old buildings – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Mother Nature Rules: Rush Ranch

I know there are photographers who choose to photograph in the right light and weather conditions. Me? I take what I can get. Here in sunny Northers California, we’ve been dealing with rain, fog and cold temperatures. I needed to get out with my camera and Richard was willing to drive me. I think he needed to get away too. So off we went to Rush Ranch in Suisun City located near Fairfield.

During the little more than 1 hour ride, he kept questioning me about photographing in the fog which didn’t get better as we headed west. I love fog, and, of course, clouds also add to our pictures. He’s an astronomer and fog and clouds are his enemy.

When we got to Rush Ranch, part of the Solano County Land Trust, the fog had not dissipated. I didn’t care. I had been here before, but this time they had horses, wet grass and mud. What more could you want!

Here are some of the images I took during our short visit.

I’m planning to go back with my photo buddies when the sun is out. I’m sure the ranch will have a different look and feel.

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 10 Comments

Old Hangtown: Placerville

It’s been a while since we went to Placerville to take photos. The town got the name Old Hangtown because it was known as a vigilante area. Here’s a bit of history.

The history of Placerville, formerly Hangtown and Old Dry Diggins, has its roots in mining and was once known for its notorious reputation for vigilante justice carried out by hangings. Old Dry Diggins was a gold mining camp on Hangtown Creek established in 1848.

They had hung (pardon the pun) onto the old name until a few years ago when they took down the dummy hanging from a pole where the hanging tree once stood. But the past still lingers. No more hangings; just a small tourist area with old buildings and shops.

Here are photos from our recent visit.

**Dog lovers have to have one of these. Found in the Hardware Store.**

We had a great couple of hours walking Main Street and having lunch. And, yes, we did some shopping!

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

Trip’s end: Portland & St. John’s New Brunswick

It has certainly taken me longer to blog about this trip then the trip itself! So here we are at the end. Two things are true: (1) The port cities look very much alike. (2) You can’t take good photographs from a moving bus with dirty windows.

Portland. We walked this city to the point of exhaustion. It was fun, but we should have stopped for a snack or lunch. I loved the old buildings and noticed that the electric wiring was still above ground. I thought this added to the charm of the city. There were a few parks within walking distance. Here are some photos and captions.

**This was one of the first buildings we saw. Yes it’s for sale. Made for a nice picture .**

St. John’s New Brunswick. While the “Hop on and Hop Off Busses give a great overall tour, it’s difficult to take pictures. Most places didn’t warrant getting off.

**The tour bus guide told us our ship was across the bridge.**

So, this is the end of my trip. I had a great time. I loved the ship’s food and was careful not to eat too much. I would have liked to go further into the cities, but there’s not much you can do in one day and a limited amount of energy. Would I do it again? YES!!

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Anne Sandler · 18 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #152: Shade and Shadows

Before Ann Christine posted this challenge, I hadn’t thought of the difference between shade and shadow. But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered whether we sit in the shade of the tree or the shadow cast by the tree! Here’s a definition I found on line, “Shade is the darkness of an object not in direct light, while shadows are the silhouette of an object’s shape on another surface. Created by the same light, shades and shadows react differently, and both influence how one perceives space, color, and feeling.”

Here, some trees cast their shadows to give us shade!

This is building situated so it casts shade.

Here mushrooms grow in the shade. As the sun almost intrudes.

In these examples, shadows create patterns. We photographers love patterns!

Lastly, the sun helps two buildings to cast both shade and shadows.

So which comes first, the shadow or shade? Only the sun knows. Thanks Ann Christine!

Posted on September 10, 2016September 10, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

A shooting challenge: The Old Sugar Mill, Clarksburg, California

Every time Greg (who is now deceased) and I passed The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, we drove on. Neither of us drank wine and weren’t interested in visiting the wineries represented there. So here I was shooting at the venue with my Toastmasters Photography Club–All About Photography.

I started this Toastmasters Club a couple of years ago to combine my two passions. Both have changed and added to my life. When this venue was chosen for our quarterly outing I thought, “Well you’re going to have to shoot whatever is there.” For all my trepidation, I had a great time. I do believe you need to challenge yourself to grow as a photographer.

While it now houses 11 wineries, the factory, built in 1934, was an operating beet sugar refinery. You’ll see pictures of the old buildings with broken windows, etc. Most of them were locked up for safety reasons. Oh, I would have loved to been able to shoot in them. I was told renovations are in the future.

Now, it’s also available for weddings and other events. They do have a nice lawn area and one building, which you will see, is quite usable for a themed wedding.

What did I learn? Never say never. Challenge yourself. You might be surprised at the outcome. Have you found yourself shooting in a place you thought you’d never go into?

This wine barrel and sign welcomes you inside.

Close up of an old wagon carrying a wine barrel.

I loved how the red light cast on these barrels inside a winery room.

We got there early and the wineries were setting up.

Looking up.

I’m wondering if these barrels are full?

The old buildings and their windows drew my attention.

A green door?

You could see through these yellow framed windows. Yes, color attracts my eye.

Reflections and visions of the building’s interior.

I caught my reflection plus.

Looking up again!

An alley between buildings. They must use this for parties. There are lights strung high.

This building is usable for events. There were some wineries in it.

It is a great place for wine lovers to visit.

A door in one of the older buildings.

Tools leaning against an old building. Notice the cobwebs on the window sill.

At the back of the main building, a place to sit and enjoy your wine.

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Anne Sandler

A change of attitude: The Optainium Cup Race at Mare Island, part 3

When you need to change attitude, it’s best to get away. That’s what we did. We took our new/used trailer to Las Vegas, Nevada for its “shakedown run.” I know it’s hot in Las Vegas this time of the year, but it was our cousin Jim’s 70th birthday–so why not! The good news is that we were able to outfit and situate the trailer to our liking, but the bad news is that I didn’t take any pictures except for Peggy Sue’s Diner on the way home. I’ll show you those in my next post.

Today, I want to wrap up the Otainium Cup Race and show you some images that are a mixture of what is happening on Mare Island. I did not do any HDR on these, and, yes, there are some buildings again. But, don’t click off, there are some new sights too. Hopefully, if I can get into a carpool, I’ll be going back there for a full moon shoot on Saturday. Fair warning–more Mare Island. Hopefully I can do better with my images. After all, a change in attitude is mostly accepting that what you’re doing is good and you can also improve.

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Anne Sandler

What happens when you wake up way too early? Mare Island, Vallejo, California

It was way too early to wake up, but there I was at 4:30 a.m. with my mind processing stuff. Has that ever happened to you? So I made myself a cup of coffee, sat down at the computer, went through email, did a search on photo software and now I’m posting this blog.

Mare Island was a photo meetup with the Shoot Or Go Home group. Closed as a U.S. Naval Shipyard in 1993, Mare Island is a peninsula alongside the city of Vallejo. Now the Island houses boarded buildings, a museum, a golf course and more. The city of Vallejo wants to preserve the historical value of the shipyard and create more use for the land. A great place for an amateur photographer who loves old buildings, etc.

It was a cold and damp Saturday with half the group staying home. I was not feeling well (that cold I’m still not completely over) and we got there late because of heavy traffic. The outing was supposed to start at 1 p.m. and end with full moon shots; however, the cloud cover made that impossible.

But, the outing wasn’t a complete bust. I met Jayne West who knows a lot more about editing and shooting than I do, and I found the caliber of photographers in the group amazing. I need to buy HDR software and learn how to use it. Some of their photos were fantastic compared to mine–given the same shot. Some were overdone, but most were excellent. I still posted my images, but with the conviction to learn more.

So here are some of the Mare Island images. After completing this post, maybe I can go back to bed and sleep!