Street Photography – A Photo's Worth

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #212 Motion

This week, Patti invites me to explore the movement of objects or people in my photos. You have several options to do this. Here’s one way: set your camera on auto and let it do most of the work. It will automatically increase the shutter speed and freeze the action. You can also manually adjust the speed settings. That’s when the real fun begins.

Sometimes I just plan to have motion be my subject.

It is always tricky to capture animals in motion. Here I stopped the action with a fast shutter speed.

Sometimes a slower speed enhances the motion.

Sometimes a slow speed will create a ghostlike image.

I hope that you enjoyed my quick tour of my motion photographs!

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #210 Picking Favorites

This week Sarah (Travel with me) asks me to share three of what I consider to be among my best shots. This exercise really tests my ability to be self-critical. Pick out three (just three!) that stand out as particular favorites. I need to choose three from different genres: macro, wildlife, street, landscape, architecture, or portraiture.

Genre: Still Life

My inspiration for this photograph started in my photography class. I needed to create a photo with the theme of kitchen. Items from my mother-in-law were recently sent to us. I placed these tarnished serving pieces on a piece of glass and watched for shadows. Pleased with the result. I entered this photo in an online contest and was selected as the week’s photo.

Genre: Landscape

I met with a group of local photographers in downtown Sacramento. At first, a scavenger hunt was the goal, but after looking around Old Sac, I went to the Tower Bridge. After watching the dry lightning strikes I listened and began to anticipate the next bolt of lightning. Got it!

Genre: Telling a Story/Street

This carousel or Merry-Go-Round was taken at a local shopping mall. I wanted to capture movement. In doing so, I created the story of the boy and his horse actually escaping from the ride.

Genre: Nature

The feature banner image of the Peeking Flamingo was taken at the Sacramento Zoo. When I showed this image to my college professor she like it so much that she asked if she could use it as a class example. Made me feel good.

Selecting just three is a tough call. I ended up picking some images that I have hanging in my home. I hope that you enjoyed this post. Let me know which one is your favorite.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 203 Local Vistas

What are your local vistas? Where do you photograph when you don’t have a lot of time or are not on vacation? What about your hometown excites you? Is it the countryside, city, gardens, amusement venues? This week, Anne Sandler: Slow Shutter Speed wants me to tell and show local vistas.

Sacramento has been home since 1980. Yet with my local camera group I still find new things to photograph. There is a certain seasonal flow of vistas that show up during the year. For instance, Anne and I visited the Lotus Flower Garden “Peace Pond” this week. When I turned on the television Rob on the Road was interviewing the person responsible for this amazing Sacramento site. Started in 2005 this is now another reason the go to Land Park.

Asked to take a photo of some friends, and we got to talking

Within Land Park there is also the WPA Rock Garden. Always something to photograph.

The Sacramento Zoo is also located in Land Park, currently. There are exciting plans afoot in the coming years to move this zoo to Elk Grove so that it can provide a better habitat for the animals. Just a little further to drive.

The flamingos welcome you at the entrance of the Sacramento Zoo

In the coming weeks the sunflower fields located in Yolo County calls for photo captures. This image was taken last year.

No sunflowers were harmed in the taking of this photograph.

For people watching I head to Old Sacramento. No matter how many times I visit I find something new to focus on. But it is often the people wandering around. And people with dogs are my favs.

Trawler and his owner live on a houseboat that was docked in Old Sacramento.

Musician on a lunch break. His dog has his eyes on the fries!

Located in Old Sacramento is the California State Railroad Museum.

I find museum locations good when the temperature rises. This week June 2022 the temperature will be over 100° for multiple days. Also a good time to be home and blog!

Well that is just a touch of what I find locally around Sacramento.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge # 194 Bokeh

Sofia challenges me to primarily think of out-of-focus areas in your photos. Are they an important component of your shot? What is bokeh for you and how do you achieve it? I’ll be looking forward to seeing how your beautifully blurred areas also have a story to tell.

Using a large aperture setting would be how I would describe my style of photography.

While visiting Donner Summit, I borrowed a reflecting ball. The shallow depth of field places the photo in a forest setting and the reflection is in focus.

By using a shallow depth of field here my photo leads the eye in a line.

The story I tell with my flower photographs often is about one particular flower standing apart from the rest.

The bee settles on a flower in the field of flowers

While capturing images with people the depth of field helps to tell the story.

Racing fans gather during the Amgen finale in Sacramento

This last photograph was taken in 2004 while visiting my In-Laws in Florida. This is an example of why I recommend not discarding all your old mistakes. This was my first DSLR the Nikon D70. I was not familiar with white balance and forgot to change from the indoor lighting setting to the outdoor one. My images were quite blue. But today, I saw potential in this image. I changed it to black and white. What do you think?

I hope you enjoyed my look at bokeh and how it helps to set the stage for my images. Please comment and let me know.

Category: Street Photography