A visit to the Ruth Bancroft Cactus Garden today provided me with a zillion photo ops. I posted many of my favorite cactus photos to Flickr so that my grandson (a big fan of cacti) could see them. I like the abstract quality of some of the cactus images, but I am much more a fan of lily pads than cactus. My favorite photo today was of the lily pond in a shady nook of the garden.
f/5.6, 1/640, ISO 400, 200mm
Waiting outside at Broadway Plaza today while my husband picked up some Art of Shaving items, I searched for something to photograph. We were there in the heat of the afternoon, so my eye was drawn to the cool water of a nearby fountain. I took several shots and liked this one which shows the patterned base contrasting with the dark water.
f/9, 1/400, ISO 500, 44mm
My friend and photography buddy, Carol, came to town today for lunch and a photo shoot. We decided to go to the park to try and see the bald eagle and ospreys, but didn’t take into account the ninety plus degree temperatures. After walking the mile or so to the lake, we discovered the raptors were smarter than we were and were sheltering themselves from the heat. We did find a sweet robin and her babies to photograph, as well as this dragonfly (which seemed to be the only thing flying around today).
f/13, 1/400, ISO 640, 300 mm
When we were at Yellowstone, one of my photography goals was to photograph a bald eagle. I have a very tiny image of one I took last year with my kit lens, so this year I took my longest lens hoping for a good shot- but no luck. I found out recently that a bald eagle has been spotted hanging out at a small lake a mile or two from us, so today we took a walk, hoping to see him.
Almost immediately we saw a red-tailed hawk circling a field- and then three osprey, as we neared the lake. A fellow photographer (a Canon shooter) pointed out the tree where he had seen the bald eagle earlier in the day- and said he had photographed the eagle trying unsuccessfully to steal a fish away from one of the osprey.
Long story short- no bald eagle was seen- which calls for a return trip! I did get many shots of the osprey flying overhead.
f/7.1, 1/800, ISO 200, 300mm
We were out and about early today- heading over to Starbucks after saying good-bye to Matt. A drive by the Community Garden yielded this shot of a basket of petunias in among the veggies.
f/4.5, 1/125, ISO 640, 170mm
Photography. . . lunch at the tea room . . . Blue Ridge! What a perfect day!
Today, my friend, Nevin came over for a photography lesson. She is planning to make the switch soon from a point and shoot to a DSLR, so I was teaching her about the exposure triangle, depth of field, and general rules of composition. It was fun to watch someone get excited about photography- she is in the same place I was just one year ago.
Afterward we had a delicious lunch at the Camellia Tea Room (I had the salad sampler- YUM!) and then browsed in an antique store. We spotted some beautiful Blue Ridge plates, which Nevin bought me as a thank you! What a fun day!
f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 400, 35mm
I’ve always loved to read- and am a pretty eclectic reader. I belong to a book club- and have recently started an online group within goodreads.com. One of the joys of retirement is the luxury of reading in the daytime.
My local library is one of my most favorite places. What’s not to love? Thousands of books- and they are all free- unless you forget to return them on time. . . 😦 I still buy books on the kindle, but buy a lot less “real” books now. It’s mostly either kindle books or the library.
I got an e-mail today that a book I had requested was in, so off I went to the library- where I picked up the book I had ordered, plus another one I spotted as I went in. Today I took my camera- and took a quick photo in the fiction section.
f/4.5, 1/160, ISO 2500, 35mm
My daughter and family live at Mammoth in Yellowstone National Park, and elk are almost daily visitors to the grass at the front of their home. Here is a photo of a baby elk that I took from their front porch.
f/7.1, 1/1000, ISO 1250, 300mm
So many photographs- how to choose just one?
When you are in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, it is hard to select just one photo. Today we drove from our rented condo near Teton Village into Grand National Park up to Jackson Lake and back. These are all places we have visited more than once, but each time the beauty of the mountains overwhelms me. I chose another mountain photo for today- this one at Jenny Lake.
f/18, 1/50, ISO 200, 18mm (handheld)
Today I did use my tripod for most landscape shots, but not this one, alas. I also learned why my tripod head kept loosening, thanks to a very helpful Australian man, who was expertly setting up his own shots and who lives in San Francisco and BTW is a friend of Peter Gabriel!
The only disappointment of the day was no wildlife (except for a pelican).
Now time to start thinking about going out to dinner!
The drive from Idaho across the Tetons into Jackson Hole is one to add to your bucket list. Having our daughter’s family living in Wyoming has provided us with some of the most spectacular scenery EVER! Here is a shot taken near Swan Valley, Idaho (outside Idaho Falls)- a gorgeous spot. I will be taking quite a few mountain photos in the next couple weeks, because we will be in the Tetons and then Yellowstone!
f/22, 1/80, ISO 400, 22mm (handheld, should have used tripod. . .)
We are driving to Wyoming to visit the grandbabies! We got all the way to Twin Falls, ID today- and are slightly pooped. We took a slight detour off Interstate 80, so that I could take my photo of the day. Here’s a scene of unexpectedly photoworthy mountains near Starr Valley on the way to Wells, Nevada. The black streak is a train going by.
Today I had my camera with me when my husband and I parked to go out to lunch, so I was happily able to capture the flowers spilling over the fence of someone’s beautiful garden. I was in the mood for textures today- so added three of Kim Klassen’s- bent edges, dustyrose, and greyday vintage.
My good friend and former teaching buddy, Kathryn, kindly offered to let me come by anytime to take photos in her gorgeous garden- so today I took her up on her offer!
Her yard has been beautifully landscaped- complete with waterfall and firepit. And then there’s the vineyard! Today I just concentrated on the flowers by the gate, knowing I will be back again for another photo session.
Here’s a rose with lavender in the background- love the colors!
f/13, 1/200, ISO 200, 135mm
And here is a bonus macro shot of a little visitor to her garden.
f/22, 1/80, ISO 200, 85mm
Thanks, Kathryn- I’ll be back!
More rain today. . .
We often go out for brunch after church on Sundays. Because of the wet weather, the outdoor seating area wasn’t being used, so there was a long wait to get in. Fortunately, the rain had stopped, so we stood outside while waiting, and I was able to use the time to snap a few photos.
f/5.6, 1/1250, ISO 500 (aperture priority. . .), 200mm
melinda anderson photography 