Category: Landscape Images

Lens-Artists Challenge #258 Fences

Post Delayed

The coast has been calling my name, and after some last-minute changes, we headed off to our favorite spot, Pacific Grove, Ca. Carly’s kennel developed Kennel Cough. I needed to make new plans. Moxie’s mom, dad, and 10-month-old brother live across the street. My neighbor was happy to have her visit. I didn’t realize that there were also 9 four week old siblings added to the family. Lots to keep her distracted. Not to mention the two cats who just accepted her as part of the pack. Another new experience. Wonderful videos and photos throughout my vacation made me feel comfortable leaving my girl. Now that I am back I have plans to photograph these pups.

Dawn Miller of “The Day After” leads the challenge and the subject is fences. While I have always been drawn to this subject, this was on my mind this week away.

Historic Fence

The San Andreas Fault defines the North American and Pacific plate movement. In 1906 Point Reyes experienced the most dramatic land shift to date. The original fence was split apart 16 feet. The National Park Service reconstructed this fence to demonstrate this.

Fence demonstrates how much the earth shifted
in 1906 San Francisco earthquake

Decorative Fences

Fence made from skis
Memorial Fence
If you need a fence it might as well be interesting!

Animals and Fences

Quail perched on fence
Squirrel stops to pose.
Cattle on a Lincoln Farm
Please scratch my forehead!

Posted Signs on Fences

Information for the observer

Flowers along the fence

Thistles peeking
Wildflowers along the barbed wire fence
Daffodil Hill in Volcano Ca.
Don’t Fence Me In!

Useful Fences

Preston Castle
Youth Authority Institution in Ione
Not worried about anyone escaping here.
Trying to keep people out of Sacramento Historic Cemetery for safety.
There are many downed trees from this winter’s rain.

Rural Fences

All theses fences were taken in Northern California

Coastal Fences

Shadows and Leading Lines

Playful shadows
Benecia-Martinez Vista Point

That’s all for today. Fences can define a space, contain things, and be creative backdrops. Any particular fence appeal to you?

Lens-Artists Challenge #257 Simplicity

Philosophy through photography provided this week’s challenge of simplicity.  “The modern world is so stressful and chaotic that we are losing the fundamental clarity and simplicity that allows us to concentrate on what is really important.” So true!

Subject

The subject IS color
Monochromatic Dandelion

Tell a story

Gull finds treasure on Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco
Quiet Pomponio State Beach near Half Moon Bay
Lone pedestrian crossing the Embarcadero in San Francisco
Walking along the Mendocino coast

Sense of Scale

Sailboat sails under the Golden Gate Bridge at Sunset
Kayaking along the American River

I had to look through my archive to find this one because usually, I will fill the frame with the people. But this time I was in awe of the surroundings.

Mirror Lake in Yosemite.
Walking a long way down near a waterfall in Hilo Hawaii

As we got closer to the waterfall we witnessed its power.

Waterfall in Hilo Hawaii
So small on this Southern California beach
My granddaughter @ age 10 at Stinson Beach

The vastness and power of water bring perspective to our view of self. Watching how fast it can transform places. There is little a person can do to hold back the water. The world’s people are learning this the hard way.

Negative Space

Fishing in Monterey Bay

Still Life

Tea Setting
Side Lighting of Chinese Tea Service
Coffee Time

Textures

Bumpy and Orange
Soft focused leaf

Splash of Color

Lady Bug Beetle all alone
Boulder Ridge Park, Rocklin Ca

Patterns

Swim meet pool lanes

I hope that you enjoy the simple life. Which photograph spoke to you? I appreciate all comments.

Lens-Artists Challenge #250 SKyscapes or Cloudscapes

This week Amy of The World is a Book challenges me to select a few cloudscape photos.

Having had a long period of drought, I value a cloudy sky. I especially like those puffy white clouds that I can imagine all sorts of stories. Usually, the summer skies can be a bit drab. Beating hot sun, and not a cloud in the sky. At that time a nice cloud cover is welcome. Sunsets and clouds are beautiful. A cloudy winter’s day can give me a feeling of moodiness. Clouds with the anticipation of rain can be welcome. Or if it goes on for too many days, it can make me want to stay in bed longer.

I often take a photo of the clouds with the thought that I might want to exchange a boring, bland sky for a cloudy one. It never happens, but I do have a fun library to look at when it can to this challenge.

Puffy clouds to imagine stories

What can you imagine is happening?
Something is up in the clouds
Can you see it?
A Sedona sky at sunset

Clouds at the shore

Maui Hawaii at sunset
Maui Sunset Cruise
Sacramento Wildlife Refuge
Laguna Beach before it rains
McKinley Park

Sunsets and clouds

Sailor Bar off the American River
Wonderful cloud formations in Sedona Arizona
Another from Sedona, Arizona

Clouds take their place in landscapes

Another taken from the car on I5
Bodie Ca
Mono Lake
Traveling down I5 to Southern Ca.
Laguna Beach Ca

Clouds in winter

Sacramento winter
This moody Livermore sky would work for a scary Halloween theme

Airplane View of clouds

That is all folks. When you go outside be sure to look up! Or out, or down!

My photo collection has over 200 cloudy images. It is fun to go back and review my collection. One of the perks of participating in these Lens-Artist challenges. What are your thoughts?

Lens-Artists Challenge #237 Bringing Softness

This week Bren challenged me to use processing magic in my photographs. I am particularly pleased with this push to use more of the features in my Adobe Lightroom Classic software. It has been a while since I left my college classes. I enjoy photography, and I have gotten comfortable with my camera. I must say that I often rely on the same settings and processing steps. So I want to thank Bren for showing me what I have been missing. Now I know what masking and clarity can do for my images.

There are so many advances to this program. Today it was fun to try using masking to either bring down the clarity or increase clarity to highlight the subject. This technique can be applied to flowers, landscapes, and architecture. Lowering the clarity and creating softness in those areas frames the subject in an image, be it a tree, path, bridge, even a door or house, or just a dreamy-looking image. 

In these photographs the difference is subtle
Along with changing the clarity I also changed the background lighting
I took this photograph in Bodie, Ca.

My pareidolia is playing tricks again. Can you see what I see in the following photograph?

Iris from Horton Iris Garden
Red Pagoda Succulent

With this technique, I am able to improve my photographs.. But mostly I use i my macro lens or I choose a large aperture to decrease my depth of field and try and set my subject apart from the background.

I hope that you enjoyed my blog post, and again thanks Lens-Artists.