Photography – Page 121 – Circadianreflections Blog

“The stars twinkle in the Milky Way and the wind sighs for songs across the empty fields of a planet a Galaxy away. “~L.Ron Hubbard

May 14, 2013May 14, 2013Posted in PhotographyLeave a comment

“The stars twinkle in the Milky Way and the wind sighs for songs across the empty fields of a planet a Galaxy away. "~L.Ron Hubbard, originally uploaded by CircadianReflections Photography.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I purchased the Nikkor 16mm Fisheye lens with Night Photography in mind. This was the first time since acquiring it that I’ve been out shooting the stars.

I really wanted to see how it works and how photos would look so I used only the Fisheye lens for all my Night Sky photography on this night.
I was hoping the angle of view would be so wide that I could capture a lot of the Milky Way. I couldn’t capture it all in one frame but I was able to get more than ever before.

A small group of us were hanging out together most the night. Meggie, Ritesh, Nikki, Marsha, and I. We had been photographing the night sky waiting for the Milky Way to rise then climb high enough above the mountains, and clouds for us to see it. Our position then was down near the campground using the Oak Trees and grass in our foreground. About 1:30AM Marsha and I hiked back up to the Peak to shoot the Milky Way over the valley.
The pockets of light in the right mid-ground is the city of Hollister hidden under the fog I believe. This was my last shot of the night. I took this at 3:12AM from just under Fremont Peak. It was a fun night under the stars. Marsha and I hiked down the mountain tired, but elated. It’s so exciting seeing so many stars, and the Milky Way this vibrant and clear once again in our hemisphere.

My next goal is to learn how to do a panorama of the Milky Way.

Sunset from the Galiban Mountain Range

May 12, 2013May 12, 2013Posted in Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., Landscapes, Nature, PhotographyTagged Fremont Peak State Park, San Jose California Nature Photography, Sunset3 Comments

Sunset from the Galiban Mountain Range, originally uploaded by CircadianReflections Photography.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved

This year for my birthday I wanted to spend it photographing the Milky Way, stars, and sunset. Since I would be up all night or nearly so my family opted out. So, I joined one of my favorite Meet-up groups in Fremont Peak State Park to shoot the stars.This Sunset was the beginning of an awesome night out. The sunset was fantastically beautiful, and the sky cleared for us to get wonderful photos of the Milky Way., and Star Trails I was up on the Peak when the clock hit Midnight May 12th…my birthday. Myself and several friends shot until after 4AM. I arrived home at 9AM on Sunday morning tired, but happy. I spent the rest of the day relaxing then my family took me out to dinner for my Birthday/Mother’s Day combo.
I feel so blessed right now to have such loving and supportive family. I’m heading to bed soon. I’ll probably fall into a deep sleep as soon as my head hits my pillow.
I hope all Mom’s reading this had a wonderful day, and a great week-end!

Sunset Santa Cruz (circadianreflections.wordpress.com)
Appreciating A Sunset (authormccloskeyspeaks.wordpress.com)

On the third day there was better light

May 11, 2013May 11, 2013Posted in Birds, Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., Nature, Photography, WildlifeTagged Camera, Cedar Waxwing, Los Gatos, Niko, San Jose California Nature Photography1 Comment

I have gone out 3 mornings in a row trying to get a decent photograph of a Cedar Waxwing. The first morning the light was awful. It was overcast requiring me to really crank up my ISO to get the speed I needed to maintain a sharp photograph, but all my photos have too much noise…yes even with the D700 it’s too much noise for me. To keep my speed up I was using ISO 3200. These little guys move fast.
Yesterday wasn’t as overcast, but the Cedar Waxwings kept themselves high in the trees which was too far for my lens unfortunately, but this morning the light was better, the sun was breaking through the marine layer earlier, so I dressed grabbed a slice of toast, and a quick cup-a-tea then headed over to the park hoping to spot the Waxwings before the park got too busy.

Arriving in the park I saw a gaggle of geese with several goslings in tow-here’s just two, two Killdeer in the grass hunting for breakfast, and there were robins, and crows as well.

The early morning runners and walkers were already there, and several families were claiming picnic areas, and tables.

It took me a little while to find the flock this morning. They moved a little further south from where they were previously. I spent over an hour following them and photographing them. They had flown to some great low branches where the sun was at a great angle for both back-lit and side-lit shots. I was focused and shooting away when suddenly in the creek below this Canadian Goose started honking, and honking, and the Waxwings got upset; flitting around and then from the corner of my eye I spied a large bird coming in fast…it was a Hawk! All the Waxwings, and the Goose took off for safer branches. I’m not sure if this is a Red-tail or a Coopers.

I saw this Hawk high up in a Eucalyptus Tree on my way out of the park. I think it’s a Cooper’s Hawk, but am not positive. Any help with the Hawk ID I’d appreciate it.

Waxwings don’t normally live here. They will be gone by June I’ve heard. This is the first time I’ve ever seen them in the wild. I’m so happy to have seen them and get a few photos I like. I hope to get back here and photograph them again before they move on.

Canadian Geese and Goslings

May 10, 2013May 10, 2013Posted in Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., Nature, Nikon, Photography, WildlifeTagged Canada Goose, Canadian Geese Goslings, Nature, Nikon D700, San Jose California Nature Photography, Wildlife2 Comments

I went to a local park this morning looking for a small flock of Cedar Waxwings that I spied yesterday, and on the way I spotted two Canadian Geese Goslings.

They were adorable pecking along the grass looking for worms and grubs.

Here’s the only photo I was took with the parents fully in the frame:

…and here are the two little ones together:

Since these were born in the USA shouldn’t they be called United States Geese, or California Geese? 🙂

Mom and Baby Goslings (franzsfeaturedfotos.com)
Family of geese released into wild after rescue Tuesday (fox6now.com)

” Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.” ~Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

May 6, 2013May 6, 2013Posted in Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., PhotographyTagged Bearded Iris, Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, Nikon D700, Photography, San Jose California, San Jose California Nature PhotographyLeave a comment

” Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.” ~Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, originally uploaded by CircadianReflections Photography.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2013 Deborah M Zajac. All Rights Reserved

Another Iris from Nola’s Iris Garden in San Jose’s eastern foothills.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 28-105 | Texture by Kim Klassen| James Beltz Glamor Glow technique

Bearded Iris Morning

May 5, 2013May 5, 2013Posted in Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., PhotographyTagged Bearded Iris, Camera Lenses, Flowers, Nikon, Photography, San Jose California Nature PhotographyLeave a comment

I went to Nola’s Iris Garden yesterday with a Meet-Up group. It’s in the Eastern Foothills of San Jose, CA.
This should have peak season for them, but we’ve had several days of really warm temperatures lately and that has taken its toll on the Iris. I found most of them wilted and tired looking, but walking through the rows of Iris I did find several that were in good condition.
Nola’s specialize in Bearded Iris and are open to the public in April and May. I’d like to revisit this nursery next year and hopefully see it in all its splendor.

I used my Nikon D700 with my Nikkor 28-105mm AF-D micro lens for this outing. It’s an older lens which can only be found on the used market today. I purchased it to have a “walk around”, light mid-range zoom for hiking. The macro function wasn’t something I was really interested in at the time I purchased the lens, but I’ve used the macro function quite a bit since purchasing it, and I’m really happy with the results. The macro is a 1:2 ratio not a true 1:1, but I can get even closer using my Canon 500D Close-Up Lens with it.

Orange Beard

Colorful Housing

Farm tools

Woody met John Deer

A view of the Eastern Foothills from the garden

Ebb and Flow

May 4, 2013May 4, 2013Posted in Copyright 2013 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved., Landscapes, Nature, Nikon, Photography, TravelTagged Golden Hour, Landscape Photography, Pacific Coast, San Jose California Nature Photography, Santa Cruz, Sunset1 Comment

Ebb and Flow, originally uploaded by CircadianReflections Photography.

It’s time to head to the coast! My friend Dali and I headed up Hwy 1 to look for a nice spot to photograph the Golden Hour and Sunset. You can’t go wrong driving Hwy 1. There are hundreds of beautiful beaches to see.
Here’s last night’s Golden Hour. The tide was rising. I loved watching the ebbing tide drape/cascade over these rocks. The Golden Hour really brought out the red in the rocks as well.
It was pretty, and very relaxing listening to the pounding surf.

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