learned. The biggest lesson is just have fun! I’m still in the photo club and enjoy having my photos critiqued. My photo/friend group has aged, but we still go out once a week. Photography keeps your mind sharp and body exercised.

Thanks Tina for this mental exercise, showing us why we are photographing as we do, and why we should keep doing it.

Last week we went into the woods prompted by Egidio’s fantastic challenge. I enjoyed all your responses. When you respond to Tina’s post remember to link to her original challenge and use the Lens-Artists tag. Next week John will be leading the challenge, so look for his post. Until then stay safe and live in gratitude.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #352: Mellow

We all mellow out in different ways. Many of you have posted music lyrics. Music also relaxes me. One song does come to mind–“Here Comes the Sun” by George Harrison of the Beatles. However my favorite rendition is by Richie Havens. Google it. You’ll soon be dancing around, forgetting your cares and mellowing out.

But this is a photo blog, and this week Sofia asks us to mellow out. Here are just a few places I take my camera to relax.

A High Sierra Lake. The still water is calming and I do love the forest.

Trees with their graceful branches are beautiful and welcoming. They are also beautiful when snuggled in fog and looking mysterious.

Driving on a mountain road is relaxing for me. Since I live in a valley, driving these roads, away from suburban traffic, mellows me out. The car was off the road when I took this photo!

And, how about the gracefulness of birds in flight. I sit and wonder what it must be like to soar in the air like that on your own power.

You know how much I love to photograph flowers. Just being able to capture their beauty mellows me out.

And finally, we can’t forget the relaxation brought by an amazing sunset. We have to watch carefully so we don’t miss its natural beauty because the moment is fleeting.

Thanks Sofia, you reminded us of the need to just get away and mellow out however we do. It’s a great practice for our physical and spiritual beings. When you post your response, please remember to link to Sofia’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week Ritva opened the wonder of books–another way to relax. Next week Beth is leading her first challenge, so be sure to look for her post.

In the meantime stay safe and live in gratitude!