Posted on by Anne Sandler · 38 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #294: Before and After

It seems like I’m always confessing in these LAPC blog challenges. Well, here’s another one. John has challenged us to show how we edit images. I don’t edit that much and use Lightroom most of the time. I’ll go into NIK, Topaz and Photoshop for minor help, but that’s about it. It’s not that I’m against other editing programs, I’ve just never taken the time to learn them.

With that said, here’s my first image before and after. This was taken recently at Dry Creek in Roseville. The sun was bright and the trees provided shade, but not all the way. This resulted in roots that were bright and dark. The editing was done in Lightroom with the adjustment brush to burn in some of the roots. Then I toned down the shadows and brightened the image a bit. Then I intensified the color with the orange color slider. Original is on the left and Edited one is on the right.

Next is Rush Ranch taken in January. It was a foggy day which didn’t bother me. I love the mood fog gives an image. But it can leave it dull. In this one, I brightened it with the tone curve, added more contrast, did a sky select and used the blue slider to accent the fog. In Photoshop, I removed the insect trap on the right. I use Photoshop when I want to remove something from a picture.

This flower was photographed last month at Jensen Botanical Garden. I cropped the photo to make the flower larger. I also lightened the background a bit and used the Lightroom sharpener for good measure.

I believe composition is most important. Sometimes I photograph a tight composition and sometimes I give enough room for me to finish composing in editing. My first two examples were framed tight in the camera and this one wasn’t.

Thanks John for having us think about how we edit (or not), and how we can learn from how others edit. When you respond, please link to John’s original post and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we had fun with Sofia’s Water in Motion challenge. I enjoyed seeing all your various responses. Dawn is presenting next week’s challenge so look for her post.

Have a great week and take care!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 22 Comments

Driving through the countryside: Plymouth and Sutter Creek

It’s been a wet winter. Well, wet by California standards. While we want rain, having rain for weeks is something we are not used to. If I had my choice, it would rain every night and the days would be sunny! But I don’t have my choice do I.

So, on a sunny day Marlene, Ray and I decided to head off for the countryside and the small towns of Plymouth and Sutter Creek.

We stopped to photograph a barn along the roadside. We do pull over for photo opportunities.

We haven’t been to Plymouth in a few years. It’s still the same few blocks that it’s always been. It’s nice to know that some things don’t change.

I did find a unique sign that might be new in Plymouth. Here’s the sign and the object it’s talking about.

Now to see the rest of Plymouth.

Sutter Creek is a slightly larger town, and its main street caters to tourists. I’ve seen stores come and go. We like it best for lunch! Here are some new photos.

The highlight of the outing was meeting this gentleman and his cockatoo. They’ve been friends for more than 20 years.

So that was our sunny get away! More rain is coming!

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 147 Comments

Lens Artist Challenge #286: Weather

You check the weather forecast to find out whether the weather is good for a photo outing! Yes, it’s rabbit hole time again! 

According to Grammarly.com weather can be a noun as in when we make a weather forecast, or a verb as If the team can weather the injuries it has faced this year.

When used as a conjunction, whether is the correct spelling. And did you know that a Wether is a ram or goat that is castrated at a young age. Honestly, I didn’t dig this rabbit hole! It just happened. And these words are homophones–words that have the same sound but different meanings.

This challenge is about the various types of weather conditions in which we photographers find ourselves pursuing our hobby or vocation.

We all look for nice weather. Sunny, nice puffy clouds, or sometimes even a cloudless sky will do. The direction from which the sun hits an object can intensify its color or cast a shadow.

Sometimes those big puffy clouds turn dark and gray. That’s a sign that a storm is coming. Better hurry and take those pictures!

Did you hurry and duck inside or under a shelter. Or, maybe, you just like to photograph in the rain. Just make sure your camera is covered.

After the rain, we are left with puddle reflections that entice children to jump into. Right now, we have a one-day break in rainstorms here in sunny California. That’s okay, it’s better than being in drought.

If its very cold, rain turns to snow that covers the ground with a beautiful white blanket. Just try to keep your children away!

My favorite weather is fog. I love to photograph in the fog. There’s something mysterious and calming about fog.

So, we’ve talked about the weather and now it’s your turn. Do you enjoy taking your camera out in all types of weather? Whether or not you do, I’m sure you have some enjoyable images taken on outings or vacations. And if you have some pictures of Wethers, let’s see those cute little animals too. Okay, I’m done! I promise!! Well, one more thing. When you respond to this challenge, please link to it and use the Lens-Artists tag. That way I can see whether you responded with weather images and stories. I guess I wasn’t quite done!

This week Egidio asked us to show how warm colors can affect our images and the feelings they leave behind. I enjoyed seeing all your amazing responses. Take care everyone and enjoy your weather!

Next week Donna will be challenging us, so be sure to look for her post.

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

Posted on by Anne Sandler · 10 Comments

The sun commanded the sky, for a while: The Fair Oaks Bridge

Last Thursday was the one day the sun had a chance to warm us up and show us how light can be good for photography and the human soul. Marlene and I took advantage of nature’s sunshine and went to photograph our local Fair Oaks Bridge, in Fair Oaks, that spans across the American River. If you didn’t know the water level before, it’s difficult to understand how high the water level is now. As of this writing we are expecting more rain tonight.

Here are my captures of this iconic bridge and river.

The Fair Oaks Bridge
It’s amazing how some trees hang on.
This tree came down with one of the recent storms.
The structure of the bridge.
Looking at the bridge span of Sunrise Blvd.
A fisherman also takes advantage of the sunshine.
This is a walking and bike riding bridge.
Close up of the fence.
Message Locks
More angles and lines
The American River
How did a palm tree get here?
Photographing the bridge from the other side. It’s more in shadow.
Shadows.

Come Friday the forecast calls for partly cloudy to sunshine for about a week. That will allow the soil to dry up and storm clean up can continue. AND, maybe a chance for more photography!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

All’s well that ends well! Miners Ravine Trail

Sometimes when a planned outing goes awry, it can work out well anyway. That’s what happened when my photo group decided to walk along the American River starting at Folsom Dam.

Our organizer gave us an address to meet at. Easy? Not when you don’t follow GPS directions. My bad! But when we got there we (Donna and I) arrived at the Miners Ravine Trail parking lot. This was not the shopping center meet point. We had the wrong address. Even with the right address, we got lost. Finally we met our group who was past the patience point. Marlene had brought her dog (almost a year old) who was doing okay with the loud traffic, but would he do well walking across a busy street and along the dam? One member (Jean) was still lost and hadn’t arrived yet.

I told the others to go ahead; I would wait for Jean and maybe follow them. I told Marlene about the Miners Ravine Trail head we found, and she agreed it would be more suitable for her dog. I ran to take a picture of the dam. Jean gave up and went home!

Are you frustrated yet? I was! Marlene and I did one end of the trail before she headed home. I was soon joined by the rest of the group who had walked the American River Trail. We walked the other side of the trail.

In the end, I had a good time and don’t think I missed anything along the river trail. Here are some images from that walk.

It’s good that I love trees. Without leaves to disguise their structure, they are so expressive. So, all’s well that ends well!

Posted on by Anne Sandler

A bright spot in April: Crystal Hermitage Garden, Ananda Villiage

The tulips bloom only in April at the Crystal Hermitage Garden in Ananda Village in Nevada County. So, we waited for sunshine and no rain. We finally decided to go when there would be a possibility of sunshine, meaning partly cloudy with some sun. This resulted with some tulips open, but most shut.

But it was worth the trip. Planted each year, the gardens are always beautiful and attract visitors from all over to see the more than 17,000 plants. This quote was taken from one of their sites.
“We planted over 111 varieties of mid and late season Dutch bulbs this year,” said lead Gardener, Nancy Mair. “We blend tulips with a rainbow of complementary pansies, wisteria, rhododendrons, azaleas, peonies, dogwood trees and the fabulous cherry tree, so that guests enjoy a different garden in each terrace.”

I’ll admit that I was upset that after waiting, we still were under dark skys for most of our time there. But, as usual, it was a great experience. Until next April here are some of the images I took.