Posted on by Anne Sandler · 45 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #270: On Display

Sometimes I think life itself is on display. Just take a walk there are displays all around: stores, museums, parks, businesses and, of course, people. Even the shy people are on display as they try to minimize their presence. I know this because I’m shy. At least I am until I get to know you and you know me.

But what other things are on display? Ann-Christine asks us to post displays of all sorts that we’ve found.

Gardens are a great place to find displays. The California State Capitol World Peace Garden and Rose Garden is a wonderful place for finding displays. There you’ll find many sculptures that commemorate the soldiers of the Vietnam War. There are sculptures dedicated to first responders also. This part of the garden is right near the State Capitol Building. If you walk down to the other end of the long block, you’ll find the Capitol Rose Garden. You know I can’t leave without doing some macro shots of flowers.

Let’s travel south to the Delta area and the small town of Isleton. One weekend the town hosted hosted an Asian festival, keeping true to its Asian roots, that featured dancing dragons and Taiko Drummers. We had a lot of fun watching the live displays that delighted everyone.

Coming back up to Sacramento County and the town of Roseville, you’ll find murals and a large sculpture of a train welcoming you to the downtown district. Roseville’s history is linked with the railroad, but it has grown to be a large corporate business area.

There are many farmer’s markets in the area, offering displays of colorful vegetables and fruits.

Can I do a post on displays without mentioning the Sacramento Zoo? Nope! For me, the zoo is a way to learn more about the animals and their habits. The more I learn, the better I can photograph them. Right now the flamingos and the two black crowned cranes are out of their exhibit to protect them from the bird flu. The zoo staff is careful to keep the animals out of danger, but I miss watching them.

Every December there are displays of Christmas lights. We usually go out at least one night to capture the fun and beauty. Here’s a scene as the home’s owners set their display. And, of course, I had to do some zooming!

I can’t end this post without a fireworks display. These were taken around the Tower Bridge.

Through my brief tour, you can see that there are displays all around you. All you have to do is stop, look and interpret its meaning. Thank you Ann-Christine for inviting us to take this journey. Please remember to link to Ann-Christine’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you do your challenge post.

Last week, we were all on the edge thanks to Patti’s edgy challenge. I saw some great and imaginative posts. Next week, Amy is our task master so be sure to look for her post.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 44 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge # 269: On The Edge

We can be on edge, meaning we are anxious, frustrated or irritable. In photography, those words can take on a different meaning. This week Patti challenges us to show images that are on the edge and gives us a broad definition.

So I hope my pictures fill the bill.

I’ve looked over the edge of many mountain tops of our Sierra Nevadas, but this beautiful scene is one of the most spectacular–taken from Ananda Village.

When photographing flowers, we try to get the petals and centers sharp. Sometimes when we take the shot we find wings that are sharp and edgy.

Horizon lines give us a delineation between land and sky. Sunsets make this edge spectacular.

Buildings and windows provide photographers with endless edges. Here we have a large window with smaller edges that together provide an amazing reflection. Taken at Mare Island (a former Naval Base).

Also at Mare Island, a naval ship’s design forms an edge that accents the U. S. Flag.

Sometimes when you get down low, you find a simple mushroom can give you folds and edges. Hint: Don’t lay down on the grass in a senior community. Everybody who passes by asks if you’re okay!

Visiting Niagara Falls was on my bucket list. I was amazed at the amount of water (3,160 tons of water flows over Niagara Falls every second) spilling over the edge of three falls. This picture is of the American and Bridal Veil Falls.

Now for a different kind of edge. This is more of an artistic definition. From Cambridge Dictionary: edgy adjective (unusual). Unusual in a way that is fashionable or exciting.

On a whim, I took a beautiful, colorful lotus blossom and put it in black and white. I thought that gave it an edgy look. It’s become a favorite.

Thank you Patti for this wonderfully edgy trip through my archives. It was truly fun. Remember to link to Patti’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you post your reply. Last week Tina had us sharing our favorite images and why we took them. You all had great and varied favorites, and I enjoyed them all.

Next week Ann-Christine will be leading the challenge, so be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 48 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #268: Tell Us Why

We take pictures for different reasons. Sometimes we see something that strikes an emotion, maybe we see a great composition, and sometimes we see something funny. This week Tina is asking us to tell her why we’ve chosen our images.

My images today are ones that I’m emotionally attached to and they are mostly from my early days of photography. I’m hoping that they are technically good also! I haven’t re-edited them. So let’s start.

This was taken during one of my first outings with a club in 2013. I thought I was over the flu, but half way hiking to the falls at Table Mountain in Oroville, I got tired and knew I was in trouble. I yelled for my friend to throw me her car keys and turned around. Half way back to the car, I sat down to have lunch. While munching on my sandwich I saw a couple and their dogs, in silhouette, walking along the horizon line. This was taken with my Nikon and an 18-140 mm lens. Yes, I cropped way in. I may not have gotten a water fall image, but I thought this was an opportunity too good to miss. When I got back to the car, I slept until woken by my friend.

Next, let’s travel to the Marin Headlands, 2014, on the California Coast. This was an evening outing with another group. I never took a photo course, but asked other photographers a lot of questions. This was my first time catching a sunset on the ocean, and I was asking a lot of questions! This picture taught me about color, lighting and catching people in partial and full silhouettes. I think I was using the old stand alone Lightroom at the time and may have known about working with color. Other than that, this image didn’t get a lot of editing. It was also taken with my trusty Nikon.

Moving along to 2015 and a fun outing to photograph mossy trees. This memory is more about the fun we had. We spent a lot of time hunting for the trees and finally found a grove of mossy trees. However, we were out in the wine country and there were no public bathrooms around. We drove up to a winery only to be told they didn’t have public restrooms and they weren’t open unless you booked a wine tasting. We finally persuaded them to let us use their restroom. Beth bought a $20 bottle of wine as a thank you and wouldn’t let us chip in on the purchase. I’m hoping she enjoyed that wine. I chose this image because of the shapes of the trees. My challenge at that time was cropping the picture correctly. You’ll let me know if I did okay.

This next picture, taken in 2016, was pure fun. This eagle was on a tree limb that stretched over the road at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. In order to get this image, I had to climb up and out (waist high) of Laura’s sun roof. She had slippery leather seats that I kept sliding down on. With her encouragement, I did it! The look on that eagle’s face is telling me that he was wondering what I was doing and why! Still Nikon.

We jump to 2017 for a trio of pictures.

The first is simply my favorite sunset taken at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The colors are true.

The second is one I call Capitol Moon. This was taken when the moon was huge and we were positioned at the end of the Capitol Mall in Sacramento. The original showed the whole building, but I thought with the moon so close to the dome, this crop would work better. Did I guess right?

Last is my first ride in a two seater plane. My great nephew had just gotten his pilot’s license and offered to take me up. His dad flies for Delta so he’s no stranger to flight. I think he was graduating high school. I had a blast. I asked him to take me into the clouds, but he said he wasn’t licensed to go that high. Darn! Atlanta from the sky.

Last we go ahead to this year and my trip to Melbourne. I fell in love with the architecture. And, of course, touring the city with Leanne Cole made the trip more exciting. I chose this because of the design and art of the structure. I want to go back and take more time with it. Taken with my Fuji XT3.

I hope you enjoyed my emotional journey. Thank you Tina for prompting me to take this path. Remember to link to her post and use the Lens-artist tag when you prepare your post. And thank you Egidio for last week’s RECHARGE challenge. I enjoyed seeing how all of you relaxed and rejuvenated. Next week Patti will be leading the challenge.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 49 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #267: Recharge

You can’t live in today’s world without needing a recharge. Our bodies get run down, we become tired and we emotionally need to find peace. Guest host Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes says he turns to nature to rejuvenate and asked us how we recharge our bodys’ batteries. I love nature and landscape photography, but my immediate thoughts went to the Sacramento Zoo.

Why? The zoo is small, I’m familiar with the animals, there are new animals coming in and animals are conceived and born at the zoo. Yes, I have my favorites like the red pandas, the orangutans, the giraffes, and more. I enjoy walking around and watching the animals. Some are so funny like the giraffes when they make their funny faces.

The zoo offers a respite from the world’s troubles and lets me relax. We usually go out to lunch afterward also. And, if we have time we make a stop at the WPA Rock Garden. There I take out my macro lens for a different kind of fun photography.

Here are some pictures from the Sacramento Zoo.

Cheetahs
Giraffe
Pelican (He’s missing a wing and is a permanent resident.)
Snow Leopard
Red Panda
Meerkat
Wolf’s Guenon
Black Crowned Crane
Duck
Red River Hog (No longer at the zoo.)
Red Panda
Okapi
Flamingo
Sumatran Orangutan

These animals are fun and offer us great photo opportunities. Why don’t you chill out at a zoo near you!

I think everyone had fun with Donna’s challenge last week. I enjoyed seeing all your interpretations of TIME. When you post the way you recharge, please remember to link to Egidio’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Tina is set to present next week’s challenge so be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 43 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #260: Time

Where did the time go? Wasn’t it just yesterday…….? When you’re a senior senior, (That second word was for emphasis!) time goes by so fast. And when you’ve graduated to become the matriarch of your family, you think of how fast time has flown by. Donna’s challenges typically send me on an emotional trip of some sort. Her Time challenge has me thinking of family, and most recently of my grandkids.

Wasn’t it just yesterday the younger set were:

And now they are:

Olivia and Ryan are now in middle and high schools. I remember picking Ryan up from elementary school and Olivia from preschool.

I also remember the older set of grands coming to my house before and after school. Here is Madison posing with her then boyfriend before her prom. And then at her wedding this year. Just 10 years apart.

And here is Christopher at his High School prom and at his sister’s wedding party.

Yes, time flies by. In October Richard and I will be celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. Here’s the family at our 50th anniversary.

What will October 5th bring? Our family is scattered in three different states now. It’s amazing how time changes things, especially family dynamics.

Nothing can change the dynamics of LAPC when it comes to challenge responses. I so enjoyed seeing all your amazing black and white/monochrome images last week. They were creative and well done. As you respond to Donna’s challenge, please remember to link to her post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

Next week Egidio of Through Brazilian Eyes will be hosting our challenge. Be sure to look for his post. Until then, stay healthy and safe!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 178 Comments

LAPC #265: Black and White or Monochrome

Is monochrome black and white? Is black and white monochrome? You may be surprised at the answer. I was after I did some research. Here’s what I found.

Black and white is the result of only using black or white and shades of. The shades of meaning grayscale.  Here are some black and white photographs.

Monochrome photos contain variations of only one color and nothing else. Meaning, different shades of one color like blue, red, green, etc. Here are some of my examples.

Now here’s something I learned from my research. Since black and white photos contain variants of the color gray ranging from absolute black to absolute white, all black and whites are monochrome images. But not all monochrome, by nature of their dominate color are black and white photos.

Here are some of my photos shot in color, converted to black and white and then I added a sepia tone. This process puts them in the monochrome category.

How do you shoot black and white images? My research suggests that we shoot in color, so we get the additional tonal range that color provides. Then convert your photos to black and white when you process. I photograph in color. If I see a great deal of contrast, I use Lightroom to take a quick look at how it would look in black and white. Then I edit in NIK Silver Efex.

There’s so much more to editing black and white images, but let’s save that for another post. Here are two of my favorite black and white images.

Are you ready to show off your black and white or monochrome images? I’d like to see them. Did you shoot them in color and how did you process them? When you post, remember to link to this post and use the Lens-Artists tag so we can find your wonderful images.

I enjoyed seeing all your photos using primary colors. Sofia gave us such a fun challenge. Next week, Donna will be challenging us. Be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 78 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #264: Primary Colors

I’m certainly drawn to color. Red especially. So, it delights me that Sofia picked this topic as her challenge this week. On Monday, I was rear ended by a large pickup truck, so I’ll keep this short and sweet. I’m okay.

Red. Let’s start off with my favorite:

Next yellow:

Blue:

I’ll end with some colorful photos:

Thanks Sofia for bringing some color into my life when I need it! Much appreciated. Please link to Sofia’s post when you publish and use the Lens-Artists tag. I totally enjoyed your responses to John’s topic of Faces in the Crowd last week. There was some great images and street photography. I’m up next, so look for my post. Until then, stay out of the way of pickup trucks especially when you’re sitting still at a stop light! Stay safe.

If you want to know more about the Lens-Artists Challenge, please click here.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 36 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #261: Work in Progress

Aren’t we all a work in progress? Each day brings changes and new challenges. We work through them and we progress. This week Ann Christine asks us to show works in progress through our photos.

As I progress through my own photographic ability, I’ve learned that the things we photograph are also progressing. Some works in progress repeat year after year. For instance, the salmon swim upstream in the American River to lay their eggs. The Nimbus Fish Hatchery, raises Chinook salmon and steelhead for release to the American River. The salmon run occurs in fall, with hatchery operations taking place from the beginning of November through mid-December. The steelhead trout run occurs in winter, with hatchery operations taking place from January through February. In this series of images, the salmon are being diverted into the hatchery.

In addition to man helping nature, nature can handle things on her own. For instance, the London Bridge along the Great Ocean Road in Australia was once connected. However in January 1990 the middle collapsed and left the arch separated from the rest. Nature has a way of showing us that her force is a work in progress. Now the separated arch is called the London Arch.

Next is the WPA Rock Garden. I admire the dedication of the wonderful volunteers who keep this garden beautiful so we can all enjoy the flowers and small creatures. It is definitely a work in progress.

Last is the pride of work and ownership. Valley Oak Mill California, mills wool into yarn. Customers bring in their raw products and take home yarn. I visited this business as part of the Yolo Art & Ag project a few years ago and was impressed with the owner’s pride in her work. Her business is definitely progressing.

For me, I don’t want to stop progressing and working. I look forward to learning new things and meeting new people. As Ann Christine quoted Mark Twain in her post, Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection. 

Thank you to all our July guest hosts, especially Janet who encouraged us to not overlook anything. You all gave such creative responses to her challenge. And thank you Ann Christine to encouraging us to think about various works in progress. Please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. Next week Amy will be providing our challenge, so be sure to look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 52 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #260: Overlooked

While looking through my archives for this week’s challenge by Janet of Sustainabilitea (who wants us to post images of things others may normally overlook or something you think other people would overlook), I found images that I was lucky enough not to overlook and some that presented a surprise! So I’m twisting the challenge a bit to show you some images that I’m happy to not have overlooked. I hope you don’t mind Janet.

I didn’t even notice this bee flying into this sunflower until I processed it. I guess I overlooked it completely!

When I walk, I try to look down for small creatures, but I am delighted when I find a colorfully textured log.

I do like trees. When I looked up at this tree, the sun was in the perfect position for me to catch a sunburst.

I’m not a very patient person, but I’m glad I kept my lens out the car window just a little longer just in case this cormorant took flight.

And sometimes we just get lucky. I was watching this goat when he got an itch.

I’m so glad I looked up and saw this restaurant ceiling because a few days later it burned down and all was lost. Sometimes we are meant to be where we are.

This one was overlooked by my photo buddies. I even pointed it out to one, but he didn’t take the shot. It’s all subjective, isn’t it! Can you see the ferris wheel reflection in the restaurant window?

One picture I never overlooked or missed an opportunity to take was of Kamau the Lion at the Sacramento Zoo. He recently passed away at age 16. RIP Kamau.

Thank you Janet, this was fun even though I twisted the challenge a bit. When you post on this challenge, please remember to link to Janet’s post and use the Lens-Artist tag. I totally enjoyed Dan’s Unbound challenge and all your posts and interpretations. Thanks to all our July guest hosts. Next week the team returns with Ann-Christine leading the challenge.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info. 

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 57 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #259: Unbound

Thank you Dan who encourages us, this week, to “capture moments that break the boundaries of your routine.” Other than my recent trip to Australia, I’m pretty much a stick by home gal. I do count on my photo adventures to get me to break the bounds of home and routine. And I have been to many areas within two hours from my home that I would not have seen had I not had a camera in my hand and great friends to see them with.

But, there is another way to interpret Dan’s challenge and that is to see the work of someone who has truly broken artistic boundaries. One such artist is Philip Gloshoff who creates metal sculptures that can be seen at the Glashoff Sculpture Ranch in Fairfield.

Ranch visits are by appointment only. Marlene made an appointment for our photo group to experience these amazing sculptures. We met Philip Gloshoff and talked with him while at the ranch. His clothes were those of a guy who worked with metal, creating works of art.

Philip Gloshoff

Now for his art. There are a lot of photos in this gallery, but I’ve left more in my computer. I could go back and still see new sculptures.

I liked the way he made statements through his creativity and his liking for everything camera. He is truly out of the normal bounds.

Thank you Dan for giving me the opportunity to introduce this artist. Please remember to link to Dan’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag when you respond. We saw all sorts of fantastic fences last week through Dawn’s challenge last week. Next week Janet of This, That and The Other Thing will complete July’s guest host challenges. Look for her post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.