Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Anderson Lake County Park

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This day use park at the base of Anderson Dam and just 4 miles from my house, surrounds Coyote Creek. I walked the length of the park this morning with just my point & shoot camera for a photography club project. Mostly I stayed along the creek, which in this first photo is to the right of the path.
Although many leaves had fallen, the color turn was just starting. I looked for unusual vantage points, lines and shapes. The greenery behind these leaves is a reflection.This is a close up of the fast moving water flowing over moss covered rocks, which made an interesting abstract.
You can see more photos from my morning in the park on Flickr:

Syngenta Seed Farm

Click on a photo to see a larger image.Syngenta is a global seed company with a farm in Gilroy. Along with eight members of the photography club, I traipsed around the grounds for several hours in a state of flower overload. The scenic views were lovely,
but I prefer to move in for the more intimate view
through a macro lens.
This is my favorite shot of the day.
You can view more images from Syngenta on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

World Wide Photo Walk

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On October 1st, 10+ members of the photography club met downtown (Morgan Hill) as part of the World Wide Photo Walk. Over 1000 cities around the world were sites where people walked and photographed. We started at 5pm with the intent to photograph the downtown area during twilight, when the sun is down and the sky still shows blue.
The Third Street Promenade was a colorful spot,
but it always pays to turn around to see what's happening
behind you...like this crescent moon.I added a star filter.
It is fun to be out after dark
View some of Morgan Hill's quirky characters on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Virginia

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My brother lives next to a forest. With the sky gray and gloomy, I focused on the green of the shrubs and trees. The leaves showed only the slightest hint of the coming fall color.I took this photo from my brother's front porch. We had seen deer several times in his "back yard." As they sauntered past his house and deeper into the forest, I moved to the front of the house and willed them to pass through an opening in the trees. I processed this in PS Elements to accentuate the fawn and eliminate some of the graininess.
With a slight break in the weather, Mike and I accompanied
my niece, Ashley to her riding lesson.The muddy grounds forced her to ride inside
where I could not get any good photos,
but the horses in the stable were cooperative.
Click on this image to enlarge it,
look closely in the eye and you will see...ME!Ashley and I drove to Virginia Commonwealth University
to visit with her sister Allison.
Allison & I strolled through the Hollywood Cemetery
and found President James Monroe,
who is buried in the large, black edifice in the back.
There was a time when I had long, brown hair.

Washington D.C.

The rain from Kansas followed me to Virginia. Where was the sun? blue sky? On a warm, wet, humid day my brother and I set out for the American History Museum in D.C. Rain was not going to keep us at home.
I was desperate to get a shot of an iconic symbol of D.C. and shot this through the window of the car. I wanted to prove I had been there.
"There's no place like home."
"There's no place like home."
I watched a few minutes of the new "Charlie's Angles" TV show. I don't think any of them will replace Farah at the Smithsonian.

Kansas in September

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I was in Kansas to visit my aunt who grew up in the small farming town of Troy. The harvest was in full swing with only stubble left in many of the corn fields. These photos were taken in Belmont, a once thriving town
that has dwindled down to a few farms and a cemetery... which was behind me when I took these sunflower photos.
This sliver along the horizon was the only sun I saw in 4 days.
Not all of Kansas is covered in corn and soybeans. In Wathena, where my grandmother grew up, I found a road that paralleled the Missouri River and this first sign of autumn.
There's no place like home, but my next destination was
Virginia to see my brother and nieces.

September Full Moon

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Even though my obsession to photograph every full moon is long past, I still enjoy anticipating it and watching it rise. Well, I am not going to do that without a camera in hand (actually on a tripod). This month, 10 members of the photography club joined me along a country road in San Martin to catch the rise.
A lunatic I am and glad to be.