Rogue River Bridge in the Fall

PICTURE OF THE DAY, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2013

I missed a few days due to the busy Labor Day weekend here in the US, but I am back on track now.  It is September and my mind is starting to think Autumn.  The area that we live in does not usually have a lot of color for the fall trees, but I have gotten some good shots in Oregon where they have much more colorful falls.  This one is one of my favorites, taken from the bridge over the Rogue River before pulling into the town with the same name.

The hidden house

PICTURE OF THE DAY - FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

I am not sure whether this was originally a house or a barn, but whatever type of structure it was, it is now hidden in a field of corn.  I wonder who lived here if it was a house, or what was stored here if it was a barn.  Was it always so surrounded by corn?  At least no one would be able to see in your windows!

A Turtle Convention

PICTURE OF THE DAY - THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2013

While traveling the backroads around our neck of the woods, we came upon a pond which had a small wooden platform in the middle of it.  On this platform were numerous turtles.  I'm not sure whether the turtles were sunning themselves, waiting for food, hiding from something, or what was going on, but I had never seen this many turtles all in one place together.  Interestingly, it reminded me of the diving platforms that were in a few of the lakes that I used to vacation at growing up.  It made me laugh to think that turtles would want a diving platform.

Sunrise on the Willamette

PICTURE OF THE DAY - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013

Usually at this time of the year I start thinking about the fact that my boys are going to leave to go back to Oregon.  They both live in Corvallis, Oregon and attend Oregon State University.  Corvallis is a beautiful small town in the northern part of central Oregon.  It has that really great small town feel, a lot of neat older houses, many of them Victorian in style, and a charming downtown area.  The picture was taken out of back window of the motel that we stay in whenever we visit.  It backs up to the Willamette River and on most mornings you can watch the Oregon State crew team practicing.  I would love to live in this wonderful town someday.

I want to Sail Away

PICTURE OF THE DAY, TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013

Today was a stressful day, so when it came time to do my picture of the day, this picture of the sailboat spoke to my mood exactly.  I really wanted to sail away and hide for a while.  

 I remember the day that I took this shot.  We were at Bodega Bay and the weather was cold and foggy, which is some of my favorite weather.  It was such a great day for pictures.  

Alone again.........

PICTURE OF THE DAY - MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2013

This poor apple looks like it is sitting all by itself on a rock fence.  Actually, it is a clever bird feeding device that the "gull lady" has devised.  Who is "the gull lady" ?  She is  a woman that feeds the gulls and the pigeons at the Marina Green on San Francisco Bay.  The birds all flock to her whenever she comes around.  In fact, many of them land on her arms and head.  I tried to get a picture of her, but none of the ones that I took turned out very well.  In this case, she has stuck an apple on a stick and then stuck the stick in between two stones on the walkway.  The birds all come and take pieces off of the apple.  It was really fun to watch.

The Hills are alive

PICTURE OF THE DAY - SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013

Back again to springtime in California.  It always makes me feel alive when the hills are showing their vibrant colors.  The first flowers to show themselves on the foothills of the Sierra range are the wild mustard, or as in this picture, the California Poppies.  There is a reason why it is the state flower.  It sticks it's head up in small bunches everywhere, but if you are truly lucky, on a good year, you can find a whole hillside of them as in this shot.

Crater Lake Fire

Picture of the Day - Saturday, August 24, 2013

To Paraphrase one of my favorite Marshall Tucker songs, "Fire on the mountain from lightning in the air".  Sunset at Crater Lake in September of 2008.  There was a huge wildfire burning in the mountains behind the lake which lent a wonderful quality to the pictures that I was taking that night.  Other than the fire and the effect that it imparted to my pictures, I will never forget this trip.  It was the trip that Bob and I took after dropping Joe off for his freshman year of college and Oregon State in Corvallis.  We took the slow way home to see a lot of the sights, Crater Lake being one of them.  Bob surprised me by booking a room in the Crater Lake lodge which was a beautiful old building.  The type that you find in Yosemite or Yellow Stone.  It was a great time and a great trip.  

Catching up on my Pictures of the Day.

PICTURE OF THE DAY, THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013
A gaggle of Kite Surfers

Yesterday my family and I spent the afternoon in San Francisco just hanging out and seeing what all was there.  It is one of our favorite pasttimes, and there is always plenty going on.  As usual, the Bushman was there, scaring the tourists, a number of dancers and bands were playing, the sketch artists were out selling their wares, and the street artists were selling everything from t-shirts to jewelry.  A new wrinkle on the horizon was a small troupe of acrobats, jugglers, and uni cyclists whose show was very interesting.  After stopping at Boudin's for the asiago cheese pull apart bread, we headed over to the Marina Green, our favorite place to sit and watch the boats, birds, etc.  We had fun watching a HUGE (88 meters long) 4 story yacht motor around, and then were treated to a kite surfing race.  A fun way to spend the afternoon.






PICTURE OF THE DAY, FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2013

 I couldn't believe this woman was swimming in the Bay without a wet suit.

Twilight in Monterrey - Picture of the Day for Wednesday, August 21, 2013

One of my favorite places to visit in the area is the Monterrey Bay.  The drive is not too long, the weather is usually perfect, and the coastline is some of the most beautiful around.  This picture was taken at the tip of the bay where you can look to the one side and see the bay, then turn around 180 degrees and be looking at the ocean.  This particular night, the twilight was beautiful leaving the water a really beautiful color as the sun faded.

Picture of the Day: Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Sunset on I-5  

This shot was taken on Insterstate 5 traveling up the San Joaquin Valley in California the summer of 2012.  We were just returning from our 5 week trip across the United States, and looking forward to getting home.  The light and shadows in the picture really captured my interest and  I was glad that I was able to catch the way the light was reflecting off of the clouds.

Picture of the Day: Monday, August 19, 2013

Picture of the Day: Saturday, August 17, 2013

Historic Jail on Foothill Road.  This building has been there forever, but I am afraid they are going to tear it down sometime soon.

Picture of the Day: Friday, August 16, 2013

This shot was taken from the Marina Green at sunset.  Shot over the houses in the Marina District, it has one of the best plays of light and color on the clouds that I have done, in my opinion.

Picture of the Day: Thursday, August 15, 2013

This was a fishing shack taken at Sunset in Bodega Bay North of San Francisco.  It may look like a picture that has bled with age, but this was the actual color of the water and surroundings with the light setting as it was.

Picture of the Day: Wednesday, August 14, 2013

March of the Grapevines in Spring. 

 Picture of the Day, Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I am in sort of a spring mode today, and almond blossoms always mean spring to in California.  This picture is interesting to me also because of the white clouds and blue sky that are blurred in the background.  Another shot from the beginning of my camera use in 2011.

Picture of the Day - Monday, August 12, 2013

Today's shot I call Life and Death in the Valley.   It was taken a number of years ago out on Bollinger Canyon Road.  It always amazes me that I live is a VERY populated area, yet you can drive a few minutes and still find hills, fields and farms.  I wonder how long they will last. :(

When I started looking back at old shots that I have taken, I realize how different my style is now than when I first started shooting with my Digital SLR.  There is a lot about this picture that I would change if I were to re-take it, but the basic contrast between the young mustard plants and the old, dead plant in the middle is still striking to me. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Remaining 2013 Challenge: Picture of the day.

A friend of mine who is an amazing photographer, Jennifer Crooks, has just decided to do a 365 picture challenge.  In this challenge, she will be taking at least one picture a day for the next 365 days and posting the pictures on a Facebook page she has set up for it.  This woman is a professional photographer, doing mostly portrait photography, and, as I said, she is amazing.  She is a constant inspiration to me, and I am more than a little jealous of her talent. You all should really check out her work.  Here are the links to her Facebook pages:
Jennifer Crooks Photography:  https://www.facebook.com/JenniferCrooksPhotography
Crooked Legacies (this is the challenge page):  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crooked-Legacies/419312608188296

 As she often does, she has inspired me to do my own picture a day challenge for the rest of 2013.  I am not anywhere near the photographer that she it, but I do enjoy photography and need to re-energize myself in this regard.

My Challenge:  My challenge will be a little bit different from Jen's.  I really need to edit and organize my photos, so I am going to challenge myself to finalize at least one photo a day and post it here on my blog.  It may be a photo that I have just taken, or it may be a photo that I have had sitting around for a while.  I am really hoping that this will keep me on track with my effort to organize my vast array of photos.

As Jen has said, I know there will be days when it will be really hard to accomplish this, and days when I just do not feel like getting a picture on here, but I am going to keep that in mind as I try to stick with it.

The Beginning - Picture of the Day, August 11, 2013

This shot was taken at sunset (obviously, lol) in the parking lot of a local shopping center.  I wish all of our sunsets were this spectacular.  This one actually reminds me of the sunsets that you get in Hawaii, and makes me wish I was there every time I look at it.  I especially like the play between the sky and the shadows of the parking lot.

Bay Area Still Has Backroads

I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1968 at the age of 12.  In those days there was a farm at the end of our street, lots of empty lots, orchards, and country roads galore.  When my mom would give people directions to our house, she would jokingly say, "If you think you have left town....keep going.  We are still two miles out."  Since then a lot has changed.  The area resembles the L A Area in Southern California more than any, now, complete with huge traffic jams, smoggy days, and lots of sprawl.  That is why it always surprises me that you can still drive 5 or 10 minutes from my house and be in a country setting complete with a lot of open space, cows, horses, and barns.

Cow Paths

One thing about living in this area, we have a very short "green" season.  The hills around our area are more often golden (as in brown) than green.  The green usually begins sometime in January or February depending on when the rains start.  The hills then stay green for only a few months.  It is by far my favorite time of year and I always feel a yearning to take advantage of the green-ness.  That is why my husband and I took a drive the other day looking for great pictures while the green was new and fresh. 

We decided to leave late in the afternoon, and the light was great for photographs.  The late afternoon sun gives everything a bit of a golden glow, and the contrast between the shadows and the light was phenomenal.  I couldn't resist incorporating it in a few of the pictures.  

 

Along with my love of country and green hills, I have always been fascinated by barns.  I'm not sure when this started, but I think it was sometime shortly after I got my first SLR camera.  I took a picture of a barn somewhere and liked the result.  I think it is really just an offshoot of my fascination with architecture in general.  I love old buildings, farm houses, Victorians, mansions, all sorts of buildings.  But the barns have really been taking first place lately.  The examples below were all found within a 20 minute drive from my house, down a road that is still filled with farms and ranches. 

The best barns are the ones made of wood.  They have such character.  I love the patterns the wood makes, and the different types of wood used.  And the older the barn the more fascinated I am.  

Another vista that has always fascinated me are the areas where you can tell a house used to be, but is no longer.  These areas are usually marked by trees, plants, or walls that are still in existence, even if the buildings are not.  I often find myself wondering what type of house was there and what the people who planted the trees were like.  What type of lives did they lead.  The pictures below came from just that type of place. 

This one reminded me of Little House on the Prarie

Lot's of Character here. 

A closer look at the cow barn

I couldn't resist the flag flying in the background here. 

My photography journey

Originally I was going to use this blog to post photos from a trip that my husband, son, and I took last summer.  It was a 5 week trip that took us 8000 miles through a lot of the US.  Unfortunately, though we took about 5000 photos, there never seemed to be enough time to edit them and post them on the blog.  At this point, I have decided to retool this blog to be about my photos in general.

I have been in love with photography ever since I got my first Brownie Starmite camera when I was about 9 years old.  I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, really, but I did know that I did not want to just take snap shots of friends and family.  I wanted to take "art" shots, whatever that was.  Even in those days, I loved to take pictures of my dolls, or an empty stroller, a stack of records, etc.  Of course, they weren't very good and they usually didn't turn out the way that I had envisioned them in my mind.

Flash forward about 16 years to my college graduation.  My parents got me an Olympus OM-1 SLR which I instantly fell in love with.  I was now able to take more controlled pictures since I could adjust the aperature, f-stop, ISO of the film, etc.  This was much more fun.  The problem here was that film and developing were so expensive that I had to be choosy about what pictures I took.  In addition, the developing process took long enough, that often the picture I wanted was no longer feasible if the first ones did not turn out.  I have to say, though, some of the pictures that I took with this camera are still my favorites.

Then came the advent of the digital camera.  I have decided that I was made for the digital camera.  My first digital was a small palm sized Canon Powershot, which I loved.  It allowed me to take pictures that better approximated what I saw in my head.  The big benefits, though, were that I was able to see the results of the pictures in real time and re-shoot while the subject was still available and I could take hundreds of shots without worrying about the cost of the film or the developing.  The downside was the ability to adjust settings.  While the camera did/does have a manual mode, adjusting the settings was more frustrating than I was able to deal with.  What this camera did, though, was to refuel my love of taking photos, and to allow me to learn more about natural light, setting up the frame, and other aspects of photography without having to worry about the settings.

My current camera is a Canon EOS Rebel DSLR that can either be shot in automatic mode, or can be fully manual.  It is definitely the best of both worlds as it works well when I need to take a quick shot on auto, and equally well when I am playing around, taking numerous shots of the same thing, adjusting everything that I can think of, and just seeing what results.