Sacramento – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on February 16, 2025 by Anne Sandler · 45 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #336: Only One Picture

What seemed easy ended up being a difficult challenge. Ann-Christine asked us to post just ONE picture that is meaningful, not a favorite, to us. My first choice was an image I was proud of. But, that’s not what was asked of us.

Recently my lens has found several homeless in Sacramento. I’ve shared at least one with you recently. The homeless crises is meaningful and has been for years. Just yesterday I went to Discovery Park, with friends Ray and Richard, to photograph the flooding there. With all the rain we’ve been getting, I wasn’t disappointed. I found a flooded parking lot and a building sitting partially submerged in water.

However, on our way back to the car. I found a homeless man asleep on the sidewalk of a busy intersection. His pillow was a rock. Whatever joy I felt at finding the flooding I was looking for was instantly diminished.

We can call this photojournalism, but it is sad that he can’t rest his head on a true pillow and sleep in privacy. This isn’t just a problem in Sacramento, but I’m sure worldwide. There is no easy remedy. I just hope not to find more pictures of this kind to take.

Thanks Ann-Christine for this thought provoking challenge. I was amazed at how quickly my focus shifted. This is definitely not my favorite photo, but it is meaningful. When you post your reply, please link to Ann-Christine’s original post and use the Lens-Artist tag.

I truly enjoyed seeing all your images in black and white and/or color last week. It was an interesting exercise and did show how subjective photography is. Next week Sofia will be challenging us, so be sure to look for her post.

Until then, stay safe and live in gratitude!

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 11 Comments

A Unique and Working Farm: Soil Born Farms

What are you going to do when you retire? You’ll have a lot of time on your hands. I asked myself that question when I knew I was going to close down my business. That’s when I dove into photography. George in my Toastmaster club decided to get his hands dirty at Soil Born Farms. A non-profit organization, their “mission is to create an urban agriculture and education project that empowers youth and adults to discover and participate in a local food system that encourages healthy living, nurtures the environment and grows a sustainable community.”

This non-profit is open to the public and has a store, cafe, docent walks and more. It is located near the American River in Rancho Cordova. I visited during the Halloween holiday when they had activities especially for the children.

The children were enjoying activities, wearing costumes and eating in the cafe. Some adults were in costume also. Most staff members were in costume. I didn’t have time to explore the trails, but I will go back. Here are some pictures from that morning.

I’ll be back and I’ll take the tour so I can bring back more information for you also.

Posted on August 10, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 44 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #311: What’s in a Garden

When I started photography, the first thing I wanted to learn was how to get that soft background behind a flower. I didn’t know the term for that was macro photography and that soft background was bokeh. This led me to truly appreciate floral beauty and the gardeners who create that beauty. Ann-Christine’s challenge this week is on gardens.

I do appreciate the wonderful volunteers who work hours to keep our public gardens looking gorgeous for us to enjoy. One of those gardens is the WPA Rock Garden in Land Park, Sacramento. It’s a small one acre hillside garden comprised of a series of rock-lined beds and meandering paths. The garden was established in 1940 through the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.

Aside from one paid employee, the garden is taken care of by volunteers who do a fantastic job. Whenever I see a volunteer, I always thank them for making this possible for me to photograph.

Here are some photos I took on a recent visit this month.

Situated in Land Park and near the pond, the garden gets a lot of park visitors who are curious and just enjoy both the park, pond and garden. It’s a wonderful place to relax.

There are many gardens in Sacramento for us to photograph and I appreciate this opportunity to show you The Rock Garden. Thank you Ann-Christine. When you post your response , please be sure to place a link to Ann-Christine’s post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we zigged and zagged. What a fun challenge from Patti. Next week Sofia will present her challenge so be sure to look for her post.

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Anne Sandler · 26 Comments

Looking for a Sunset: Gibson Ranch

The night would be perfect: some clouds and sun. This was a rarity for us in Sacramento lately. Taking the opportunity, Laura and I went to photograph the sunset at Gibson Ranch Regional Park.

This is a Sacramento County park and equestrian center that has picnic areas. a dog park, small lake, and other activities. It’s a perfect place that is local to catch a sunset. We were not disappointed.

Before sunset: The equestrian area was gated off, but these facilities were available to photograph.

As the sun was getting low in the sky, fishermen were still trying to catch their limit.

And I became taller! Okay, with the help of my shadow!!

Finally a great sunset and lake reflection!

After all those weeks of overcast and rain, I was a happy camper! The damp, overcast and rain did come back, so I was glad we went that evening.

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 18 Comments

It’s all happening at the Zoo

Oh my, we were late in getting to the Sacramento Zoo and the small parking lot in William Land Park was almost full. And, the big yellow school busses were dropping off school aged kids. It was going to be a tough day of photography! I’m guessing the big cats already enjoyed their bones, because the ones that were in their enclosure were just about to nap.

One cheetah had begun to rest when the other one came over and this happened.

When we got to the giraffe enclosure, Cheyenne, the new young giraffe was out in the yard. What a treat!

All in all, it was a pretty good morning at the zoo after all. Next we went to the WPA Rock Garden, and I’ll show you that in my next post.

Posted on May 12, 2023May 12, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 22 Comments

Catching Up: The nesting tree

I have been remiss in posting. This is caused by some traveling and a broken computer. You don’t realize how much, as a photographer, you depend on your computer until you don’t have it. Not only could I not edit photos, I couldn’t get to my archived images. Frustrated doesn’t begin to explain how I felt.

So here I am playing catch up. For this post I’m showing you images from the nesting trees where great egrets and blue herons build their nests each year. The birds feel safe there because the two trees are in the middle of a gully. One sits in the nest while its mate flies and brings back twigs. It’s fun to watch them.

This is a stretch for my Tamron 18 – 300mm lens but I did get some nice images.

This is about the only instance where I can predict they will be flying. This type of photography helps me learn how to watch carefully and be fast.

More to come!

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 26 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #245: Environments

I love where I live even though I came here kicking and screaming. Sacramento and its proximity to beautiful environments like rivers, forest, farms, ranches and cities makes this a great location for photographers. In fact, I’ve blogged about it many times and have shown beautiful images of my favorite spots. So, in response to Tina’s challenge, I’m going to show you a recent new environment I traveled to.

Lifou Island “is the largest, most populous and most important island of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of 1,207 km² (466 sq mi), Lifou is located east of Australia at 20.9°S 167.2°E. (Wikipedia).”

Among our choices for a ship’s tour of the island was “Luecila Beach and Scenic Drive,” and that’s the one we picked. Our drive to the beach was a little more than one hour. We did see flowers and traditional houses as promised in the tour’s description. Photographing through the bus window was nearly impossible. I can describe the area as beautiful, lush and green. What amazed me were the houses with huts in their yards. I asked the guide about the huts. He replied that they were for guests who come to visit. Hospitality?

The beach was worth the long drive. It was beautiful. When we arrived, I was hungry and tried to purchase a piece of papaya fruit. The women in the kiosk didn’t take credit cards or American dollars–just francs. They ended up giving it to me without payment. It was delicious. I thought they were very gracious.

Sandy and Peg didn’t want to walk on the beach so I discovered its beauty on my own. Here’s a gallery.

I’m so glad to have walked this beach since I was sick and couldn’t see Mystery Island. I spent two days in our cabin. That’s life!

This was one of the new environments I experienced during my trip to Australia. Please remember to link to Tina’s original post when you respond and use the Lens-Artists tag. I’ll be sharing more of my trip on my blog. I enjoyed your responses to Siobhan’s challenge of Glowing Moments. Your interpretations were varied and creative. Next week, Patti will present the challenge so look for her post.

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

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

Still Feeling the Storm’s Aftermath: Sacramento Historic City Cemetery

The sun may be shining, but the devastation is still being cleared. The front entrance to the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery was closed because they were still clearing the trees that were downed in the recent wind and rain storms. Also, access to that area was mostly closed. That’s what we found during last week’s photo visit.

We did manage to get in via a side entrance and decided to stay in the back area of the cemetery. It looked newer but there were some beautiful headstones, statues and trees. I’ll put all the pictures in a gallery for you and caption where necessary. Oh, the ground was still a bit muddy and soft.

**I liked the shape and texture of this headstone.**

The sun is still out and we are enjoying dry but windy weather. I’m so glad this cemetery didn’t get any more damage. These statues and headstones are so old. You can’t replace history.

This is my last post for about a month. I’m going on a dream vacation. You’ll find out who, what, where when I return. Take care and stay safe.

Posted on February 8, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

When the rains ended: Morningsun Herb Farm

Three weeks of constant rain had just ended. The greater Sacramento area had experienced downed trees and flooding. It was the first day of sunshine. We wanted to get out with our cameras, but where? We chose to visit the Morningsun Herb Farm in Vacaville. It promised not to be too muddy.

It was a short, fun outing. This description is from their website: Our family-owned nursery and display gardens have been in operation since 1995. We grow over 500 species of herbs, vegetables, unusual and drought-tolerant perennials and pollinator plants. We specialize in a huge selection of lavenders, propagating over 45 varieties in our greenhouses. Our display gardens, located in our family walnut orchard, are wonderful teaching tools for gardeners, chefs, herbalists, and crafters. The gardens are also used by amateur photographers and artists for inspiration. Bring a picnic lunch to relax in the gardens, and some extra treats to share with our donkeys (although we may post special diets due to doctor’s orders).

They did welcome us, allowing us to freely roam the area. Here are some of the buildings.

I found two sculptures of interest. The first shown are two images of the same sculpture. I thought the cactus looked happy.

I did find the farm animals. This goat had an itch before it went to the fence to get acquainted with me.

And, of course, they had a store.

Lastly, I liked this weathered bench with a shirt thrown on it.

We were glad to get out and happy to be welcomed at this small herbal nursery.

Posted on January 25, 2023 by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

Going indoors!

During our three-week rain, we were needing to get out with our cameras. So, we decided to re-visit our favorite indoor venues: The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento and Antique Trove in Roseville.

We’ve been to the Crocker Art Museum many times so as I walked around I was looking for new art and maybe a new slant on things. I settled on shadows. Here are some art and shadows.

Some walls and indoor architecture were interesting also.

We are in the new building which is attached to the old building across the courtyard. This is their dining area. The cafe has been closed since the Pandemic.

The Antique Trove always has new items and booths to explore. I was attracted by the neon signs. Of course all of them were advertising beer.

Here are some other items I found interesting.

Where do you go when it rains and you want to take your camera out? We have more museums to explore in the greater Sacramento area. We do need some more rain to get us out of this drought, but maybe not those atmospheric rivers we had. If I had my way, it would rain at night and the sun would shine during the day!