“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― Eudora Welty
Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
The smokey morning air from the Northern California Camp Fire diffused the morning sun giving the look of Golden Hour on the Tule Elk in the field.
The largest male with that beautiful rack is the Alpha Male with part of his herd and a couple of young bachelors in Central Valley at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge.
Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm @500mm| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2019
more to come…
Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Hail, and well met Lords, and Ladies! A few weeks ago I went to the NORCAL Renaissance Faire which is always a bawdy good time.
By my faith, one of the most spirited shows and one of me favorite shows is the Tournament of Champions where the Knights from 4 different countries compete. They were: Sir William of England of course, France’s Knight, Spain’s Knight, and Scotland Knight.
I will showest thee a few likenesses of the Spanish Knight demonstrating his sword and javelin skills that I made with me Nikon Venetian box.
A strapping peacock aye?
Huzzah!
HUZZAH!
He didst compete very well!
I have more likenesses to share with ye soon, but now I bid thee farewell, and a good week, I must away! 😜
Nikon D810| Nikkor 300mm f/4| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2018
more to come…
Copyright © 2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#1 Grandson doesn’t think our patio/entry is Ultimate Spooky. He’s right, but I really like the scarecrow we assembled together. He named him Charles.
…and here are a few of the Ghosts, and Ghoulies that I’ve seen from walks around the neighborhood this month.
Wishing you all a SPOOKTACULAR HALLOWEEN! ( she said in Count Dracula’s voice) 🧛♀️ 😜
Top image: Nikon D810| Nikkor 24-120mm f/4| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2019
Bottom images: iPhone 7 Plus| PS CC 2019
more to come…
Copyright © 2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I’m behind reading and responding to blogs again, but this is my normal for most the year as I’d much rather be out and about with my camera than at home doing laundry, mopping, and scrubbing doing housework. Mind you, I like a clean and tidy house I just wish I wasn’t the one always responsible for doing it. Just sayin. Why I set myself up for that is probably what Psychology majors study. I don’t want to go there I just wish He-Man and I worked out something very early on that he would do laundry, dishes, and house cleaning when I was away from home. Funny, early on he didn’t see that coming in the future even though I love to travel and adventure.
Musings and rant over; I have been busy finishing the Maternity images for my friends with a pretty quick turn around time: Just two weeks! If I were a busy Portrait/ Event Photographer it might be a month or more before receiving your images from your event or session. Just so you know. Retouching and editing aren’t as easy as one might think it is. Hair and skin tone are a major time suck! En mon avis. Highlights, and Shadows…Oh vey! Landscapes, birds, and the night sky are ever so much easier to develop than people! For me anyway!
With the parents to be permission, here are a few images that I made during the session.
Working titles-
I love you with my whole heart
Family Order
The Kiss
Not knowing how to do Maternity Portraits as a professional knowing this park and a few poses really helped to make the session I hope a success for all of us. For me, it was challenging, and so much fun to shoot!
I put in my request to photograph their baby as a newborn. I hope that works out. I think that would be so much fun! I have props!
Next up I have Baby Girl’s “Save the Date/ Wedding Announcement images to develop, and she’s picking her wedding dress, and I am going to be there along with her best friends to see which dress she chooses this week-end. Although she’s warned me I’m not to make one. Not one remark about the price of the dress or her tattoos. I’ll hate both and be biting my tongue, but I will b/c it’s her life she’s over 18 and she has a dream dress in mind. I won’t say a word. I won’t say a word. That’s going to be my mantra all week! A and H will be there to hold my hand and keep my tongue in my mouth in case I start to. 😉 Baby Girl is so clever!
My Mom and Step-Father were visiting and stayed with us for several days, but they are flying home to FL as I type this. It was lovely and too short seeing them. They were busy visiting both sides of the family in two weeks. Their visit was especially nice on the heels of visiting them in FL. Now for me, it’s time to develop Baby Girl’s images, and I went to the Renaissance Faire one day this past week-end and have those images to go through and develop too.
It’s been a wild week of Family, Fun, and Adventure. I hope this post finds you well, and living the best life you can this week.
Nikon D810| Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D| Hoodman Digital Film| Natural Light| PS CC 2018
more to come…
Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Normally we see gorgeous, perfect Monarch butterflies being shown on blogs, and photo sharing sites, but there’s another side of their lives that shows us just how amazing and remarkable these insects are in addition to beautiful.
This Adult Male Monarch Butterfly has survived the wind, rain, and maybe snow. It probably avoided predators along its arduous migration, and perhaps it lost some of its wings being snagged on thorns.
The average lifecycle of a Monarch Butterfly is 6-8 weeks. From the egg stage, then the catepillar stage, to the chrysalis stage is only 27-28 days. At 28 days the Monarch Butterfly emerges from its cocoon a fully grown monarch and lives 2-6 weeks. That’s remarkable! From that point its whole raison d’être is to mate so there will be eggs to lay so there will be the next generation of monarch butterflies.
I love how clever he is by landing here on this withered and tattered Showy Daisy-like flowers. He’s trying to blend in I believe.
I made this image in May in Santa Clara County. It’s back to my archives this week because I have been outside my box, and doing a bit of portraiture the last two week-ends. Two weeks ago a girl-friend and I teamed up to do a Maternity Session for some dear friends, and I’ve been working on those images, and this past Sunday afternoon I did a Wedding Invitation/Save the Date session for Baby Girl, and the Handsome Surveyor.
I can’t show any images from the Maternity Session as the couple hasn’t seen them, and I don’t have their permission to share yet, but Baby Girl and The Handsome Surveyor said it would be alright to share one image; one that won’t be used on the invitation.
People photography really isn’t my thing, and retouching even less so, but I do like this image. Of course, I am just a wee bit biased. 😃 I will probably go back and tweak this image after I get the Maternity Set done for my friends, and Baby Girl’s wedding invitation image done. I’m not used to working on the clock so to speak, so I’m feeling the pressure!
I hope your week is going well, and you all have a lovely week-end!
Nikon D810| top image shot w/ Nikkor 200-500mm| bottom image shot w/ Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D lens at f/5.6| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2018
more to come…
Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I made this image back in August when several friends and I went over to the Eastern Sierras for a long week-end. Bodie State Park stays open at night several times throughout the summer so folks can enjoy the old Ghost Town at night.
Someone had put a light in the doorway to the Chapel and lots of photographers fanned out to photograph this iconic building in Bodie myself included, but seeing The Big Dipper above the Chapel is what caught my eye. The clouds were moving in fast so I acted fast hoping to get the whole constellation in my photograph.
The red light cast you see is a light spill from someone’s red headlamp behind me. They forgot to shut it off. This is the only shot of the Constellation I got over the chapel due to the cloud cover.
For the History Buffs:
Bodie was a mining town in the 1800’s. It was booming for several years after Gold was discovered there. What started with 20 people grew to 10,000 in just over 20 years!
It’s said there were once 65 saloons in Bodie. The town teamed with families, miners, farmers, robbers, prostitutes, and of course gaming halls, and opium dens.
In 1898 the mill burned down, and in June of 1932, the second of two major fires destroyed more of the town leaving what we see today.
There are more than 100 buildings in a state of “arrested decay” one can see while in Bodie. Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods.
In 1962 Bodie became a Register National Historic Landmark, and a State Historic Park.
For a timeline of Bodie’s History and more click the link below.
Nikon D810| Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2018
more to come…
Copyright ©2018 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I’ve been absent from the blog and reading blogs for more than a week because I was in Florida visiting my Mom and Step-Father, and touring around the state. I haven’t even downloaded the images I made while on the trip yet.
We visited Epcot which was a first for me, then St. Augustine, and Tarpon Springs’ Sponge Docks; the Sponge Capitol of the US, which is also it’s Greek community. It was a good, but very hot trip. It was the hottest September on record. I hope there are a few good images to share.
Today I’m sharing an image I made of what I think is a Cabbage White Butterfly while walking around UC Davis Arboretum in July of this year.
I am always behind these days, but I’ll be catching up with your blogs soon.
Nikon D810| Nikkor 200-500mm @ 500mm| Hoodman STEEL Digital Film| PS CC 2018
more to come…
