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 · 32 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge #254: Spiritual Sites

Oh Tina, what a trip you’ve put me on with this challenge on spiritual sites. My mind went to spirituality right away. My spirituality is very personal and would take up more than just this post. But turning spiritual into someplace peaceful and contemplative helped me focus. Going through my archives I did find some places where I’ve found peace and was able to focus.

First, let’s start with Sedona. As you mentioned this special place has calming and energetic vortexes. I’ve been there three times and have found this to be true. I knew I needed to go to Sedona after my son was killed. There, I found peace and closure. My favorite spot is Red Rock Crossing, a calming vortex.

Sedona

My favorite spot at Red Rock Crossing.

Water has always been soothing for me whether it’s a still, calm lake in Waterton National Park, Canada; the splash of a wave hitting a wall in Pacifica or first light on Yosemite Falls.

And doesn’t a foggy sunrise bring you to that sense of peace? The sun never fails to shine through.

Coloma California

Let’s close with sunset. Which is always a reflective time on whatever may be troubling you or making you happy.

Marin Headlands, California
Sedona

I close this post with a sense of calm. Thank you Tina for leading me on this spiritual trip. When you respond to this challenge, please link to Tina’s original post and use the Lens-Artist tag in the WordPress reader. I enjoyed reading all your fragmented posts last week. They were creative and amazing. Next week Patti will be presenting our challenge, so be sure to look for her Pilotfish blog.

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 41 Comments

Lens-Artists Challenge#192: Earth Story

In her challenge this week, Amy wants us to think about our earth. It impacts our daily lives: the water we drink, the oceans that provide us enjoyment, the soil that brings us food, the trees the help us breathe. We rely so much on our earth.

I was raised mostly in the Bronx, New York, in a mostly concrete jungle. Yes, there were trees and parks, but I was never taught to appreciate nature. It wasn’t until I had kids that I began that appreciation. Our vacations were camping get-a-ways. We took the boys to every National Park and many State Parks–from the ocean to the mountains and even the desert. Unfortunately the pictures I took then were with a point and shoot camera, and mostly of the boys. I do have them in albums for my own joy.

Photography gave me the opportunity to not only enjoy our earth, but also record it. Let’s begin with my local Sacramento County area. We are lucky to have many creeks around the valley like our neighborhood Dry Creek.

Mather Lake is a nearby treasure for photographers and fishermen (and women). I go there to photograph swans, but on this day I found a pelican and cormorants.

We are a couple of hours away from the coast, giving us a wonderful day trip. Heading west, the Marin Headlands is a great spot for water sports, fun and photography.

North of us is Table Mountain which was formed from ancient lava (basalt) flows. It is very rocky and in Spring, it is loaded with wildflowers. It’s called Table (mountain) because of it’s mostly flat surface.

We go east every Fall to find the beautiful orange and gold color of Autumn.

I’ll end this post with nature’s way of painting her earth with golden light–a sunset. This one, taken in nearby Yolo County, is setting on a field of earth giving sunflowers.

Thank you Amy for having us remember to cherish our earth and take care of it. Would we survive without it? Please remember to link to Amy’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag.

We totally enjoyed your all your curvy responses to Patti’s challenge. Next week, get ready to celebrate because John will host LAPC #194. For his challenge, be thinking about what is special to you regarding birthdays or anniversaries.

 If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, we have easy to follow instructions. Just click this link and join us: https://photobyjohnbo.wordpress.com/about-lens-artists/

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 195 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #156: Black and White

I am delighted to be your guest host for this week’s LAPC. Thank you John for getting us into/onto the water last week.

As much as I enjoy photographing water, I also love black and white photography! I don’t process a lot of it, but when I do I enjoy the texture and depth it gives a scene. It reaches a place in your soul that color can’t. Some images cry out for black and white.

This post is not a “how to” or history lesson, but a vehicle to get you excited about processing in black and white. As photographers, we all have our own unique way of doing that. Some shoot in black and white while others shoot in color and process in black and white.

I’ve watched many videos and attended workshops on black and white photography only to realize there is no set way to create a good black and white image. I have, however, settled on a workflow that produces the results I like. This is my workflow.

First, I always shoot in RAW and in color. That gives me more flexibility and more tonal range to work with. Very rarely do I see the image in black and white before I shoot it. I mostly see color until I get it into Lightroom.

This fog landscape I saw in black and white as I shot it. One of my rare moments.

Once I get my images into Lightroom, I process them in color. If I see an image with a lot of contrast, texture, and tonal quality, I finish the color processing and then look at it in black and white in Lightroom. If I see a possibility for a good black and white, I transfer the color image into Nik Silver Efex. This is where the fun begins.

Here’s a lily in color and black and white. Look at how the various colors, contrast and lighting transfer in tonal quality to the black and white.

Although Photoshop and Lightroom have improved in their ability to process black and white, I still prefer Nik’s Silver Efex. I guess I’m just used to it and I like their presets. Better yet, I need their presets! I’m not an artist. I choose a preset and work on it from there. Nik also has the ability to use more than one preset on a single image. You can use the control points to dodge and burn (darken and lighten). I rarely do this but work more with the contrast and tone of the image. If you like different film effects, there are many film types and tones from which you can choose. Honestly, I don’t change film types but, sometimes, will give an image a different tone color.

This is the color version of Waterton Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada. A foggy day and not much color.

The same image processed in black and white. Adding texture and contrast, created a more inviting image.

While in Silver Efex you can also add texture and do other editing that I prefer to do in Lightroom.

Sometimes the venue calls for black and white photography. One of my earlier black and white images taken while at Bodie a ghost town in Northeastern California.

Here’s another where I think the black and white conversion accents the splash of the wave on the platform. Taken in Pacifica.

Once I’m done in Silver Efex, I then export the image back into Lightroom for the finishing touches. I sometimes continue working on the contrast and light. I love how Lightroom’s tone curve helps with that. For me I like images to have some “pop!”

Also figures in shadow are accented in black and white. This image was taken at the Marin Headlands during one of my first Meetup outings.

Back to the present, my latest black and white conversion is a lotus in the William Land Park pond. It’s beautiful in color, but how do you feel (Yes, feel it not think it!) about it in black and white? For me, the curves, contrast and lighting are accented.

So, this is my method for processing an image to black and white. I’m sure you have your own workflow for black and white photography, and I’d like to know what it is and see your images. This week’s challenge invites you to dig through your archives for black and white images or process color images in black and white. You can also take new pictures and process them in black and white.

As you post them, please explain how you processed them. This will help all of us learn new ways of doing what we’ve been doing for a long time. I hope you are now ready to see the black and white possibilities as you shoot and/or process.

Thank you, Tina, Amy, Ann-Christine and Patti, for giving me this opportunity. I do appreciate it!

Remember to link this post and use the Lens Artists tag. Next week’s challenge will be presented by Rusha Sams of Oh The Places We See: Getting Away.

She will be followed by:

July 24: Beth Smith of Wandering Dawgs: TBD

July 31: Ana Campo of Anvica’s Gallery: Postcards

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

When life hands you lemons; shoot anyway: Rodeo Beach, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

We weren’t exactly handed lemons at our Rodeo Beach visit, but the dead seal, dog poop and crustacean pieces didn’t help create an atmosphere for beauty on the beach. I just decided to make the best of it, wait for the sunset and do the best shooting I could do. After all, the beach itself was nice.

But then, my shooting was hampered when I needed to clean the inside of the filter on my main lens. I couldn’t unscrew the filter and neither could three other photographers. So the day’s shooting was done with my 300 mm telephoto and ultra wide lenses. I enjoyed the day, meeting two great gals I carpooled with and more from the Meetup group, Exploring Photography.

When 29 photographers get on a small patch of beach, it can get crowded; but, everyone cooperated. I would go up to photo enthusiasts and ask them what they were shooting, what they were using, etc. In the end, the fog made the sunset less than spectacular, giving us an orange glow before it went behind the fog bank.

Life may have handed us lemons, but we did shoot and I did get some very good images.