Photography – Page 63 – Circadianreflections Blog

Eastern Sierras with iPhone 7 Plus

October 12, 2016October 12, 2016Posted in Eastern Sierras, iPhone 7 Plus, iphonegraphy, Landscapes, PhotographyTagged Eastern Sierras, Fall Color, Gear, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhoneography, Landscape Photography45 Comments

Long overdue for a cell phone upgrade I ordered the iPhone 7 Plus after watching the promotion video, and several youtube reviews. My ship date was way out Nov. 7-11th. Sigh. Oh boy, this phone is popular I thought.

To my delight I received an email saying my new iPhone 7 Plus was shipped I’d have it the following day! I received it Thursday late afternoon, and began the process of updating my iTunes, backing up my iPhone 5’s data, images, etc., then followed the steps to get my new phone up and running. It took a long time, and it wasn’t without a few glitches, but I was able to take it with me to the Eastern Sierras for the week-end to try it out while I was photographing Fall Colors with a group of photographers, and friends.

I was really excited to try out the dual lenses in the new iPhone.

Here are three images I made using it.

Mono (moh-noh) Lake South Tufa Area Daybreak. Tufa is pronounced (too-fah).

On the top two images I used Adobe Camera Raw after uploading the images to my computer. I applied my standard settings: I opened up the shadows, and tweaked the blacks, and highlights. Then I added a bit of contrast, vibrance, and cropped off bits that didn’t add anything to the image or to strengthen the composition. I added sharpening for the web and resized them for web viewing.

South Tufas Mono Lake

Conway Summit Alpine Glow (Sunrise)

Conway Summit Morning Alpine Glow

North Lake: This image is SOC = Straight out of the camera aside from resizing for the web, and cropping off a bit at the top.

+1 MORE: I packed lite, really I DID!

Packing Lite

The camera won’t replace my DSLR, but I’m impressed with it and will probably start using my phone camera more than I have been. I wonder if my FZ200 will be the camera that gets shelved for this camera though?

I have oodles of images I made over the week-end made with my trusty Df. I’ll be sharing those soon.

Apple iPhone 7 Plus| Adobe Camera Raw| PS CC 2015.5

More to come…

Rice Silos of Central Valley

October 7, 2016October 7, 2016Posted in Agriculture, California, Nikon, PhotographyTagged Agriculture, California, Nikon, Photography, Reflections, Rice Silos, Semi truck, Silos13 Comments

While in Central Valley CA. a couple of weeks ago birding I also made a point of stopping to photograph these silos in the late afternoon light.

Rice Silos Central California

I’m enamored with silos and the reflection was particularly nice at this time of day.

It was the tail end of the Rice harvest while I was there, and there were harvesters in the fields, and many semi-trucks driving to the Silos to deliver their loads.

In the shadow under the Silos there’s a semi, and its driver who spied me and my girl-friend making images of the silos…he scooted behind his rig. There really was no need though. I could barely see him with my eyes! 🙂

I hope you all have a lovely week-end!

Nikon Df| Nikkor 17-35mm| Delkin Digital Film

More to come…

Thursday Doors 40/52

October 6, 2016October 6, 2016Posted in Architecture, Doors, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Architecture, Brick House, California, Nikon, Photography, Sneaked vs Snuck, Thursday Doors, Topiary25 Comments

I can’t believe how fast this week has flown by! Thursday sort of snuck up on me so I’ve reached into my “walks around the neighborhood” files for this week’s Thursday Doors post. Although, this particular neighborhood is the hilly one I stretch my legs in and a 10 minute drive from my “hood”.

N°12359

I confess the beautiful brick work, and topiary caught my eye before the door did.

N°12359

a look at the front of the house,

N°12359

Writing this up my spell checker didn’t like the word “snuck”. It likes sneaked better, but I don’t say sneaked in this sense…so, I looked it up to see if I’ve been saying the past tense of sneak wrong my whole life. Apparently, I’m not alone and a lot of people say snuck, but I’d be correct using the word sneaked.

I think I’ll just leave it as an irregular verb and say snuck, and ponder it awhile as I’m writing this in the wee hours of the morning without my brain stimulating cup-a-tea. 🙂

What do you say; sneaked, or snuck?

Nikon Df| Nikkor 24-120mm| Delkin Digital Film

This post is part of Norm 2.0’s Thursday Doors. If you love doors and would like to see the doors others are posting, or post doors you’ve photographed and join other door lovers from around the world click here.

At the end of Norm’s latest Thursday Door post is a little Blue Link-up/View button click it to be taken to a page with all the links to view all the posts, and add your own if you’re a door enthusiast too.

More to come…

Thursday Doors 39/52

September 29, 2016September 29, 2016Posted in Art, Doors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Art, Carved Doors, Door Panel, Nikon, Photography, Thursday Doors48 Comments

For this week’s Thursday Doors I have returned to my NYC trip files to share another ancient door panel from the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art).

The plaque beside the panel says:

Carved Door Panel

Present-day Uzbekistan, Samarquand, Timurid period

(1370-1507), late 15th century

Wood (cypress); carved, with traces of paint

Culture- Islamic

H-82 in (208.3 cm)
W- 30 3/4in (78.1cm)
D-2 1/2in (6.4cm)
Wt. – 127 lbs. (57.6kg)
Made in Present-day Uzbekistan, Samarqand

This door is said to have been found in a secular building in Khokand, in present-day Uzbekistan. The intricate carvings of the interlaced vine scrolls seen here may be compared to similar relief decoration in stone carvings of the fifteenth century and to contemporary manuscript illuminations. The establishment of royal workshops throughout Iran during the fifteenth century fueled a unity of design across media, resulting in the emergence of common regional design vocabularies.

Carved Panel Door

Nikon Df| Nikkor 28-105mm| Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2015.5

More to come…

Flight of the Fiery Skipper

September 28, 2016September 27, 2016Posted in Butterflies and Skippers, Nature Photography, Nikon, PhotographyTagged Fiery Skipper, ICM, Impressionist Photography, Insects, Intentional Camera Movement, Nature Photography, Nikon, Skippers, Slow Shutter Speed34 Comments

While #1 Grandson played quietly without me I took advantage and tried to catch up on emails and news at my desktop computer which is near a window that looks out on the backyard. Suddenly in the corner of my eye there was fluttering, and streak of color!

A Fiery Skipper was drinking the nectar from the tiny Lantana peddles! My camera never too far out of reach was in my hands quick as you like, and me making a mad dash for the backyard! Using a strip of lattice work on my patio cover as a blind I quietly positioned myself and took several images of the skipper at its meal. Most were sharp as a tack and show the skipper very well, but today I like this one the most. The movement shows their flightiness, and speed of the Skipper; how quick and nibble they are!

The image has an Impressionistic feel that resonates with my soul just now.

Flight of the Firery Skipper

No doubt in time I’ll be sharing one or two of those sharp as tack images I made, but today let’s be nibble and quick and fly with the Fiery Skipper! 🙂

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015.5| image made 9/21/2016

More to come…

Plan B is for the Birds

September 26, 2016September 26, 2016Posted in Birds, Birds in the Wild, Birds of North America, Birds of Prey, Insects, National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuges in California, Nature, Nature Photography, Nikon, Photography, Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, San Jose California Nature Photographer, WildlifeTagged Birds, Birds in the Wild, Deer, Doe, Dragonflies, Ducks, Fawn, Insects, Nature Photography, Night Heron, Nikon, Northern Pintails, Peregrine Falcon, Pied-billed Grebe21 Comments

My original Photography plans for last week-end fell apart mid-week when one of the friends I was going with fell ill. Rather than go anyway which didn’t sit well with me or my friend Theresa we two switched gears and decided to go birding in the Central Valley to see what birds if any had arrived early.

I had read a few reports of early migrants in the area; we hoped to find one or two, and spend some time catching up with each other.

I left for T’s house early (6:30am) so we’d get to the Refuge in the morning when the birds are more active.

We found the first pond completely sans water. Fish and Wildlife have just started filling the ponds we discovered. Many of the ponds we’re used to seeing full of water were bone dry, but it is early in the season!

Just as we were starting the auto-route we spied a Doe and her Fawn in the tall grass. I didn’t get an image of them together. Mom decided her male Fawn was too close to the road and moved to higher grass. Honestly, I think she looks young!

Doe Deer Female

The Fawn has two little adorable antler nubs. Fawn Male

Early arrivals: There were quite a few White-fronted Geese on the little islands in the ponds that had water.

White-fronted Goose

Northern Pintails, and Shovelers are showing up, but I didn’t make any images of the Shovelers they were too far out. You see a Northern Pintail in image above giving me a one wing salute. 🙂

Among the usual suspects here were thousands of Dragonflies,

Dragon Fly

Pied-billed Grebes

Pied-billed Grebe

Night Herons; most were deep in the foliage, but one was on Sentry duty,

Night Heron

We saw a female Harrier flying low in the distance hunting, a few Red-tail Hawks, and as we approached the tree the Bald Eagles hang out in there we saw there was a Peregrine Falcon perched on a snag surveying the land.

Once the Eagles return I doubt we’ll be seeing this Falcon in this tree. 🙂

Plan B turned out to be a great day, and it was lovely hanging out with Theresa. You can find her images on flickr here.

Nikon D700| Nikkor 200-500mm VR| Lexar Professional Digital Film| PS CC 2015.5

More to come…

Thursday Doors 38/52 West Cliff Inn

September 22, 2016September 21, 2016Posted in Architecture, Nikon, Photography, Thursday DoorsTagged Historic Buildings, Italianate style architecture, Lynch House Santa Cruz CA, Nikon, Photography, Santa Cruz California, Thursday Doors, West Cliff Inn39 Comments

After photographing the Harvest Moon (image here) last Friday night I was walking up the hill to the car when I couldn’t help but notice, and remark how lovely the West Cliff Inn looked all lit up, and her transom window over the entry door looked lovely too.

My friend replied, “There’s your next door!”. Don’t you love friends that support our thing for doors? I do! 🙂

West Cliff Inn/Lynch House Santa Cruz, CA

West Cliff Inn- Lynch House

For the History Buffs:

“Most of those who descended on California during the Gold Rush never struck it rich. One exception was prospector Sedgewick Lynch, a carpenter-turned-49er who made his fortune in the gold fields, then made his way to Santa Cruz. Lynch continued to use his carpentry skills; he built the original Santa Cruz wharf, among other local projects.

In 1877, Lynch built his family manse on a bluff with a commanding view of the ocean, just a short walk from the lighthouse. The Lynch House was among the town’s most prominent residences, constructed for the then-startlingly high cost of $12,000. The house was initially the only home on the cliff, but by the turn of the century, similarly grand neighbors joined it, giving birth to the nickname “Millionaires’ Row.”

Over the next hundred years, the Lynch House morphed from family home to hospital, to office space and vacation rental. By 2004, it was dilapidated. But the Italianate Grand Dame of West Cliff Drive was in luck; the new owners wanted to save the historic property, so they undertook a complete renovation to the building.

Four Sisters Inn’s President Shelley Post collaborated on every phase of the rehabilitation project, and her strong knowledge of what guests want influenced many design decisions. For example, soaking in a large tub after a long day at the beach is on Shelley’s list of favorite things, which is why almost every room soon had a deep soaking tub.

Work began in 2004, and by June of 2007, the Lynch House was as beautiful as ever, ready to welcome Santa Cruz visitors under her new name: Four Sisters Inns.”~westcliffinn.com

~westcliffinn.com

I remember when the house was looking quite run down. I am so happy it was restored and converted to a B&B and preserved as an Historical Landmark in 2007. It looks beautiful today.

Nikon Df| Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G| Delkin Digital Film| PS CC 2015.5

More to come…

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