Posted on by Anne Sandler · 27 Comments

Lens Artists Challenge #155: On the Water

Sacramento may be called the “City of Trees” but a truer name would be “River City!” Or maybe Rivers City for the two main rivers that run through Sacramento. In addition, there are many creeks. Cripple Creek runs through my community. If we travel an hour or two, we can visit water areas in the Bay Area.

So, John, it’s a pleasure to take your challenge on! I love living here so close to the rivers, creeks and ponds. But as my images will show, there are many aspects to water around here.

How about the San Francisco Bay shore line where many water fowl are present. This one was photographed while walking the Marina Bay Trail which is a short 1.7 miles. If I still had my bird book (lost when I moved), I could probably ID it for you.

We also have water in fountains. This one was photographed in Tiburon while waiting for the ferry to Angel Island.

The city of San Francisco seen from Treasure Island also gives us a great bay view.

Putah Creek runs through the UC Davis Arboretum, attracting all sorts of water birds. Here we see a great egret.

And then there are ponds. We found this on on private property, and yes we asked if we could photograph it.

Rain water leaves puddles behind that capture wonderful reflections.

Water can also hide hidden treasure. My friend Ken is gold panning near a river.

Last we have the Spirit of Sacramento. She’s an old paddle boat that got stranded when the Sacramento River receded. Once after a lot of rain, I saw her in water. She hasn’t been moved in ages.

So there you have some of the water examples in and near Sacramento. Thank you John for this fun challenge. Next week I’ll be hosting a Black and White challenge. Take care and have a great week.

Posted on by Anne Sandler

On the road again: San Francisco

I didn’t say yes right away, I thought about it. First, I had never stayed in a hostel, and I’m not fond of driving in San Francisco. But I capitulated, and told photo buddy Linda that I’d go with her–if she drove. Oh yes, I also told her I wouldn’t rent an electric bike to take me places. I won’t say how many years it’s been since I’ve been on a bike, but I was worried about my balance and whatever photography gear I would be carrying.

It ended up being three days of fun and adventure. And, we did okay using Linda’s car. We found free parking wherever we went that was close to where we were shooting. I think it had something to do with visiting during the week. We did have to pay to park the last day, but were validated for most of the amount.

So what did we do? Our first stop was Treasure Island. I was there on a night Meetup to photograph the Bliss Dance statue before she was moved, and I wanted to shoot in that same area during the day. It was so much easier to get a sharp image of the city this time, even though there was fog.

After Treasure Island, we went to Fort Point National Historic Site at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. Built between 1853 and 1861, Fort Point was used as part of a defense system of forts planned for the protection of San Francisco Bay. Designed at the height of the Gold Rush, the Fort and its companion fortifications would protect the Bay’s important commercial and military installations against foreign attack. We made a few more stops before checking in to the Hostel. All this and more will be discussed in the next few posts.

I’m so glad I finally said yes to this photo adventure and probably part of Linda’s bucket list.

Looking across an old pier at San Francisco.
Treasure Island’s rocky shoreline.
A boat making its way across the Bay.
Fort Point in Black and White.
The Golden Gate viewed from Fort Point ground level.
Looking up at the underside of the Golden Gate from Point Fort.
The Golden Gate and fog. This would be an ever changing sight.
Wide view of the fort and the underside of the Golden Gate.
The original Point Fort stairwell. Another one was build with railings.
Inside and looking down the hall at the officer’s quarters.
An example of how an officer’s room would be.
An outer hallway.
Walking at the ground level.
A fisherman outside the fort. Notice the fog above the city.
Another view of the city and fog.

 

 

Posted on by Anne Sandler

Oh that “M” word again: Shooting manual at Treasure Island, San Franscisco

I am determined to learn how to shoot photos on manual. Why? Because I think it will give me greater control over my camera. Once I have it mastered, I’m not sure I will use it all the time. It really comes down to how much time you have to make that shot. Aperture or shutter priority allows you to shoot more quickly. But for my visit to Treasure Island, I shot on manual. And it did take time, patience and a lot of bad images to get the good ones.

The big factor we were all struggling with was wind. The water was choppy and things just weren’t at a stand still. The second disappointment was that the Bliss Dance sculpture did not light up that evening. Some of the photographers light painted the statute, but by then, I was too tired. We all did our best and got some great images.

And, looking at the other photographers images is a learning experience. Since we are all shooting the same thing, it’s interesting to see the composition you missed or didn’t even see. You can also give yourself kudos for your own unique composition of the same thing.

There’s a lot of things I’m determined to learn in addition to shooting manual, and it will all come in time!