Ocean – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Anne Sandler · 55 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #364: Quiet Moment

Oh boy, I’m so glad Ritva’s challenge is a quiet moment and not more than a moment! I left that joy behind when I was raising three boys and numerous dogs. I have since found solitude at my computer, when writing or processing pictures; when I’m walking with my camera, gazing at nature’s beauty or any kind of non-thinking down time reading or watching TV. I’ve started to turn off my cell phone ringer during these times. It can ruin just “being!”

Since this is a photography blog, let’s concentrate on walking with my camera. Dirt paths often lead to solitude. I walk slowly so I don’t miss a photo opportunity for the small things. As I walk, reality becomes distant.

Fog is a weather phenomena that urges me to stop, breathe and relax. I love walking through the mist. The thicker the better. Maybe it brings me into the mystery of a different existence.

Water, whether waves crashing on rocks or a serene lake, makes me stop, look and listen. At the ocean, I listen to the waves as they rush in and hit the shore. At the lake, I listen to nature if there are birds or even nothing but quiet. How relaxing are both experiences!

The beauty of flowers quiets my mind. How gorgeous they are in full bloom. I have to concentrate to get the macro images. This is a quieting experience for me since I’m taken away from reality.

Animals at the zoo also quiet my mind and body, especially when I see a flamingo sleeping–maybe in an awkward position!

Okay, I put that in just for fun. Let me close with a simple country scene that I can be in all day and not want to leave.

These days, it’s difficult to find quiet. When we find a quiet environment, can we quiet our minds? Thank you Ritva for helping us remember we do need to practice quiet mindfulness. When you respond to her challenge please remember to link to her original post and use the Lens-Artist tag.

Wow, did we have fun last week during our scavenger hunt. You sure kept me busy with your amazing and inventive responses, and I loved it. Egidio will be leading our challenge next week. Be sure to look for his wonderful post. In the meantime, stay safe and live in gratitude!

Posted on May 13, 2025 by Anne Sandler · 56 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #348: Serenity

Serenity can be found in a crowd with yelling people, horses and riders. Yes, this weekend we went to a rodeo while visiting friends. I had fun experiencing a rodeo for the first time and trying to capture the events with my camera. With my attention captured, I was calm and serene. But, that’s not the only way to capture serenity. This week Egidio suggests that we show where we go to be serene.

I like landscapes with beautiful skies; and, I like to see people enjoying the same scene I do. The next two images show people enjoying flowers, one at the ocean and the other in the forest. Both are calming and wonderful.

Skies can help a landscape become serene. Whether at the ocean or in the country, a good sky can create a calming atmosphere. Water is always calming. Whether I’m at a lake or ocean I’m entranced by water. Our country outings always have a calming effect especially when the scene is simple and beautiful.

We can also find serenity viewing public art. Our yearly Chalk It Up and many murals about downtown Sacramento leave me in awe and serene. A mural of a mother and child embracing sends me to a calm quiet place–not that raising kids is always calm! A mural of a swan and heart reminds me of how graceful swans are as they glide through the water.

Last, there’s nothing more serene than a beautiful sunset. I sometimes sit and wonder how nature can paint these beautiful pictures.

After seeing these images, you’re probably wondering how I can find serenity at a rodeo. I just got immersed in the activity. Mind and body relaxed. Isn’t that what serenity is all about? Thanks Egidio for sending us to serene places this week. I’ll catch up with all your posts and look for more. When you do post, please link to Egidio’s original post and tag Lens-Artists. Next week Tina is challenging us.

If you’re wondering about my Rodeo pictures, they are still in the camera. You’ll see them someday. In the meantime, stay safe and live in gratitude!

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 50 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #323: Silence

Egidio’s challenge on Silence has me standing on my soapbox. Television has ruined silence in this world or at least in my house. When my husband is home the TV is on whether he’s watching or not. My neighbor is the same way. “When I get up in the morning the TV goes on,” she says. She can’t handle the silence!

Me, I love the silence. I like to sit and read in silence. Work on the computer in silence. And, most of all, I like the silence when I’m out with my camera. Many of my images reflect this silence and quiet contemplation. When I walk with my camera, I relax and forget the world’s and my own problems.

For me still water helps me feel calm and my body and mind relax. I enjoy the calmness and mirror images of the water. The people on this lone boat must be experiencing a sense of wonder as they navigate this lake. A full moon shines on two shores of another calm and silent lake. How wonderful to sit and watch the moon rise.

I love tree arbors. As I approach them, I’m in awe by their graceful welcoming, and I feel enveloped in their natural sense of silence. I slow down as I drive through, wanting to savor the feeling. After all, they are bowing and welcoming me. The quiet countryside also helps!

People can also support silence through their actions or inaction. A couple enjoying the ocean while sitting in a bed of ice plant shows how the soft sound of the ocean can bring you into a calm and meditative state. Even walking along a creek can calm both human and canine. The three walk in silence.

Mountain views can bring you into awe and silence as you look at the breathtaking view. This is from Ananda Village in Nevada City. A small chapel is a viewpoint for those who want to meditate or pray. The mountains are part of the Sierra Nevada chain.

Fog has different effects on people. For me, it’s calming and sends me into silence and awe. So does a beautiful landscape, especially when it features an old structure. Notice, both images feature trees.

I’ll close with forest images. I love the forest especially when we are the only people camping. I sit and enjoy the smell and silence. Sometimes, nature provides us with something special!

Thank you Egidio for bringing us back into silence and helping us realize how we experience it through our photography. When you post your response, please link to Egidio’s original post and use the Lens-Artist tag.

I enjoyed seeing your responses to Ritva’s subjective challenge last week. They were diverse, creative and beautiful. Next week Patti will be our presenter. “In The Details” challenges us to choose a subject and focus on the details, photographing from different angles, distances using your camera or lens. She’d like you to post three photographs of your subject. This is just a hint, be sure to look for her post at pilotfish.com for full instructions.

In the meantime stay healthy and be safe.

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 49 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #293: Water in Motion

Oh boy, water is everywhere this winter. Rain storms have added water to our area’s rivers, lakes and creeks here in Sacramento. It’s also added mega snow levels in our mountain areas. Sofia’s challenge this week is to show moving water. Let’s get started.

Lakes. While some of our large lakes are in constant motion, they don’t photograph that way. You can tell by the gentle ripples and swirls in the water.

Donner Lake, Truckee, CA; Two-Medicine Lake, Glacier National Park, MT; Folsom Lake, Folsom CA

River. While we have two major rivers flowing through Sacramento County, I’m featuring the American River. It’s known for river rafting, boating, fishing and swimming. The image on the left features the iconic Rainbow Bridge in Folsom. The ripples are delicate enough to reflect the rocks and bridge. This beach is near another well-known bridge, the Fair Oaks Bridge. The American river has many swim areas.

Ocean. I don’t get to the Pacific Ocean often. It’s about a 2 1/2-hour drive, but when I do, I enjoy it. These pictures are from Pacific Grove with waves gently breaking on the shore; Pacifica which is further north and the waves break more violently, causing a major splash on this young man. Back south, we come to the Monterey shoreline, catching the ocean at sunset. The sun’s glow is beautifully reflected in the water.

Fountains. I enjoy catching water in stop-action. Fountains are great for this and so are water spouts. Here are three.

I’ll close with some miscellaneous water fun, waterfalls and drops.

Today the sun is shining and will continue for a couple of days. Then, we are getting more rain! I’d better get out and enjoy the sunshine while I can. If you haven’t posted yet, be sure to link to Sofia’s original post and use the Lens-Artist tag.

Pictures of people from all over the world appeared in my mail box last week, and I totally enjoyed seeing them all. Next week John will be presenting the challenge so be sure to look for his post. Until then, take care.

Posted on February 18, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 50 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #287: Sound

All of our senses are connected. When you see a plate of well-presented food, can’t you taste it before you take a bite? When I’m walking my dog, I can hear a car long before I can see it, giving me plenty of time to navigate to the side of the road. I once interviewed deaf students through an interpreter. I watched their faces and body language to understand their excitement and other feelings.

This week Donna opens the world of sound for us. This challenge helped me understand how we show sound to our viewers through our two-dimensional presentations. Let’s get into my selections.

This Civil War Reenactment image shows the canon being fired. Can’t you just hear the loud boom as smoke fills the air?

And more booms and pops during this fireworks display.

If you’re really into music and you’re in a setting with a wood floor, you can actually feel the music’s beat with your feet. But in a picture we can imagine the sound of musicians and their music.

Waves crash rocks, making a serene sound as we watch a beautiful sunset. Here two senses are working together.

Remember those cars I mentioned. Just stand next to a freeway and close your eyes. You can hear the passing whish and feel the rumble of the cars. But don’t close them now, see the light trails!

I’ve saved the worst image, but most meaningful to me for last–my grandson’s elementary school class’s performance during the holidays years ago. They were singing holiday songs. These performances show that music reaches our hearts beyond what we hear. Ryan is in the second row, right side in back of the girl wearing a red dress that has a white heart on it. Ryan is now 15 years.

When I started looking for sounds, I thought I wouldn’t have much. But I have even more. Sound is all around us and in our images.

When you respond, please link to Donna’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. We would all like to see your sounds.

Thank you for your responses to my Weather Challenge. I’m so glad you all weathered the week and found amazing images. I also enjoyed that some of you played along with the homophone. One of you even got in wether, admitting they didn’t have a picture of a young castrated ram!

Next week, Ritva will be presenting her first challenge as a team member. So be sure to look for her post.

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Anne Sandler

Just a little rest: Kauai, Day 2

It’s not easy to fly to your destination any more. You need to change planes, pull your carry on luggage through the airport and spend time in between flights. By the time you get to your destination, you’ve had it. So our plan of photographing some of the sites the day we arrived in Kauai didn’t happen.

To make up for it, we went from one end of the island to the other the next day. You’ve seen the pictures in my previous post. So we needed an easy going day. Add to that my and Marlene’s injuries, we were ready to not rush the morning. So, my two terrific guides suggested we visit the East shore and photograph Opaeka’s Falls, go on the Jungle Hike (Which was so muddy that we could only go part way before we were slipping.) and view Wailua Falls.

Marlene and Laura brought guide books and studied them. I basically brought myself! Now you know why they were the guides, and they did an outstanding job. It was a nice short day!

Take a look.

I’m using the new WordPress editor and think I should have added captions before I inserted the pictures! The sequence goes: Opaeka’a Falls, river across from it, goat wondering why we were on the Jungle Hike, strange tree and path on the hike, various flowers, ocean, handsome rooster (plenty of them on Kauai) and Wailua Falls.

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

When photographers say goodbye: Bodega Bay

Memorials are for the living, and this one was a long time coming–with good reason. Photographers from the Sacramento Photographers Facebook group had gone to Bodega Bay in April 2015, and my deceased photo buddy Greg Morris was among them. This trip turned out to be great but not without stumbling blocks that bonded the group. Greg had a flat tire and another photographer locked his keys in the car.

Greg had always said that he did not want a funeral or memorial, but on the anniversary weekend of their fun and problematic trip, the group planned this outing as a memorial to Greg. Marlene and I were also invited. I then invited Greg’s daughters and friend.

It was a wonderful experience. When we got to Goat Rock Beach the photographers quickly got into action. We placed flowers we brought on a large rock surface. Then some gathered small rocks and spelled out his name. They all gathered around and spoke about how Greg affected their lives. Then, they did what photographers do best, and what Greg would want them to do, took pictures.

I gathered Greg’s family and some flowers, and asked them to come down to the beach to throw the buds into the ocean. I felt the family needed some sort of closure. I know I did.

After lunch, we went to Bodega Head beach to shoot some more and then headed home. I did practice some more with my ND filter, but it was too bright out there. I’ll have to get to the beach earlier or later for that, meaning an overnight stay.

I hope you enjoy this memorial trip as much as I did. I hope Greg didn’t mind!