Category: Nature

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #143 Colorful April

Amy reminds us that “When winter melts away, spring brings a new beginning; colors begin to awaken under the warm sunlight, April showers, and gentle wind.” So our theme for this week is “Colorful April”.

Tulips abound at Crystal Hermitage Garden. It has been some time since I visited. This used to be an annual visit. Darn CoVid 19 gets in the way. Such a peaceful place set in “Gold Country”.

Colorful tulip path

Another place I used to visit was Daffodil Hill in Amador County. Its popularity caused this traditional Spring shoot to close. About six years ago I visited during a cloudy weekday. The daffodils provided a backdrop for the Seeing Eye puppy Labrador retrievers out for a day with their puppy raisers. The

These puppies have no problem posing!

2019 was the last year this family opened up this “gem” to the public. Hidden away the roads were not equiped to handle the traffic.

The last flower of the spring that I just love to photograph is the California poppy. Last weekend some friends headed up to search for a field of orange. Found these beauties in flower pots in Sutter Creek, and not in the wild as I had hoped.

California poppies showing off their bright orange color.

Spring has sprung here in Northern California. I would just love this mild enjoyable weather to stick around for a while!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #141 Geometry

In this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #141:  Geometry Patti invites me to share images that feature geometric shapes.  I am having so much fun looking through my library of images, and trying to remember the correct geometry names.

I photograph hearts in nature! I see hearts everywhere. Do you?

  • Shadow Heart!

Hearts decorate our lives.

  • Complementary colored shaped jello
  • Half Moon Bay beach art

Circles around me in Bodie California.

Curves are interesting to follow.

Resting Flamingo
This garden in aMazing. Getty Center in Los Angeles

Yosemite National Park and Mirror Lake provided me with this image.

Reflection on Mirror Lake complete this quadrangle.

I enjoyed looking through my archive to find some geometry terms. I hope that when you are out and about you look a little bit deeper and see some shapes also.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #138 Natural Light: the source of all things photographic.

“Natural light photography uses the sun as a light source. The available light from the sun varies with the time of day. A sunny day provides full illumination, while an overcast day may afford texture and nuance to a photographer.” — Annie Leibovitz

For this theme, Amy would like to share photos of changing light throughout the day in different parts of the world.

Different parts of the day are something I can relate to. Different parts of the world are harder for me. My days of travel occurs when I was in high school. My father, a civil engineer, was working in Karachi, Pakistan. After a few months, the whole family joined him there. I attended Karachi American School (KAS) for two years. I visited London, England; Delhi, India; Katmandu, Nepal; Bangkok, Thailand; Hong Kong; Israel; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; and The Netherlands. I returned home to New York for my senior year and my travels stopped. I did visit Niagra Falls, Canada for my first anniversary. About 3 years ago my husband and I got passports, and then life happened. So no travel photos from me.

I thought this challenge would be an easy one. My photographs are carefully cataloged in Lightroom. I can find my sunrise and sunset images. But looking over my catalog I am reminded of all the beauty I have captured, and all the times I spent with my friends and family. I am grateful for this.

Sunrise

I am not usually an early morning person. Though once I am up I appreciate the stillness I feel as the sun fills the sky.

Mono Lake at sunrise.
Visiting Sedona, Arizona my brother and I woke up early to catch the sunrise, and beat the blazing heat in August. Quiet and peaceful time.

Sunset

My sunsets demonstrate variety. I like being near the ocean. Originally, from New York and now living in California most of my sunsets are reflected on water.

Golden Gate Bridge as the sun goes down.

San Fransisco Bay Bridge
Yosemite National Park – El Capitan
Driving away from Mount Diablo the light fell just perfectly on this farm setting. The “Golden” hour.
Maui Sunset
Images from around Sacramento, and Yolo County, Ca.

Dramatic End of the day

Lightning strikes along the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento, Ca.

Light makes such a difference in creating an image. Do you have a favorite time of day to take in the world?

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #137 Soft

My next Lens-Artists Photo Challenge is Soft. Anne-Christine asks what does the word Soft mean to you? Is it something that you touch? Is it the undefined notion that is the opposite of hard? Is it the contrast to sharp from a photographer’s point of view? This is not so simple a concept.

My first thought was that of a baby. We want everything about this new being to be soft. Soft blankets, soft toys, soft skin, soft colors, and soft sounds Nothing hard, or harsh. We want the world around us to be soft and welcoming.

The soft touch of father and son.

Only a week later, my Charlie joined the world. We follow his first developing steps on a webcam.

Charlie arrives home at 7 weeks.
His fluffy soft fur needs tending to. Every evening we bond over grooming

Nature softens the world around me.

Light falling softly on this lotus flower
The dandelion flower pod beakens us to spread its seeds with one soft blow.
Soft fur, soft feathers and no touching

My most favorite photographic technique is shooting with a large aperture setting. This narrow depth of field clarifies the subject. This blurred background is called the bokeh. I pay particular attention to this when deciding to purchase a lens for my Fuji x system.

  • Union Soldier at Civil War Reenactment
  • Goofy Garden Art

My featured photograph is that of clouds. Soft, fluffy and white. What do you see? When you hear the work “Soft” what comes to mind?