My macro lens has been sitting in the camera case for a long time. It must have been calling to me because I got the sudden urge to take it to my local Green Acres Nursery. They don’t mind photographers walking around with cameras.
I was there about an hour, taking pictures. I focused on the task, and left relaxed, feeling good and not thinking about what’s happening in the world. Here are some of the beauties I photographed.
I hope these flowers relax you as taking their photos relaxed me. Take care and live in gratitude.
Do resolutions truly work? Which is more important, looking back or moving forward? In our Lens Artists community all three are important. With this challenge we are looking back at our favorites from 2023.
And we are looking forward to 2024 as we welcome Ritva of Ritva Sillanmaki Photography and Egídio of Through Brazilian Eyes to the Lens Artists team. We know they will bring their marvelous photography, extensive travel experiences, and fresh insight to our weekly challenges. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to them. Click on the links to Ritva and Egídio’s blogs at the end of today’s post to follow them and receive all of our upcoming Lens Artists challenges.
And now for my favorites of 2023. My feelings about 2023 are all over the place. Very positive and enjoyable and then very difficult. Let’s talk about the first part of the year which was wonderful with my trip to Melbourne Australia. My friends Sandy and Peg and I were able to visit and photograph with Leanne Cole for three wonderful days in Port Campbell. Here are some favorites from that trip.
Maist Rest Rain ForestBuilding in MelbourneTwelve Apostles Web Bridge
And you know how much I love photographing macro subjects. Here are three of my flowers and some of their guests.
Here are some single favorites.
The difficult part of 2023 came in August when I was rearended and suffered a severe whiplash. I wasn’t able to do photography for a few months. And if it weren’t for my wonderful photo buddies taking me to places close and for short durations, I would have gone bonkers. You don’t know how important that camera is until you can’t use it!
January has me looking forward to more photo opportunities. I’m trying to add more time to the outings without traveling far. I don’t make resolutions, but I do pick words. This year is gratitude. Living in gratitude. And, I’m grateful for all of you in the Lens-Artists community and look forward to sharing photos with you in 2024.
Here is a list of our team. Please be sure to follow us so you don’t miss a challenge!
What’s a rock garden? Wikipedia has a full history and description for you here. Our small WPA Rock Garden was built by the WPA in 1940. The WPA was an employment and infrastructure program created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 during the Great Depression. In 1988 Daisy Mah, a park employee, put her vision for the current garden into fruition. Its paths wind in, out and around, and is maintained by a group of volunteers.
We enjoy walking through the garden looking for small gems. Marlene was with me and is good at finding insects, but none were found that morning. But there were many beautiful floral delights. Here are some of them.
This was a great way to end a visit to the zoo. We’ll be back!
There are days when you just need some therapy–Macro Therapy. I’m fortunate there’s a Green Acres nursery, in Citrus Heights, about 10 minutes from my home. Recently in July was one of those mornings. I was feeling a little blah so I grabbed my macro lens and camera, and off I went.
Green Acres is great because they don’t mind us coming in with our cameras, taking our time and taking home picture memories of their products. Here are half of mine from that morning.
I still need to process the rest, so be on the lookout for more gorgeous flowers. Oh, macro therapy does help!
Our Lens Artists Challenges challenges can take us many places. This week, Ann Christine’s challenge took me back to 2015 which was the year I did the 365 challenge. If you haven’t taken that on, consider it. It wasn’t that I looked to take exceptional photos each day, I just took whatever was handy. It taught me discipline and improved my ability.
Not every photo was wonderful. Like the few weeks I just shot my foot that had the boot on after minor surgery. Gem, now runs out of the room when he sees the camera. The grandkids make stupid, funny faces when they see me pick up a camera. You get it, a whole year of taking the d7100 wherever I went. Taking a fast entry because I forgot. But also learning.
I briefly went through that year, 2015, and first hit the first, tenth, twentieth, etc. months and then went back to find some more. Here they are. Explanations are in the captions.
Week one. Got luck with a sunset.
Week 5. She’s learning how to blow bubbles.
Week 7. Experimenting with HDR.
Week 10. Learning how to use a macro lens.
Week 11. Ran out of daylight. Taken as we were leaving the restaurant.
Week 15. My older granddaughter. A willing subject.
Week 17. Gem. I found it hard to photograph a black dog on a brown couch.
Week 20. Becoming more proficient with the macro lens.
Week 26. Practicing close up with my grandmother’s mortar and pestle.
Week 30. More close up practice.
Week 40. Everyone was a target. Even at Toastmasters.
Week 50. More macro/close up practice.
I was ready for this challenge to end and proud that I had shot a picture each day of the year. Then I was amazed at the difference in my photographic ability. If you don’t think you can do 365 days, try the 52 week challenge no matter what level you’re at. I’m glad I did!
When I hear the word “soft” in photography terms, right away my mind goes to a beautiful bokeh background. This week’s challenge from Ann Christine is on things soft. She gave many examples on how we can interpret this challenge, but I’ll stick with the pleasing muted backgrounds.
Flowers with a bokeh background was the first type of shooting I wanted to learn when I started photography.
But then I started thinking that animals can also have a bokeh background too.
Let’s see what else I can find.
Leaves
Insects
Water
Sculpture
Goose
Mushroom
There are some very small daffodils outside my front door. If it wasn’t so windy, I’d go out and shoot them for inclusion in this post. Thank you Ann Christine!
One warning: never go to Costco or any other big box store when you’re in a depression, especially a COVID and election depression! I did and I gave into buying a bunch of breaded chicken patties that I’ve been able to resist for about 10 years. So now I have a whole sleeve of patties, that are probably not good for me, to eat.
When I get into a funk, I wallow. That’s why I took myself and my camera to Green Acres Nursery in Roseville for a pick me up to shoot macro. I enjoy shooting macro. The management at this particular store enjoy having photographers take images of their flowers. I was a little disappointed in the flower choice, but I did find some good candidates (Oh, when is this election going to be over. Even my word choice is out of control!).
My little trip did help me step out of my funk and lunch today with a friend also helped. And, I think the chicken patties will also help. Yes? No? Fun food! Again, don’t go to the store when you’re depressed!
Sanctuary, for me, is where you seek refuge from things that may be bothering you, where you relax and rejuvenate, where you find peace. This challenge was selected by our guest host Xenia of Tranature and posted by Ann-Christine.
I gave it a lot of thought. Where do I find peace? Where do I get away from it all? Where? Where? I came to the realization that I find peace and rejuvenate when I’m out taking pictures. My camera is my calming mechanism. When I’m out shooting, I concentrate on taking the best pictures, I forget what’s bothering me, I forget my physical problems. When the outing is over then my hip hurts and the world situation comes back into my head.
So I began the daunting task of finding pictures that would be my interpretation of sanctuary. These Lens-Artist challenges can lead to great introspection. To my surprise, I kept coming back to the Sacramento Historical City Cemetery! Now that’s odd, you’re probably thinking. Me too! This cemetery is beautiful, has history, it’s not crowded with tourists, has places to sit, has lovely flowers, and old head stones and statues to photograph.
My photo buddies and I usually visit there at least once a year, maybe twice. Things don’t change much so the challenge is to find new ways to shoot and create difference. It was built in 1849 and its architectural style is that of a Victorian Garden. The grave stones tell us about how life was lived back then and the people who lived it.
You can see, beautiful sculptures rather than head stones. And head stones that tell the sad story of two children lost, and one simple stone telling of what I assume to be a still born child.
The lovely flowers are maintained by a volunteer organization, and they are beautiful.
During our last visit, I tried to capture the flowers around the headstones.
And I finally found the cemetery cat!
I’m due for another visit. Maybe this week. It’s supposed to be in the 80s on Wednesday! It’s a great time to visit my sanctuary.
Heat! That’s the challenge summer brings to the Sacramento area. Due to climate change, our infrequent triple digit weather has become the norm. Add to that, we need to stay away from our rivers and lakes because of social distancing. It’s not my favorite season. But the flowers are blooming and I love macro and close up photography.
So here are some macro/close up floral images for Amy’s summer challenge:
As I’m posting this, they are predicting a high of 98 degrees and right now it’s 92 degrees. My garden will be pruned tomorrow morning! There might be a photography tutorial in my future this afternoon.
This is my first Post for the Lens-Artist group. Please let me know if I’m doing it wrong!! Seriously, tell me. Patti sent out a challenge of A Quiet Moment. Photography is how I relax, whether it’s at a busy festival or a relaxing drive to who knows where.
Here are a few of my captures during quiet moments. I love going to wildlife areas. In January, my friend and I went to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, drove the route a couple of times. On the way, I got this shot of the Sutter Buttes, a small mountain range.
Slow Shutter Speed 