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Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

After a lovely afternoon photographing 3 of San Francisco’s beautiful Catholic Churches Dali and I came here to shoot the sunset. The beach traffic thinned out after the sun went down, and not long after that the sky turned this lovely shade of pink.

Nikon D90| Nikkor 17-35mm @30mm| f8| 1/13 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| On a Tripod| Shutter triggered with a Remote Release Cable

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

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I took this photo thinking I would never show it to a soul, and in all probability it wouldn’t come out at all since I took it so hastily, but when I uploaded it to my computer editing software and looked at it I saw something quite different from the ridiculous, oafish, boorish, pink and icky men I saw on the beach. There before me was the stark contrast of natural man on the rough, surf worn rocks gazing on the modern world, and this modern marvel we call The Golden Gate Bridge. I marveled at the genius of man and how far we’ve come, and how beautiful he looked standing there. In this time capsule he is man at his best pure, intelligent, proud, and I am humbled.

“Though human ingenuity may make various inventions which, by the help of various machines answering the same end, it will never devise any inventions more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than Nature does; because in her inventions nothing is wanting, and nothing is superfluous, and she needs no counterpoise when she makes limbs proper for motion in the bodies of animals. But she puts into them the soul of the body, which forms them that is the soul of the mother which first constructs in the womb the form of the man and in due time awakens the soul that is to inhabit it.”~ Leonardo de Vinci

Thank you Son for the title. All my love ~♥~

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 80-200mm @ 80mm| f8| 1/400 sec| ISO 500| Manual mode| Hand-held

Uploaded by dmzajac2004- on 14 Feb 11, 10.44AM PST.

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

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Dali emailed me this morning asking if I was free to go shoot today. Fortunately I was free so we headed up to the city. We photographed a few cathedrals, and ended the day here at Baker Beach.
This vantage point has been on my “to do” list for sometime. It’s a lovely vantage point, but I would like a “re-do” at low or negative tide.

Nikon D90| Nikkor 17-35mm @ 35mm | f16| 13.0 sec.| ISO 200| Manual Mode| On a Tripod| Remote Release Cable
San Francisco, California; Golden Gate Bridge: Long Exposure

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

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While framing up the Sandhill Cranes this Great Egret buzzed these three.
How great is that! It made up for harsh lighting and shooting at the wrong time of the day. Not knowing if I’d get an opportunity to come back before the Sandhill Cranes leave for the year I shot until the sun went down.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mm f4 @ f4| 1/400 sec| ISO 160| Manual Mode| On a Tripod w/ Sidekick| Hoya Circular Polarizer w/ 81A

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
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A friend and I went out to Ano Nuevo to take a tour with a docent out to the bluffs to see the Elephant Bull Seals, females and pups. This big guy moved sinuously over to this female and slung his fin over her body and started making advances. Females who are not in estrus will do all they can to get away from an advancing male; throw sand, and run! For these two, however, the courtship has begun…

The males arrive first in the winter followed by the females who come to give birth to their pups. They nurse the pups for 3 weeks then they abandon them, mate again then return to sea to eat.
The pups mortality rate on land is 10% they are left to fend for themselves without even knowing how to swim! Those that make it out to sea to return have a mortality rate of 50%.

For more information and History see:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=1115

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mmf4 @ f7.1| 1/250 sec| ISO 400| Manual Mode| On a Monopod|

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve been wanting to see a Shoveler close enough to get a good shot for a year. Finally I got not one but two! This pair was out on a pond in Redwood Shores in San Carlos, CA.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mm f4 @ f6.3| 1/800 sec| ISO 160| Manual Mode| On a Tripod|

Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

To see the photo larger click anywhere in the photo.

Shortly after arriving at Llano Seco Wildlife Refuge we were standing around listening to our guide talk about the area and the types of birds we might see here when someone spotted a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying toward us.
Thankfully I had my camera ready. I hadn’t yet decided I wanted my extender on it so this is a shot without it.
The forecast called for fog, low clouds, and no sun making for some rather dull back grounds I’m afraid.

I missed the Sandhill Cranes last year and hoped I’d see some this year. This felt like a gift from the skies seeing this flock fly by. A great beginning to the day.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 300mm f4 @ f4| 1/640 sec| ISO 250| Manual Mode| Hand-Held

Sandhill Cranes; Grus canadensis; Llano Seco Wildlfe Refuge; Chico California; Pacific Fly-by; Sandisk Ultra II Digital Film; CS5