Rio Vista California – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 45 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #258: Fences

As photographers we look for things to use as leading lines that take our viewer’s eyes to our subject or through the photo. This week Dawn Miller of The Day After challenges us to show fencing as leading lines or as an element to showcase a subject.

For instance some fences are put up to keep people out, protecting whatever is inside the fence. Down near Rio Vista we have wind turbine farms. There is fencing to keep people out. And farmers use fences in orchards to keep us out, especially during an almond harvest.

Talking about keeping things safe, how about fences that keep you safe!

Then there are fences that lead us places. They are usually located along pathways.

Some fencing is old and needs repair.

How about the opportunity for leading line shadows. Don’t we photographers love that!

And then there are fences that just add to our images.

I’ll close with a metal barrier around a memorial set up for the victims of the Paradise Camp Fire in 2018. The entire town was burned. Some rebuilt and some couldn’t go back. My neighbor lived there and took a few of us photographers to document the devastation. This memorial was erected to honor that day.

Fencing keeps us safe and where we belong. It also protects private property. Thanks Dawn for fencing us in this week. When you post, please remember to link to Dawn’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. And thank you Philo for a not so simple challenge on simplicity last week. I enjoyed your responses. Next week Dan Fenner of Departing in 5 Minutes leads our challenge with UNBOUND. Be sure to look for his post.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Posted on June 3, 2017June 3, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 8 Comments

A challenge with two lenses: Locke and Rio Vista

I needed to challenge myself because we were going back to Locke on a recent Tuesday, and I’ve photographed the small town many times. So, I decided to dedicate the shoot to using two lenses I seldom take out: my 50 mm (Nikon) and 10 – 20 mm (Sigma). With the 50 mm, I wanted to see just what difference the 1.8 would make. And, it did make a big difference in getting a smooth bokeh. I enjoyed working with it even though I did try to get it to zoom!

Zooming is the only problem with that lens. I couldn’t walk back far enough to get more in the picture, so I concentrated on close ups. I switched to the ultra wide lens to see what distortions I could get. I was a little disappointed. It worked great with little distortion.

When we took a side trip to Rio Vista, I put on my walk around lens. I love that 18 – 140 mm. When it’s windy, it will catch a close up of a flower. It was dark, cloudy and dreary there. The last time I posted pictures from Rio Vista, the water was high and flooded part of the shore line. This time the waters had receded.

So my self-challenge taught me that the nifty fifty is a great lens, especially for portraits and close ups, that the ultra wide is great for landscape and buildings and my all-purpose go to lens is just that.

Here are the results.

Capturing color and texture with this door.

I liked that I was able to have the chairs in focus and the fencing soft.

Look at how smooth that bokeh is.

I liked the color and texture of this hoe.

An old ornate bench.

I think this might be an old outdoor water system.

When newly painted, these were probably beautiful.

Two animals at the beginning of Main Street were willing to take your money.

I’m hoping that someday this old swing will be restored.

A whimsical trash can.

Captured from a cactus bed. Again the smooth bokeh from the 50 mm.

Colorful shop selling Chinese medicine.

This was shot with the ultra wide and cropped.

These were also shot with the ultra wide and cropped.

We’re in Rio Vista now. The sky was dark and cloudy.

One of the piers.

Looking up into one of the bridge towers.

Gone fishing.

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Anne Sandler

Cabin fever: Sacramento Delta Area

Wednesday was supposed to be partly cloudy and the first day of no rain in two weeks. So, I asked Richard if he wanted to take a ride down to the Delta–just to get out of the house. We were astounded to see rain drops making perfect round circles in our pool Wednesday morning. I checked the weather forecast and it said RAIN!

We went anyway. Going south, the rain lessened and by the time we got to Locke, it was just a light mist. We were amazed at how high the Sacramento River was. Everywhere we walked that wasn’t paved was soft so our shoes sank into the soaked earth. You’ll see in some of the pictures that piers were floating well above their normal levels.

We started in Locke’s Historical District, drove through Walnut Grove, went on to Rio Vista for lunch and then home. It rained on and off the entire morning. Of course I brought my camera along–just one camera and lens. But, I didn’t go out of my way to find environments to shoot. I’ve gotten so that I don’t go anywhere without my camera!

This was not primarily a photo outing. We were just two people trying to get out of the house for a short time. We got out and it did put a dent in our cabin fever. Oh, I read in the newspaper that Northern California is out of the drought, but parts of Southern California is still in severe drought. It’s progress.