Bovine & Equine

Several members of the photography club and I spent an afternoon at a ranch in Gilroy shooting cows, horses, chickens, sheep, and rustic ranch 'stuff.'

You can see why this big, handsome fellow was a favorite subject.

"You lookin' at me?"

If you click on this photo to see the larger view,
you'll see what (actually whom) the horse saw.

Some photos are taken just for fun.

See more photos from this shoot on my Flickr photostream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

A day at the Coast: Point Lobos State Reserve

Don Smith, from whom I have taken a couple of photography workshops, posted a photo on Face Book of a tide pool taken at Weston Beach in Point Lobos State Reserve. I was inspired to find this beach (very easy) to see what it had to offer. OMG There was so much there to appreciate and photograph. The park does not open until 8am, so no sunrise shots, but it was a gorgeous day with a bright blue sky, and at 8:30 the sun was still low. For this first photo, I used a wide angle lens, shortened the legs of my tripod as much as possible, and sat down on the rocks. The natural lines carved into the rock lead the eye right to the deep blue of the water and sky. Click on a photo to see a larger image.After taking numerous wide shots, I switched to a 105 macro lens and started to explore the tide pools. Much to my chagrin, I did not have a polarizing filter for this lens. (I later found it sitting on the table at home.) After setting up the camera/tripod for each shot I positioned myself so I blocked the sun to even out the high contrast light (which is what Dan said he did for his tide pool shot). I have several more shots posted on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/ but I really did need that polarizer.

I hated to leave such a beautiful place on such a beautiful day, so before exiting the park, I detoured over to Whalers' Cove. I was here last year, but in the summer, well after the wildflowers had lost their blooms. Everywhere I looked I saw a photographic opportunity, but fatigue was setting in and the sun was directly overhead. I ate a picnic lunch, reviewed my images, and headed for Pacific Grove. (See next blog.)

A Day at the Coast: Pacific Grove

Click on a photo to see a larger view.
I return to Pacific Grove every spring. How could I stay away from such color and beauty? On this day, after spending the morning at Point Lobos, I just wanted to drive by and check the state of bloom of the ice plant, so I would know when to plan a full afternoon of photography.

Since the April temperatures had been so cool, I didn't think it would be blooming yet.

I was wrong.

Although not in full bloom, there was enough color to dissolve my fatigue and pull me out of my car. I didn't stay long because I knew I would be returning next week for the full color show.

If you have never been to PG in May, it is worth the drive. The path along the cliffs affords great views, and many photographic opportunities.

Palace of Fine Arts

Click on an image to see a larger view.The photography club held a shoot-out at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Photographing buildings does not usually interest me, but I saw this as an opportunity to practice night photography. We arrived around 4:00pm to catch the late afternoon sun. Shooting up with a wide angle lens will distort tall structures, making them lean in toward the center. This can be fixed in post processing, but for this photo I choose to make the columns lean even more to emphasize the enormity of the structure.

Our real goal was to photograph during the magic light hour near sunset, after the lights come on, but while the sky is still blue. This is a 13 second exposure (f16) taken 45 minutes after sunset.

This is my favorite:
a 30 second exposure (f22) taken 1 hour after sunset.
Click on the image and you will see a few stars.

This 15 second exposure (f16) was taken over an hour after sunset.
I straightened the pillars this time.

This was just one of the many beautiful and interesting places
to photograph in San Francisco.
More photos from this shoot are on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Happy Easter

Click on a photo to see a larger image.

I have been collecting small characters and objects for an ongoing macro project: to arrange them into scenes as if they are full size. The blue & yellow rabbits are the newest to join my plastic menagerie. Seated, they are 4 inches tall.

If you've been following this blog, you may remember that last December, Woody & Buzz got into a snow fight in Virginia: http://visual-journey.blogspot.com/2010/12/playing-in-snow.html

"You've got a friend in me."

Don't you just love group photos?

I ate the chocolate rabbit and peeps. There are a few more Easter photos on my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

April Full Moon

Click on a photo to see a larger image.

The full moon has be elusive for the past several months... so much cloud cover. And its rising time has not been the most conducive for photography; rising 90 minutes before sunset on the night before the full moon (too light in the sky), and several minutes after sunset on the night of 100% fullness (which results in a darkened sky).This month a few members of the photography club and I decided to be ready for whatever appeared. We were tired of waiting for perfect conditions. The first night we met at the edge of a Guglielmo vineyard which has a clear view of the eastern foothills. As expected, the sky was light and the moon pale. In this second photo I brightened the moon so it would stand out more against the sky.

The next night (100% fullness), 3 of us trekked up the road to El Toro and were rewarded with a bright, orange globe.

Clouds in the west blocked the sun so the sky darkened quickly. We had only a few minutes to shoot before the sky was too dark to get a clear moon exposure. This last photo is a composite of two stitched together in Elements.

Not the exact photos I was looking for,
but sometimes you just have to work with what nature presents.

Post Cards from the Road Part 1

ON THE ROAD AGAIN... Click on a photo to see a larger view.

Every once in awhile I just have to take a road trip. There is something liberating about setting off on a journey with only a sketchy schedule; with the freedom to design each day as it comes. My primary destination on this one was the Grand Canyon where I would join others for a four day photography workshop. I decided to go by way of Las Vegas, a place I hadn't seen since I turned 21. I drove as far as Barstow, found a motel in the late afternoon, and looked at my options. The road to Vegas skirted the Mojave National Preserve which boasted a large Joshua Tree Forest. I was hoping to catch them in full desert bloom, but they were well past that.

VIVA LAS VEGAS

Much has changed since I was 21. I was not expecting the crush of cars. My initial drive down The Strip was enough to convince me to avoid it. With the help of my GPS, I was able to steer clear of it and traverse the city using mostly side streets and back alleys.

I parked at the Bellagio to shoot this scene of Paris,

and to view the performance of the water fountains.

HOOVER DAM

My original plan was to spend 2 nights in Vegas, but the congestion was just too much for me. I left the next morning and drove to Boulder City, a quite little town with few cars and no neon lights. Its claim to fame is its proximity to Hoover Dam (originally named Boulder Dam), and the newly constructed Mike O'Callaghan -Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.

I thoroughly worked the bridge. I photographed it (by parking illegally to get this view), walked across it, and finally, I drove across it and headed for Kingman, AZ

ROUTE 66
Between Kingman and Williams (the last stop before the Grand Canyon) is an 83 mile stretch of Historic Route 66. Driving this old road took me back to my childhood and our family road trips to Kansas where my father was born. I tooled along at a leisurely pace listening to and singing the hits from the 50s. I think the locals maintain the deserted gas stations, motels and diners in a charmingly dilapidated condition to attract nostalgics like me. The few towns along the way embellish the "Mother Road" ambiance to an almost Disneylike condition

"Altho insured Remember, kiddo They don't pay you
They pay Your widow"

"When Super-shaved Remember, pard You'll still get slapped
But not so hard"
Only on Route 66 can you still read Burma Shave signs.
You can view more road trip photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/page2/