All the comforts of suburbia are great and I love it, but it’s nice to visit the country once in a while. Thank goodness for the Yolo Art and Ag project which gets us out into the country and on farms and ranches that we would otherwise not gain entry.
This was the case during a recent Thursday when we went to visit the Clarence Scott Ranch in Winters. This Ranch has a bit of everything and lots of scenery for photographers and artists. Hay and cattle are their predominat income sources.
I’ve begun to rely on just one lens when I go on a photo outing. It challenges me, and it’s easier to carry. And, at this point, less weight is important to me since this year has given me a few health challenges. My gear consisted of my Nikon D7100 and the Nikon 18 – 140 mm lens. It’s hard for me to grasp that my camera is OLD now and reduced in price for less than half of what I paid! But it’s the same for a car. Once it’s off the lot…….
On the way home, we stopped to photograph sunflowers and zinnias in Woodland. You’ll see these in my next post. Right now let’s look at the Ranch. The clouds were spectacular!
Artists and photographers were busy too!
I was also fortunate to watch a woman shoeing her horse. A first for me!
For Richard, it was back surgery; for me it was a dreaded cold. We were stuck inside and not even wanting to go anywhere. Richard is progressing well after back surgery, and I’m finally over my cold. So, he’s driving short distances now. For him that’s freedom! If’s tough on a Californian when you take the car away!
My first outing after my role as caregiver and receiver of a cold was to the Action Camera Swap Meet. They host this event twice a year. It’s a great way to get filters, camera bags and old equipment. One gal was selling off all her Dad’s old film cameras and gear. I bought a camera bag. I needed something that would hold enough, but not be heavy.
After that, Marlene and I went into Downtown (Old) Roseville. I was there a couple of weeks ago with friends from Los Angeles, so I tried to find other things to shoot. It was quiet. There was no farmers’ market or kids jumping through the fountains of water. There was just Marlene and I with our cameras. I’m hoping the only duplicate you’ll see here is the sculpture bench which is in need of repair. I call this area Old Roseville because the office buildings, new restaurants, etc. are located in East Roseville. If there’s an East, then there must be a West Roseville too. And there is–it’s mostly houses.
Soon hunger got the best of me and off we went to Historic Roseville. I think it’s historic because of the history of some of its buildings. I’ll tell you a bit of the history in the picture caption. This area certainly has a different look and feel from Downtown Roseville. After lunch we took our time to discover and shoot. We did find Dr. Bob’s Donuts and DoYos...”The World’s Most Delicious and Nutritious Donuts!” You just cannot walk in to see what it was all about–and we did.
After that, I went home. I was tired and happy with just one regret: I was too full from lunch to try a Dr. Bob’s Donut! It was great to get out with my camera again.
This train sculpture welcomes you to Downtown Roseville.
Roseville’s history is centered around trains. The tracks are still there and are used today.
Vernon Street is the main drag in Downtown Roseville
A fence near the railroad tracks.
The Tower Movie theater is one of two on Vernon Street.
Both are used for community plays now.
The sitting sculpture’s face. She looks sad to me. I’m hoping someone will repair her bench.
A breast cancer sculpture.
A colorful pizza restaurant.
I love this sign.
A tatoo vehicle.
I just have to show you one track image!
Old water tower.
How about a healthy donut!
Here’s the base donut.
You add toppings. These are the glazes. Other toppings are across on the other wall.
I didn’t cross the street to see if this was one of the historic buildings.
This building is now “The Mint,” which is a bar. It started out as a home in 1886 – 1907; Three banks 1907 -1966; a newspaper 1966 – 1976 and was renovated in 1994.
We may be having some extreme heat in the Sacramento area, but I’m the one who’s under the weather. I haven’t been out shooting very much this month. I’ve been on two outings so far in August compared to the six through mid July. It might be the heat and not feeling well combined that has kept me indoors.
I haven’t even spent time learning new editing tricks. Leanne Cole has included a tutorial on replacing skies in the new Dynamic Range magazine. Not only does she give instruction but she also gives a practice picture and four free sky backgrounds. I haven’t gotten to that tutorial.
But, I’m feeling better today and looking forward to shooting in the Bay Area tomorrow where it will be at least 25 degrees cooler. Marlene and I did take a morning last Saturday to photograph in the small town of Rough and Ready. I researched the town and wasn’t expecting much except a blacksmith shop that had been turned into a museum and a couple of other buildings. The town is near Grass Valley, so I thought we could also shoot there.
Expectations are sometimes not met. This was one of those times. I think the three-block town is in transition. The first thing we noticed were all the no parking signs, then we noticed the no trespassing signs on all photographic buildings except the blacksmith shop which was closed. The town market was shut down and for lease, yes, with no parking signs up.
Only the Post Office, closed on Saturday, allowed parking. Residents came and went with their mail. We parked wherever we could and walked. We trespassed a little, walking on the edge of properties and leaning in. There were no fences. It was sad, and left us wondering what was happening in this small town.
After shooting as much as we could, we drove into Grass Valley, ate lunch and shot some more.
I’m hoping getting out of the heat, being with photo friends and shooting tomorrow will help me feel better. I’m sure it will.
This may have been a tourist attraction.
This cute cart added to the ambiance.
This old cart was on the side of the property.
Another view.
This area may have been set up as an attraction for parties, etc. We can let our imaginations soar.
I couldn’t resist this weather-vane and shadow.
Public restrooms?
Church steeple.
The wheel of an old wagon.
The post office.
The closed market.
A newspaper box at the post office.
The blacksmith shop. Closed.
A bench and mail boxes. It was the mail boxes that attracted me.
A closer look.
The fire-station near the blacksmith shop.
The activity board at the Post Office. It seems there is a lot going on.
I’ve reached another plateau in my photographic journey–I’m beginning to print my photos and hang them in my home. I’ve got three metal prints on the walls now: a 6 x 9 and two 8 x 12 inches. I’m also preparing five black and whites to be printed as 8 x 10 inches. Next I’ll work on my close up and macro flowers. It’s time to do this.
I’m thinking the more I see my printed pictures, the more confidence I’ll get to enter a contest. This whole journey is a process–at least for me. I was chatting with another photographer via Facebook regarding entering a contest. She is entering an image in the California State Fair contest. It’s a great image that tells a great story. She said that I should enter. I said I wasn’t ready. She suggested some of the various county fair competitions. I may do that this summer.
In the meantime, our Tuesday group visited Effie Yeaw Nature Center. I’ve shown you pictures from there before, but you never see the same thing twice. There’s always new discoveries. And, now that Marlene and I bought a membership, you’ll see a lot more of Effie Yeaw.
From Effie Yeaw to wherever my camera takes me, I’ll take you along on this amazing photographic journey.
The trees at Effie Yeaw are so expressive.
They bend with the wind.
Turkeys are happy residents.
This one is showing off.
This young buck knows this is a safe place.
At least they are safe from man.
They are used to us.
Effie Yeaw sits on the American River.
From Caterpillar.
To butterfly.
Or maybe even two.
I love the texture and color in fallen tree limbs.
I haven’t seen a coyote at Effie Yeaw before.
It’s poppy time.
This is a resident owl who lives behind glass in the Nature Center’s office area. They have a lot of programs for schools.
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!
We gathered at this market.
Making Greg’s memorial.
Completed.
Northern California beaches are rocky.
My flowers kept coming and going with the waves.
Waves hit the rocky shore.
The wind and waves sent a watery mist over the photographers.
At lunch.
Vanessa, the bird whisperer feeding the gulls french fries.
It’s living a dream. I wake up in the morning and my friend asks, “Where would you like to shoot today?” Of course, I didn’t have a clue, but it felt great to have someone willing to guide you through a day of photography. Our second day of fun was about to start.
Sandy and Ken first took us to the Red Hills ACEC, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. This land was designated ACEC in 1993 to protect flora, a rare minnow (Red Hills roach) and the bald eagle wintering habitat. We didn’t see any eagles and wouldn’t know a Red Hills roach if we saw it. Sandy and Ken had never been there, but Sandy heard that wildflowers were blooming in that area. So this was an adventure for all of us.
It’s a good thing Ken’s Subaru has all-wheel drive because our adventure took us through some very rough and ready dirt roads. We had to cross three streams. I think Ken enjoyed the drive. There’s a daredevil in that body! While we were being jostled around, we did get some beautiful images of beautiful scenery.
After lunch, we went to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. Ken serves as a docent there so we wanted to see what captures his heart. Another docent, Paul, took us around. This is a working facility. They rebuild old trains, give train rides on the weekend and house several stars! Do you remember a television series called Petticoat Junction which ran from 1963 to 1970? Train number 3 was on that show. It was also featured in many movies and is still in demand.
Paul took us through many areas of the roundhouse and showed us the grounds. It was a great tour. When I wake up tomorrow, where will my dream take us?
Wildflowers were at Red Hills ACEC.
This was a tiny but beautiful flower.
The color yellow was dominate.
Another yellow landscape.
We found an area where these red flowers were blooming.
I never thought I’d say that I’ve been shooting too much! But here I am, way behind in editing and still shooting. I’ve even fallen behind in posting my 52-week images. So I’ve vowed to not shoot any more photographs until our Camera Totin’ Tuesdays group goes out on Tuesday.
I have been exploring the new Nik software I recently downloaded free from Google. I love it, especially the Silver Efex module. It helps create great black and white images. I’ve also started using some Lightroom features I hadn’t tried before. I have created an editing haven.
Okay, so just what have I been so busy photographing? Today, we’ll begin a trip to the Sonora area I took with Marlene. We were graciously hosted by my friends Sandy and Ken who are also photographers. Unfortunately, Sandy’s small Sony broke the day we came down and she had to use her heavier Canon. This wouldn’t have been a problem if she still wasn’t recovering from thumb surgery on her right hand! She shot as much as she could.
Ken was our driver. I’m sure he had fun going over a very rough dirt road with his all-wheel drive car–actually he did! They took us off the beaten path.
Today’s post is from our first day. We stopped at Mokelumne Hill, an old town along the Mokelumne River. The town had the usual old charm, and we had the good fortune to talk with one resident. He filled us in on what happened to all the businesses and people.
We stopped along the river, and I practiced with my neutral density filter. We then went to Ironstone Winery after meeting up with Sandy and Ken. Although it was overcast, windy and raining at times, it was beautiful.
So, here’s day one of our four-day photographic trip. And we did shoot every day!
A large Radio Flyer in town.
This black and white was processed in Nik Silver Efex.
The resident we talked with.
His house.
One of his many humming bird feeders. I caught this little guy in mid flight.
Red doors that shutter this closed down business.
The town’s hotel.
I was told this old phone booth was transplanted from England.
Here I’m practicing creating silky water.
The river was running fast.
I was happy with the outcome.
We’re now at the winery.
The wind was blowing, so I didn’t bother taking out my macro lens.
I think my 18 – 140 mm walk around lens did a great job.
There are many old towns with history in California, but this one is close to home. Old Folsom or the Historic Folsom District as they it’s correctly called is a typical shopping and dining area like you’d find elsewhere. However the difference is their free parking garage and Historic Powerhouse. This hydroelectric plant, which is now a State Park, began delivering electric power to Sacramento in September, 1895 and continued to do so until it was shut down in 1952.
Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside because it was closed, but we did shoot the outside. But, fortunately, Tom was able to give us a complete history because of his association with the local newspaper and having lived in Folsom. One of these days, we’ll go back when we know it’s open. By the time we walked around Old Folsom, we were tired. Remember, this was the second half of a Tuesday outing. I’m sure Tom will have more interesting and historic stories to tell us.
This is a replica of the way trains were turned around.
It’s built directly on top of the original.
A closer look.
A musician. Edited in Nik Silver Efex.
A bike rider.
Shot through the window of a beauty salon. Edited in Nik Color Efex.
Peaking through a barber shop window. I thought this was perfect for the old time look, except for the cell phone!
The hotel.
Now we’re on the grounds of the Historic Powerhouse. This building housed various offices, etc.
One of the three generators that delivered power to Sacramento.
It’s finally wet out there, and Mother Nature is being very kind. It’s raining in the evening and through the night. At least it did last night. But, what’s that got to do with my Toastmaster photography club? Nothing! California is just happy that it is raining.
And, I’m happy with this Toastmaster club that is like no other. Wanting to combine my two passions, I started All About Photography almost a year ago. It’s been fun finding our way, keeping the Toastmaster structure and making the meeting all about photography. Now you see how we got our name.
We are the same as any other Toastmaster club except all our speeches are on photography and our table topics are basically critiques of images. Last Monday I was the Table Topics Master. I selected some images I wanted feedback on and presented them to the club. Before I selected the member participant, I gave a brief background on the picture. The selected member then gave a 1 – 2 minute critique. We do vote on who did the best job and present them with a ribbon.
I’m going to try something new and insert the pictures in the blog individually, not in a gallery.
This image from the ghost town Bodie was well received, mostly for the color and texture.
When I shot this, I was trying to show the musician’s emotions. However, the participant felt there wasn’t enough contrast for his face to be predominate. I need to figure out how to darken the tent top.
I put this one in because I happen to love it and it didn’t get great play on Facebook when I posted it. I wanted to know why and what I could do to make it better. The participant loved it as much as I do, but she noticed the neon open sign in the window furthest away. Can you see it? She thought it was distracting. To be honest, I hadn’t noticed it until she mentioned it!
This, from near Sedona, AZ, was liked because of the action and depth of field. I thought it might be too busy, but the participant didn’t think so.
I showed this one because I almost didn’t process it. I thought the vertical orientation made it too tight. The participant thought so also. He thought a horizontal orientation would have shown more of the landscape, giving the viewer an idea of the image’s context. I agree. However, I do like the texture of the wood and grasses.
So there you have it–a glimpse of what we do during an All About Photography meeting. And, to top off the meeting, the former District 39 Photographer told me how much he enjoyed my pictures and thought I had a great eye for composition.
It’s going to possibly rain again tomorrow, so I’ll be busy processing this week’s Tuesday With Seniors photo outing.
Sometimes you just have to ask. Let me explain. Greg, Linda and I were at Sailor Bar, a popular boat launch area on the American River in Sacramento County. We arrived late afternoon to shoot and catch the sunset. Greg, who enjoys meeting and talking with people, was talking with a man who offered Greg a free monopod. Not liking monopods, Greg graciously declined.
I thought, “That’s what I get for not being outgoing and striking up conversations!” They talked some more and again the question about the monopod came up. I then decided to act upon my need for one.
I walked over and said to the gentleman, “Did I hear you offer a free monopod? I could use one.” The guy was happy to go back to his house and bring it back to me. All it needed was a ball head and it was a Manfrotto. Great, I have a Manfrotto ball head on my extra tripod. This monopod, without ball head, is worth $200. What a gift! The sunset wasn’t much, but getting that monopod was something, and all I had to do was ask!
The river scene from the boat ramp.
More from the boat ramp.
Walking along the rocky shoreline.
This goose was thirsty.
He didn’t mind being photographed.
Grasses along the shoreline.
The river as seen from the shore.
It slowly goes behind the horizon.
Not a big display of color, but interesting clouds.
