“A good snapshot keeps a moment from running away.” ― Eudora Welty
Black Phoebe, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
I took this while out in Moss Landing, CA. It was making continuous sorties from this perch. It was entertaining to watch.
I have to thank Digital Art by Shari for the ID! Thank you!
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 70-300mm VR@300mm| f5.6| 1/200 sec| ISO 320| Manual Mode| Tripod
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
I rose pretty early this morning to make the hour drive to this location to meet my friend Andy aka Stargazer to shoot the Moonset.
He checked and double checked the webcams in the area hoping for no fog. We did have a fog bank sitting right where we hoped to shoot the setting Moon, but we got lucky; it peeked out enough to make a pretty picture, and the color! It really was this color! It was gorgeous. Worth getting up at 3AM for.
We have rain in the forecast tomorrow, but if we get a break and no fog in the morning we may try it again.
Andy has his photo up from this morning please check it out. It’s awesome!
www.flickr.com/photos/sharpshutter/6328755145/in/contacts…
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 80-200 @ 100mm| f11| 45 seconds| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod| Intervelometer
Happiness is Pink Pedals in November, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
Continuing with my study of Impressionist Photography and movement I have been using my Camellia Bush which is in full bloom at the moment as a subject. This is one of 2 dozen photographs I’ve taken in the last few days that I like. I used both defocusing and panning to achieve this look. A tip from my good friend Penny was to slow down the shutter speed. That was a big help! I also used a 50mm lens so I could get closer. I plan to stick an extension tube on and get even closer the next time I try it with flowers.
Nikon D700| Nikkor 50mm| f18| 0.4 sec| ISO 160| Manual Mode| Hand-held
Copyright © Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
Here’s one from earlier in the month when I was over in the Eastern Sierras for a couple of days. The color was lovely in the higher elevations, and remembering this spot from the previous year I wanted to stop by again and hike up the river a bit to revisit it.
I am standing on boulder out in the river a bit. It’s a fairly easy thing to get out here, but the jump back is harder! I thought, ” Deborah, you may fall in this year!” Phew! Another year I stayed dry. I think I might be pushing my luck though.
My muse this past month has been Worthington Whittredge an American Landscape artist of the Hudson River School. I find a lot of what I shoot is similar to what he painted. I “get” him. In music and learning to play the guitar and piano I’ve studied the masters and tried to emulate them before breaking out and putting my spin on the piece. With photography I’ve taken the same approach; learning from those who know how to use a camera, but for composition and framing I’ve looked not only at photographers, but also Master painters. What about you? Do you study the master painters or just other photographers? Who are your muses?
Nikon D700| Nikkor 17-35 @17mm| f16| 1/25 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod
A Look Back, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
On the 21st of Oct. I had the pleasure of hiking with the Monterey Bay Area Hiking Group in Salinas, CA. It was the toughest hike I’ve done all year. Yes, even tougher than Horse Heaven Trail up to Mission Peak! There are 6 or 7 really, really steep mountains to conquer. The grade on each was 25-30%. Tough!
We hiked to 3 peaks; Eagle Peak, Ollason Peak, and Simas Peak. Here I’m looking back at Eagle Peak from the trail just under Ollason Peak. We had made a summit to Eagle peak first. The morning started out really foggy and soon I was cold and damp. It was such a relief to get up above the clouds and fog and into the sun. 8 hikers started the hike and all 8 finished!
Hiking Stats:
10.79 miles, 3,288ft gained, 6hours 12 minutes
Elevations of the Peaks- Eagle Peak-1,607ft, Ollason Peak-1,188ft, Simas Peak-2,245ft
Nikon D700| Nikkor 18mm AI-S| f8| 1/500sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Hand-held
Salinas, California, Toro Park, Hike, Nature
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” Joseph Campbell, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
This one looks better large. Please click the photo to be redirected to Flickr where you can click again to see it larger.
Now that my trip to the Eastern Sierras chasing Fall color is out of my system I’m turning my mind and focus on the winter migration and the birds that will be flocking to the Central Valley. Some Sandhill Cranes have already arrived as well as a small flock of White Pelicans. We saw the Sandhill Cranes, but they are ever shy and kept far away from the observation areas so, I didn’t get the shot I have envisioned this time around.
As you know the bulk of what I shoot is landscape so shooting flying birds is something I have to relearn as well getting my camera settings worked out!
I struggled yesterday with camera settings! Thankfully 2 good friends helped me out or I wouldn’t have had one sharp shot.
I’ll be practicing a lot between now and Jan. when most the migrating birds are here. Hopefully I’ll have a better keeper rate by then. My keeper rate from yesterday is down right embarrassing!
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 80-200mm @ 170mm| f5.6| 1/1250sec| ISO 500| Manual Mode| Hand-held
“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”- Albert Camus, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.
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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved
The beautiful colors of autumn along the trail this morning. The air was crisp, and cool as I started my hike in darkness and perfect solitude, but now and then there would be a “crack!”, and rustling in the branches as another leaf fell to the ground to line the trail with a carpet of fallen leaves. For over an hour these were the only sounds I heard.
Fall is at peak in the mountains where I hike. Already many trees are bare. Winter is fast on Autumn’s heels.
Nikon D300s| Nikkor 85mm| f2.2| 1/40 sec| ISO 640| Manual Mode| Hand-held
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve; Hiking; Photography
Circadianreflections Blog 
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