photos – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 6 Comments

After a rain, shoot, shoot, shoot: Effie Yeaw,Schweitzer Grove, McKinley Park

It’s sometimes called cabin fever, but for photographers it’s more intense. Since you can’t shoot, you edit, read tutorials or discover new processing programs. So, when, on a recent Tuesday, Marlene and I were the only photographers to partake in Camera Totin’ Tuesday, we took full advantage of the partly cloudy weather.

Our first stop was Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael. This wonderful preserve houses all sorts of animals, provides educational programs and welcomes photographers. Located on the American River, there is a lot to shoot. On this day, I was looking for deer; but, I was amazed by the area’s beauty after winter rains. And, yes, I did find deer. I couldn’t believe how they let us get so close to them. They know they are protected from human harm, but natural predators are still around. You’ll see more from Effie Yeaw because Marlene and I bought a season pass.

Next we found Schweitzer Grove Nature Area. This is a 17-acre park also in Carmichael that allows dogs to be off leash. It’s quiet and green–a great place to walk babies, dogs or just yourself.

After walking Schweitzer Grove, we drove over to McKinley Park in Sacramento. We were hoping to still see some roses, but there were none. Still, we weren’t disappointed for there were other flowers and people that caught our attention. If you remember, I did a post on this park before and the roses were beautiful. We’ll be back.

What did I learn? My passion for photography grows along with my experience. We have so many beautiful preserves, parks and rivers here in the Sacramento area so you don’t have to drive a great distance to shoot. And, finally, I’m so enjoying the friendships I’ve made with other photographers. Marlene has been my sidekick for more than a year now, and I do appreciate her willingness to go out with her camera.

It’s raining right now, but it’s supposed to be partly cloudy for our next Tuesday adventure. I know we’re all anxious to get out there and shoot–with our cameras!

This will be a two-part post. There are too many pictures for me to put in one.

The rain has created a beautiful meadow.

Trees at Effie Yeaw are so expressive.

Here’s a beauty.

Deer are in the meadow. They really don’t care about us.

Moving to find a better feeding spot.

Marlene and I walked this path right through the meadow and deer.

The pond is beautiful with color.

How low can a tree limb grow?

I think this deer is cleaning the other???

Looking through the branches.

Looks like a smile to me.

Now for a close up.

This deer was checking me out.

An egret looking for food at the river’s shore.

I guess it wasn’t a good spot!

Posted on January 23, 2016January 23, 2016 by Anne Sandler

Riding the freeway: Port Costa California

Not knowing the country roads, we needed to take the freeway to get to Crockett, Port Costa and Mare Island. Marlene said, “Greg wouldn’t approve,” and I agreed. This was our first long distance outing since Greg became ill. We stayed around home base for a few weeks during our Tuesday’s With Seniors outings to accommodate his needs. He may not have been able to come, but he was certainly on our minds.

Driving the freeway route, we first stopped at Crockett, then found Port Costa and eventually made our way to Mare Island. Today, I want to show you some of Port Costa. This small, decaying town is a census-designated place in Conra Costa County. The population was 190 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1879 as a landing for the railroad ferry Solano, Port Costa’s ferries carried entire trains across the Carquinez Strait from Benicia to Port Costa. The town lost its importance when a railroad bridge was constructed at Martinez in 1930 to replace the ferry crossing. Today, it’s a sleepy, photogenic and cute town.

I enjoyed shooting in Port Costa more than the other two places which I will show you in another post. I just wish, some of the stores were open on Tuesdays. It’s a good thing we ate lunch before we arrived!

From Port Costa to Mare Island, we were able to stay off the freeway although we did use the GPS–another thing Greg would never use!

I would have liked to go into this store. Looking through the window gave us a glimpse of treasurers.

I’m so glad they were able to tell me where I was. This town has a sense of humor!

This store was also closed.

This golden statue was advertising another closed store.

The town’s post office.

The hotel.

I liked the doors in this town. This is an entry into the hotel.

Another door that must be attached to the hotel. I think it was the restaurant.

I truly don’t know what these doors opened. I also don’t see door knobs!

I think this is an antique store. Again, closed.

Isn’t this a beautiful door knob.

A beautiful courtyard.

An alley.

These train tracks are still in use.

This small structure is near the tracks.

Now how many locks do you need?

Also near the tracks, this is a very decorated port-a-potty.

The treasure of this town is this message tree. It’s full of wishes from residents and visitors.

An example of some of the notes.

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Finding new in the old: Michigan Bar Road, Sacramento County

Did you ever get the idea that you’ve been some place before? I didn’t just get an idea, I know I’ve been on Michigan Bar Road before–two times. My outing with Laura made the third time.

You can always find something new to shoot: new composition, new things to find and new challenges on what you’ve already shot. Since my other two visits involved HDR, I decided not to bracket my shots. I also looked for small details to shoot. And, believe it or not, I found new things to shoot.

We did get off Michigan Bar Road and onto Latrobe Road, but not the road we know with the same name. The Latrobe Road we know is a curvy, paved highway. This road was dirt, and after a few rainy days it was full of puddles and ruts. Laura did a great job of navigating until we came to a puddle too large to navigate. Back we went. In addition to photography, adventure is part of the fun!

We did try to catch a sunset on Scott Road before heading home, but that was not very satisfying. All in all, it was a fun day of exploring and shooting even though I had the feeling that I’d been there before!

You might recognize this. I’ve shot at this ranch before.

I like the river that separates the pastures.

I didn’t notice this shed before.

Getting a close up of the door.

Some rust and texture.

Further down the road.

There are a lot of farms/ranches in this area.

Some of the dirt road we were on. This one was more or less dry.

Rocky area in the pasture.

More pasture land.

This is where we turned around!

Coming back to the first ranch.

The sun is setting on Scott Road.

The sun is now behind the hill. This is the maximum color of the sunset.

I’ve learned to turn around when shooting a sunset. I did and look at what I saw.

The golden light illuminated this tree remnant beautifully.

Posted on December 21, 2015December 21, 2015 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

It’s a long way down: Black Chasm Cavern, Volcano CA

You don’t notice how far down you travel until it’s time to walk back out of the cavern. Black Chasm was so interesting, I didn’t notice how far down we climbed. We joined a group of children for a 45 minute tour at the last minute.

The tour guide was wonderful, placing us in the back of the tour so we could stay back and take as many pictures as we wanted. In fact, the entire group accommodated our picture taking. However, we were listening as the guide explained the dramatic features of the cavern.

The most important feature of the Black Chasm Cavern are the rare and delicate helictite crystals that adorn the cavern walls along with the traditional stalactites and stalagmites. I’ve been in other caves and caverns, but have never seen helictite crystals.

The cavern has three main chambers. Although we thought the last one at the bottom was the largest, it wasn’t. At the end of our tour, we climbed the same stairs, but this time going up, and up and up! I said to Marlene, “Did we go down this far?”

Here are some images from this amazing cavern. No captions this time.

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Great feedback: Back to Jackson, part 2

Wow, I am so grateful for all the feedback I received from my last post. Most of it was on Facebook. It really helped me shape the next part of my journey.

I began this blog as a way to talk about my new hobby and document my chosen paths. I chose not to take classes, but study tutorials, practice and join Meetup groups. And, it’s worked. It took about 3 years, but I am confident now and ready for the next step–learning more about processing and putting my work out there. I’m not looking to sell anything, but to get more feedback. Most of all, I’m having fun and have met new friends and wonderful, helpful people.

In the meantime, I promised you the images from Jackson and here they are. I will always be open to feedback, and I’m willing to listen and try new things.

The streets in Jackson are decorated for the Christmas holiday.

This is one way to store a bike!

I love texture and found it at a yarn store.

Marlene went in to shop.

I went in to shoot!

I liked this doorway. I’m glad I was able to lighten it up so the doors and plants were visible.

The rest of the pictures are in the National Hotel.

They were very gracious about letting us shoot in their lobby.

I used flash.

Greg and Marlene used slow shutter speeds.

I liked the reflections in this grand piano.

The fireplace.

These windows were beautiful. I caught the colors outside on the street.

Different window and view.

Santa in his sleigh.

Posted on December 4, 2015December 4, 2015 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

It’s all happening at the zoo, maybe: The Folsom Zoo Sanctuary

I don’t know why I went with expectations, but I did. I heard that the Folsom Zoo Sanctuary was more of a rescue venue than a real zoo, but I had to check it out with Marlene and Greg.

Here’s what their website has to say about the zoo: “Since 1963, this small unique California zoo has been providing sanctuary to some very special animals. All are non-releasable. Many were raised, and rejected, as wild pets. Others were injured or orphaned in the wild. Most are native to North America. All have names and personalities, and their individual stories are posted at the exhibits, along with factual, up-to-date information about their species.The distinctive educational focus of the zoo promotes responsible and appropriate behavior toward all animals. The zoo teaches about common and uncommon animals, both wild and domestic, and includes those in between, like feral pigs and wolf-dog hybrids. Zoo programs stress that wild animals don’t make good pets.”

After reading this, I had expected a small zoo, limited animals, but not the inability to photograph them well. This is not a zoo for photographers. I’m not sure whether it was the way the cages were designed or the type of enclosures, but we had a difficult time focusing through the wires. So, I decided I’d shoot through the squares in the fencing and do whatever closeups I could when I couldn’t make the cage disappear.

Did I mention that it was also cold and damp. Yes, we’re getting a little rain here in California, but when I found sun, I stood in it! I remember living back east and experiencing summer sun showers. Couldn’t it happen here in winter?

Again, too many expectations!

The parrot’s eye as I shot through the small square in the cage enclosure.

Here you can see the faint markings of the cage.

A wolf/dog blend.

He looks like any other dog–NOT!

The mountain lion.

Licking good.

Just resting.

Another view.

This is the only shot I could get of one of the bears. Again, shot through an enclosure square. We couldn’t get directly on to the enclosure because outer fencing prevented it.

The deer were not in a caged enclosure.

They had their own area.

I’m sure they are content to stay there.

A baby peacock.

A picture of mom and baby.

This baby was always looking at mom.

Again, mom and baby.

Through the square at a golden eagle.

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Anne Sandler

It’s for the birds: Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area, West Sacramento

Confession, I’m not a birder; but my friend Laura is. While I’m looking for the big picture, Laura is looking for smaller things–birds! We celebrated her birthday recently by going to the Vic Fazio Yolo Wildlife Area or affectionately known locally as the Yolo Bypass.

This wildlife area is a 3,700 acre wetland restoration project and is located within the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area in Yolo County, California. The restoration was named for Congressman Vic Fazio, who was instrumental in appropriating funds for the initial construction. The Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area was dedicated in 1997 by then President Bill Clinton. The facility is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Educational programs and public tours are administered by the Yolo Basin Foundation.

There are two parts to the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area, both dedicated to watching and shooting–one with a camera and the other, with a gun. We stayed on the auto tour route and away from the hunters. With Linda in the back seat and Laura and I in the front (She was driving.) we made our way around the wetlands that had very little water, but enough to attract some birds.

Laura, of course, was our spotter. She’s amazing and the reason I bought my very own bird book. I’m learning slowly and can name some; but I sometimes fall back on saying, “There’s a white thing!” Okay, I fall back on it a lot.

Well, I did say I wasn’t a birder! Next post will feature the second half of our birthday photography outing.

We arrived a little late, but did get some of the golden hour.

Birds and a Great Egret are feeding.

In this view you can see a working farm.

Fly away.

A Great Egret is front and center, and a couple of ring-billed gulls are in the background.

I wasn’t able to ID the main bird in this picture.

The remaining pictures are of the Great Blue Heron.

Getting up close.

Walking and squawking.

Definitely looking for something to eat.

I wonder what he’s squawking at.

Can you stretch a little more?

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

An unexpected gift: Sailor Bar, American River, Sacramento

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.

If the shoe fits: River Walk, West Sacramento, California

This evening about 3 hours ago, I wore a pair of tennis shoes for the first time in 10 1/2 weeks! And, just in time for the rain!! I was beginning to wonder if I would ever be able to wear a shoe other than Birkenstocks again. Foot surgery has certainly been a bummer and has had an effect on my photography.

First, I found a difference in my energy level. Second, I had to choose places to shoot that were flat and not rocky. And, third, squatting down was difficult. Now I’m hopeful.

With my problems and Greg’s new physical difficulties, we decided to take the River Walk path in West Sacramento. This is located directly across the Sacramento River from Old Sacramento, and I have wanted to shoot from that side for a long time. While the trail goes for a long way, the River Walk is short and easy to walk, even on the grass areas.

Our bonus for the day was Tuesday’s farmer’s market. It’s so much fun to shoot produce! We were also on hand to capture lunch time as the workers came to enjoy food from the catering truck and some of the food booths.

Next Tuesday, I’ll be wearing my shoes, but I’ll bring along Birkenstocks just in case. Hopefully the shoe will keep fitting and keep my feet in comfort.

A view of the I Street Bridge.

This goose was willing to pose for me.

This is the paddle wheel on the Delta King boat.

I just liked the shape of this tree.

The middle of the Tower Bridge seen through

A restaurant and buildings in Sacramento.

The Tower Bridge.

This building belongs to CalSTRS (The teachers union). You can also see the vendors in the Farmer’s Market.

Close up of a chain.

A light pole.

Want to buy some dried fruit?

This weird looking thing is a citrus plant. Sorry, I can’t remember its name.

How about some lettuce? I liked the light shinning on it.

An apple a day….

Back to the river.

It’s lunch time.

Another view of the CaSTRS building.

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

From one pond to another: William B. Pond

I’m not saying I’m lazy, but…I do like to keep things close, especially when I’m driving. When we were leaving McKinley Park, Marlene suggested we go to the William B. Pond Recreation Area which was close to where we were going to eat lunch.

This park is named after the first Regional Parks Director, William B. Pond and is a man-made lake. We first went down the stairs to the viewing area. From there we saw the lake, ducks, and geese. The highlight for me was the standoff between two Mallards and their mates. We then walked along the river, shooting puddles and sights.

Before we left, we walked over the bridge for another vantage point and saw to cyclists each on what would be a low profile tricycle. You’ll see the image.

I still can’t believe that I had never been to these two beautiful areas that were so close. Sacramento has a lot to offer in recreation in addition to the American and Sacramento Rivers. It was a day of fun and we didn’t have to drive a distance to get there. Again, I’m not lazy; just practical!