travel photography – Page 2 – Slow Shutter Speed

Posted on August 20, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

On the road again: Leaving Glacier National Park

Right now, I’m sitting inside my air conditioned trailer courtesy of the National Oldtime Fiddlers Association in Weiser ID. It’s hot outside and people from all over are coming in to view tomorrow’s solar eclipse. Whether I will be able to shoot it is still up in the air.

In the meantime, I’m going to show you some images from the Going To The Sun Road that are new, a couple from a pull out on the road heading into Idaho and one of a new fire.

I’m glad we went to Glacier National Park. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. I can wish there was no smoke and no fires, but I’ve learned to deal with what I’ve got. That was my part of the trip and now we’re on to Richard’s part. Not that he didn’t enjoy Montana, and I’m certainly going to enjoy my once-in-a lifetime eclipse.

So here’s the end of Glacier National Park and, looking forward, perhaps, a way for me to shoot the eclipse.

On the shore of Lake McDonald.

Rocky shore!

Once into Idaho, we were stopped and advised about this new roadside fire.

This was a new fire also.

We pulled out at this beautiful river.

Idaho is beautiful.

White sand beach.

A drive by shot.

This one too.

And a third

Posted on August 19, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

On the road again: Two Medicine Lake & Twin Falls, GNP

It was a lot easier coming down on twisty Highway 95 than going up. We left Columbia Falls yesterday and are now in Weiser, Idaho for the solar eclipse.

But, before we get into the preparation for the eclipse, I need to close out our adventures in Glacier National Park (GNP). The first day of no smoke we, fortunately, had arranged to take a boat ride on Two Medicine Lake and hike to Twin Falls. It was an easy 1.8 mile hike each way, but our guide was young and walked fast. We had seniors and young couples with small children with us, and he sometimes had the group lagging behind. I almost had to run to keep up–short legs!

It was an enjoyable hike with beautiful scenery. The falls were nice, but not spectacular. I tried some handheld slow shutter on the wider one. I think I’m saying they weren’t spectacular because it was difficult to shoot. Nature had put barriers in the way and kids were climbing on the rocks.

Coming back, we missed the boat and waited with some others about 30 minutes for the boat to come back. I didn’t mind because it gave me a chance to relax and rest. It also gave me an opportunity to shoot some more of the lake. Of course, I was shooting, out the boat’s open window, all the way there and back.

We had one more day of sightseeing in Montana and a day of re-stocking and cleaning before our trip to Weiser. That will be in my next post.

My first shot at the lake.

Pulling away from the dock.

Beautiful clear skies.

Another view.

One of the bridges we walked over.

A fungi. The only one I saw.

Fallen trees in the brush.

The wider of the twin falls. Slow shutter s;peed handheld.

The taller of the twin falls.

Kids playing. You can barely see the two falls.

The creek.

This mountain is the centerpiece.

A creek on our walk.

While we waited for the boat to return.

These mountains have names.

I can’t remember them.

Mostly because I had my head stuck out the window.

On the way back. Just wanted to show you something different, so it’s in black and white.

Posted on August 7, 2017August 7, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

On the road again: On the Going To The Sun Road, GNP

We had three options when deciding how to discover what we could along the Going To The Sun Road (GTTS) in Glacier National Park (GNP). We chose to drive it ourselves and not take the free Park shuttle (which really didn’t stop at places we wanted it to) or the pricey Red Bus. It’s been my experience that when on tours, the photographer may want to take a slightly longer time to get the shot, so……..

It took us at least four hours to get across the 50 mile road through the Park. Yes, a lot of it was spent shooting. Richard even pulled out his cell phone to take some pictures. I’d lie if I said it was an easy drive. It was for me, the passenger, but not for Richard. Once we got to the east end of the Park, Richard was exhausted. An ice cream sandwich later, Richard felt better. We decided to go back to the RV park in Columbia Falls by going outside the park. A little over 2 hours later, we were back to the trailer–both tired.

It was worth it. The scenery was beautiful. Our National Parks are amazing and we need to do everything possible to protect them.

Because of our age and physical capabilities, I knew we’d do two days in the park and rest another, and things are happening that way. Today, I’ve been editing, walking and editing. Here’s the first installment of images. I’ll try to keep up by editing while Richard naps and on our days off.

Tomorrow we go into the park to discover what other options we have other than the GTTS Road.

At Lake McDonald.

People waiting for the boat tour.

Bored? Skip some rocks.

Inside the McDonald Lodge.

The ceiling at the Lodge.

This was a stop along the road.

It was difficult to capture what we saw.

From the amazing rocks.

To the rushing water.

The last of this series.

Back on the road.

Shot through the truck’s front window.

A drive by.

A small tunnel. We thought it was amazing and difficult it must have been to build this road.

It was difficult to identify the names of places. I was working with the RTTS map and sometimes signage. Heavens Peak.

At one stop Richard spotted these deer. They weren’t too close.

My 18 – 140 mm did as well as it could. When editing I saw that these two were bucks!

Posted on August 5, 2017August 5, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 3 Comments

On the road again: First glimpse GNP

Excitement churned inside me. This was to be our first time in Glacier National Park, located in Montana , but as we approached traffic was backed up 1/4 mile before we could show our senior pass and get in. I thought, not another Yosemite! I have seen many traffic jams in Yosemite Valley.

All we knew was that we needed to go on the Going To The Sun road that stretches across the park. Because we arrived late, we wanted to do something else for our introduction to the Park. Our friendly Park ranger kept telling us to either ride the tram or drive on the Going To The Sun road (GTTS). “You’ll see everything,” she said.

“But what about this area?” I asked, pointing on the map. She mumbled something about the GTTS road. I knew that conversation was hopeless. So we took our maps and literature back to the car. We mapped out a plan while we ate our lunch.

Since there was a 2 1/2 hour wait to get on the shuttle, we decided to walk to Lake McDonald and do the loop along McDonald Creek. Well, we didn’t get on the right trail, but we weren’t alone. Two other couples were walking the wrong trail. It was pretty and moseyed along the creek.

We wanted to build up our walking/hiking legs slowly after sitting in the truck for four days. And this walk was the perfect distance. Tomorrow, we’ll get there early, hop on the tram, go all the way across the Park, and decide where to get off on the way back. I’m also thinking that if we wait until Monday, there may be less people.

We’ll decide tomorrow. At least for today we got our first glimpse of GNP.

Beautiful ferns along the trail.

Wildflowers

McDonald Lake.

The path along McDonald Creek.

McDonald Creek.

Some sort of bee?

Having fun on the creek.

More creek shoreline.

Another wildflower.

And another.

The ice cream cone was almost as big as their faces. No, they did not finish. Shot with permission.

Posted on August 4, 2017August 4, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 7 Comments

We have arrived: Columbia Falls, Montana

Oh, we are the weary travelers. If we visit Glacier National Park again, we’ll be flying in and renting a vehicle! In our youth, driving almost 200 miles of twisty mountain roads would have been easy. But, now, almost 20 years more than the senior entry of 55 years, it’s more difficult. We arrived in Columbia Falls yesterday afternoon to our RV park for the next two weeks. We’re taking a lazy day today and will go into the the park tomorrow.

While on the road, I shot some more images from the truck window. I took these during our drive to Kooskia, ID. In spite of the highway, Idaho is a beautiful state. There are also 3 from the campground we stayed at. The new owners are updating it, but it’s great to be self-contained!

Somewhere along Highway 95.

You have to catch it just right when the truck is going around a curve.

At our campground.

Two swans a swimming.

The current bathroom facilities.

Yesterday, there was more of twisty Highway 95. We got an early start so our truck (a senior also) wouldn’t a difficult time pulling the trailer up the mountain. And, to my non-surprise, I was able to get some golden light drive-by shots. Once we got into Montana, the road was less twisty and the land became more flat. It took us a while to drive around the large Flat Head Lake. Smoke from fires hid the mountains. Just like California, Montana is on fire. When we checked into our RV park, the gal said they are praying for rain to put out the fires and reduce the smoke. Our hope is that when we get into the park, we have visibility.

I think this is the Snake River.

It also has a lot of rapids.

It’s shallow in many places.

Montana!

Fire devastation.

And finally, while I’m doing this blog, Richard has been practicing with my camera and telescope as a lens, getting sun shots. The black dot, bottom left, is a sun flare. I’m hoping to get some good eclipse shots.

That’s all for now, these weary travelers are taking the rest of the day off!

Posted on August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 13 Comments

On the road again: Getting to Glacier National Park

Our trailer is smaller, our trip is going to take less time, but we’re still excited about our first long trip since our cross country trip in 2013. This is the fourth day of driving the highways through California, Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. While Richard is getting the truck lubed, I thought I’d write this blog.

Our first night was in Sparks, Nevada. We decided to take our time, Richard needs his naps so 300 miles a day would be enough. They did build a nice, small marina right near our RV park, and we took a walk. The featured image is of this marina and so are these below.

The golden hour.

The sun is beginning to set.

Our trailer brakes weren’t working the next morning, so we were delayed and hit the road later in the afternoon. Desert is desolate. Some are prettier than others, but the long stretch of straight road can be daunting. Being a bored passenger, I did some drive by shots. I actually liked the shadows on the mountains.

Shot at a fast shutter speed.

The truck was moving fast and bouncing around.

We stayed overnight at an RV park in Winnemucca, NV and then pushed on to Boise, ID where we are currently. Thanks to Karen B. who made this trip last month, we stopped at the Rome Station in Oregon for lunch. The food was terrific and the place was photogenic.

An unusual coat rack!

The gas pumps do work.

You know I can’t resist an old truck.

After dinner, we went to see the Idaho State Capitol building and part of downtown Boise. They had just closed the Capitol building to visitors, but I did get to shoot the outside in the golden hour. Downtown was just the kind of place you’d like to walk. There were many upscale stores, small boutiques, banks, and parking that was free for an hour.

A beautiful, old structure.

A wide angle shot.

I loved the roof angles.

Outdoor eating is popular in Boise.

These red awnings caught my attention.

Looking down the street.

So, here I sit, waiting for Richard. We’ll eat lunch and then get on our way. Next stop–Kamiah, ID, and then to Columbia Falls, MT for a two-week stay visiting Glacier and surrounding area.

Posted on June 28, 2017June 28, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 2 Comments

Processing with presets: San Francisco, part 2

Is it okay to use a preset, from a processing program, on your image and call it your own? I had never thought about this until I took a sunflower bud I shot and brought it into Smart Photo Editor, used their presets and found one I liked. I posted it on Facebook and it got a great deal of attention. One photographer said that it was a great edit. I quickly replied that it was a preset. And, that’s when I began to question whether I could post this as my own. Here is the image as posted.

The composition is mine, the fact that it was a sharp image is my doing, but the ultimate look is not mine. The reality is that I, with my lack of artistic ability, could not complete it this way.

So, what do you think? Is it okay to use a preset and call it your photo?

Now, back to the pictures in this post. We are in San Francisco and are headed to the California Academy of Sciences when they open. I got up early and went down to Fisherman’s Wharf to see what I could shoot along the way. It was fun and got my energy flowing. I have some of those shots to show you. What was amazing were the swimmers out for their morning exercise in freezing cold water. There were also walkers, runners and bikers using the old pier as their exercise ground.

The Academy was amazing, but the parking wasn’t. The only place to park was in their very expensive structure–it cost us about $30 for the day. We had coupons for the Academy admission so that helped with the cost. We did opt for an additional tour, but it was worth it, especially since we were the only ones who went on it. We had a guided tour behind locked doors and were able to walk the roof.

A lot will be explained in captions. It was an all day experience. We left about 4 p.m., stopped to take pictures of house boats to take up the time before dinner. We were trying to avoid traffic. It all worked out, and our drive home was easy. Enjoy the academy through my camera lens! I apologize for the many images, but I didn’t want to make this a three part post.

This tree was trying to grow on the hillside along the path to Fisherman’s Wharf.

This is the old decaying pier. Much of it is closed.

One of the early morning swimmers.

Some men, fishing I think, on the old pier.

Another look at the historic pier.

Ghirardelli Square in the distance.

Now at the Academy, fossils under glass.

This was a first for me. As we entered the Rain Forest, my lens fogged up.

The view looking up the three stories of the enclosure.

Eventually my lens acclimated to the humidity.

My body didn’t though. We stayed long enough to capture some butterfly images.

The roof of the Academy is alive with plants. These plants help with research projects and help cool the building.

These are whale bones. It will take approximately three years of roof sitting to dry these. Chemicals are not used.

This is the brush from the whales mouth. Animal remains used in research or display are from those that died naturally.

Notice the round windows. They are used to light and act as the HVAC system for the Academy. Again –fog!

Our tour guide takes us into storage rooms where things are held for various researchers to use.

A great deal of research is done behind the scenes.

Gem stones are stored here also.

This lab is used for in-house needs and outside organizations.

The inside wall and roof.

Now at the aquarium, manatees swim at the base of the Rain Forest.

Jelly fish put on a neon show.

High ISO and fast shutter was needed here.

This fish blends in well.

I think we found Dory!

Beautiful plants.

Posted on April 1, 2017April 1, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 4 Comments

So close and so far: Starr’s Mill, Fayette County, Georgia and first flight

You can live in a neighborhood and not know what beauty is close by unless you get out and explore. During my visit to Peachtree City, Georgia, I wanted to take my sister-in-law out beyond the boundaries her golf cart would take her. She’s been busy caregiving to my brother and doesn’t drive. I found Starr’s Mill on the internet and was astounded that it was so close to her home. The original mill was constructed in 1825. The current mill was the third built on the stone foundation and is over 100 years old. Currently it is used as a day use park, photographic spot and fishing hole.

I found it to be a beautiful and calming spot. This trip also helped me realize that photography grounds me, taking my mind off what’s going on around me. When I’m shooting, I’m concentrating on my surroundings and what I need to do to get the image I want. The rest of the world goes away.

I brought my camera along, not to create photo outings, but to give me a different purpose during my visit.

One such outing was my first ride in a small plane. My great nephew, Daylen, offered me a ride. The first day we couldn’t go because of the weather. Fortunately, he was able to take me up the next day. What fun! I’ve become good at shooting out of open car windows while on the road, but this was entirely different. I had a great time. Daylen explained what I was looking at. At one point, I stopped shooting and just looked out the window. Fantastic! Thank you Daylen!!

If this post has to have a moral, it’s to stop and look at your surroundings (even in the sky). Good possibilities can be so close.

The mill stone foundation.

The waterfall.

A closer look.

The small lake behind the mill.

Reflections.

Looking at the mill beside the lake.

The plane I flew in.

Daylen goes through his check list.

Inside the cockpit.

We’re ready to fly.

I’ve never shot from a plane before.

Daylen just got his pilot’s license.

He’s licensed to fly just below the clouds.

I think this is the clearest shot I got.

There are lots of small lakes and ponds in the area.

I did my best, shooting through the window in a moving plane.

The ride is over, and the plane is parked.

Posted on March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 5 Comments

Jet lag: Peachtree City, Georgia

I woke up at 3:30 a.m in spite of my trying to stay up until 9 p.m. last night–jet lag wins. I’m happy to be home, but brought back sad, happy and exciting memories from my trip to Peachtree City, Georgia and to family.

It was great seeing family again. It’s been 2 1/2 years since we were last there. But, it was sad knowing my brother is gravely ill, with Louie Body Dementia, and visiting him for what may be the last time. The exciting memory came when my great nephew took me for a ride in their small plane. I’ll show you those images in my next post.

My goals this trip were to see my brother and take my sister-in-law to places she had not visited since moving to Georgia from California 3 years ago. I’m so glad I brought my GPS along! We were busy! My niece took us to Serenbe one afternoon. This is a fairly new community and well planned. We stopped for coffee on the way back at an antique shop that served delicious coffees.

It was a great getaway, and I enjoyed spending time with my niece. This type of visit is difficult, but I found that having my camera, got us out and away from the sadness for a while.

Meanwhile, I guess I’m going to try again to get my body clock back on Pacific coast time today.

Corner buildings seem to be the thing in this town.

I loved the way the streets and buildings curved.

Another corner building.

We went into one open attached home. It was 3 stories and cost about $725,000.

The town fountain.

Everything was well planned from the street lights,

To the matching trash can enclosures,

And traffic signs.

Roberta and Brenda sit on a matching designed bench.

There were beautiful homes in town also.

This is a park where they hold festivals.

I took this inside the antique shop.

Another from the antique shop

This pillow spoke to me in its simplicity.

The country side.

Posted on March 27, 2017 by Anne Sandler · 12 Comments

Bittersweet visit: Historic Senoia, Georgia

Today I visited Chuck, my older brother, by myself. My visit to Peachtree City, Georgia is almost coming to a close and it has been bittersweet. Chuck, is fighting Louie Body Dementia and has been placed in an assisted living home. I knew he wouldn’t know who I was, because he stopped recognizing me on the phone a while ago. But today was a special visit. I was able to help feed him, and he ate a little bit food I knew he wasn’t fond of. It gave me time to gain some emotional closure over his ordeal. He’s fought cancer and won; had heart surgery and bounced back, but this illness has no turn around. I was soon joined by his son-in-law Greg and we were able to joke, not with him, but between ourselves. It made things less real.

Dementia is difficult for the caregiver and other family members, but this form is even more so since it involves Parkinsons also. I care gave to my mom, who had dementia, for 9 years, but she had a strong body. Chuck is suffering on all accounts. Through it all, the family here continues to take amazing care of him.

During my week’s visit, I told my sister-in-law, Brenda, that I wanted to take her places, getting her away from the house to relax. Brenda doesn’t drive, so we go to visit Chuck and then take off. Taking off sounds like we go a distance, we don’t. Everything is close here.

Through it all, photography has brought me out of the sorrow and into a different time and space. Our first get away was to Senoia, a small town with a Main Street shopping area. It was an easy walk through and fun. Since then, we visited Starrs Mill and Serenbe. My niece Roberta took us to Serenbe yesterday, and it was a lovely afternoon drive. And, last night, we joined the rest of the family for a birthday dinner celebration–the first without Chuck present.

Today’s images are of Senoia. I probably won’t have time to post from here again before I return home. And I’ll be taking sweet memories back with me.