outdoor photography – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on August 30, 2026 by Anne Sandler · 14 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #411: What is it?

For us older seniors, the best advantage of doing photography as a hobby is that it helps you remember where you’ve been and what you’ve seen! Sofia’s challenge is a prime example. I had to go through many photos and memories to grab what I did!

Let’s start with a sculpture.

This sculpture is located at the Cornerstone Sonoma gardens in Sonoma, California. It is a large, house-shaped outdoor art installation created using hundreds of recycled plastic forks.

Next are two from the Manetti Shrem Museum, University California, Davis

Could you guess that the picture on the left was a curtain covering a door to an outside eating patio? The right image is the fantastic patio cover for the museum entrance that wraps around the building.

IKEA has lots of odd things to photograph. We go there with our cameras when it’s raining or hot. What’s your guess?

If you guessed a stack of shopping carts, you’re correct. I’ve only seen them stacked this way, vertically, once.

Let’s go for some color.

Here’s a hint: I found these at a garden nursery during Christmas time. Do you see the iridescent balls?

No hints on this next one.

It’s a ship’s propeller!

My last two are easy since you know I enjoy moving my camera and lens when I have the opportunity.

Left: Tall grass; Right: Ferris wheel

Thank you Sofia for helping me travel down memory lane. I had a great time and hope you do also when go on you own memory trip. When you do post, please link to Sofia’s original challenge. Thank you Ritva for last weeks challenge. I enjoyed seeing all your edited pictures and learned from your processes. Next week John will be leading the challenge, so look for his post. In the meantime stay safe and be resilient.

Posted on March 27, 2020 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

Escaping: A car ride to the snow

You know how restless you can get being house bound, especially in a small house! Most of us can relate since the world seems to be in lock down due to the Corona Virus. After a week, Richard and I took a short ride north on the Interstate 80 to the snow.

It was a beautiful day, sunny with temperatures requiring wearing a light jacket. Although it hadn’t snowed in about a week, the white puffy frozen rain was still on rooftops and on the ground. Passing by Auburn and Colfax, we took an exit about an hour up the road where I could do some photography.

It was just enough to lift up my spirit and camera. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and short time shooting. Maybe this weekend we’ll go scout out an area for my astronomer husband. And, yes, we did practice social distancing when we came upon people. A family was playing in the snow right off the road and a homeowner and his black lab came out to talk with us.

Posted on November 9, 2019November 9, 2019 by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

The challenge of big trees: Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Big Trees, CA

So, what’s the challenge? A tree is a tree! Not when they are giant Sequoias! This was my first time at Calaveras Big Trees State Park , and I enjoyed it. It wasn’t quite as amazing as Sequoia National Park, but it had the same enormous trees.

Sequoias are redwoods, big in girth and not as tall as the coastal redwoods. Jean and I took the short, supposedly 1 1/2 mile walk around the North Grove. I walk my dog 2 miles about 6 mornings a week, but this walk took twice as long! There was so much to take pictures of. We started at the Discovery Stump and continued past the Three Graces, the Mother and Son, The Abraham Lincoln Tree, and the Old Bachelor. Some of the other visitors were picture worthy too!

Back to the challenge of taking these shots, you can’t get the entire tree in the image, especially with a crop sensor camera. I did try though! Here, take a look.