Category: Uncategorized

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
This is the second stop my friends and I made while in Tuolumne Meadows. It was amazing to me and Theresa to see the changes in the meadow since June when we saw it last. This area was flooded with the river rushing through the meadow with snow covering what wasn’t under water. The water was so high then that those little islands were not visible, nor were those bushes on the right.

The colors were showing some signs of Fall color in the rusty tops of the bushes on the far bank and the golden grass. We spent a lot of time behind those bushes where there is a little stream tumbling down to this larger pond, and with the help of modern transportation we got some interesting color in the sky. The air traffic over this park is incredible! The clouds you see in the sky are actually the dispersed vapor trails of jets that fly way above the park.

Exposure and PP- This was another one of those tricky scenes with shadows and bright highlights. This is the -1 stop exposed frame from a 3 frame manually Bracketed set. I only took 4 shots here total.
This frame had the best all around detail to work with.

PP- Recovery, clarity, vibrance, USM, resized, and Dodging the Snow Capped Mountains a bit using the Adjustment Brush in ACR to bring out some details. Thank you Pj for that tip. The instructions in my CS5 Scott Kelby book were once again perfect for getting it done quickly and easily.
Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 @17mm, f6.3, 1/320s, ISO 200, Manual Mode, Tripoded- this should be a word!

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

My trip to Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing,CA was filled with lots of wonderful sea animals, and shore birds.
This Heron seems small. A juvenile perhaps. Also there is something odd about its wing. Or it just looks odd from this far away.
I liked the light on his face. The sun came out for just a little while and fortunately I was able to get some light here. I also like how nice he looks with the yellow wildflowers.

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 300mm f/4

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

From the trailhead at Pierrce Ranch it’s a 4.7 mile hike out to Tomales Point. Along the way we passed Harems of Tule Elk. The trail has a bit of uphill both ways!
As you see the sky was pretty socked in with fog. No dramatic clouds today, but the scenery did not disappoint! This sailboat looked lovely gliding into Tomales Bay, and there were a half a dozen Starfish on the furthest rocks you see there.

For the Historians:
The Coast Miwok people were the first to inhabit the coastal area of sheltered coves, beaches, tidal marshes, and forest of Bishop pines now known as Tomales Bay State Park, forty miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sir Francis Drake was the first explorer to land in this area in 1579, followed by the Spanish in 1595. Russian and German scientists explored the area in the early 1800s.

In the 1940s real estate developers began to purchase large areas of beachfront land, prompting local residents and conservation groups to save this area as a park. In 1952, Tomales Bay State Park was formally dedicated and opened to the public.

PP- Cropped a bit off the top- nothing interesting to see there, vibrance, clarity, levels and wee bit of saturation, USM, and resized

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

When we came out of the tunnel from Sausalito into San Francisco this was nearly the view before me. I asked my friend to stop so we could shoot this before continuing south for home after our day in Point Reyes to photograph the Tule Elk. We drove up to the Marina Headlands and spent a good 30-40 minutes shooting this. Instead of the night getting foggier it started to clear up! Once the fog was off the bridge we packed it up and headed for home.

I don’t believe I’ll get tired of photographing this bridge.

PP- Vibrance, clarity, recovery, and a tiny crop off the right side, straightened the horizon, and resized

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8@ 17mm, 59s, f16, ISO 200, EV +2/3, Remote cable release, Sundisk Ultra SDHC Digital Film

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

One of my Meet-Up groups went out on pontoon boat in Elkhorn Slough to see the Otters, Seals, and Shore birds.
We were out in the slough for 2 hours. It got a bit foggy toward the end, but it wasn’t cold thankfully.

I really like this lens! Look at that Bokeh!!
It’s fast, doesn’t hunt, is quite, and renders colors good enough for me Looks pretty sharp to me too. This one is going on my wish list.

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 300mm f/4

PP- Levels, USM, and resized

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

One of my Meet-Up groups went out on pontoon boat in Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing,CA just north of Monterey to see Otters, Seals, and Shore birds.
We were out in the slough for 2 hours. The boat had no top and we sat 2 by 2. I had the inside seat. One side would sit and the other side would stand to take photos. Often times I was working around a head or hat. It got a bit foggy toward the end, but it wasn’t cold thankfully. I rented a Nikkor 300mm f/4 for the week and took it out today. It was great! It didn’t hunt, is quiet, and sitting in a boat the weight wasn’t bad at all. I’m sure hiking it will be different. I’ll let you know tomorrow.
These two- Mom and pup were adorable!

PP- Vibrance, clarity, resized and a slight crop from the top and bottom

Nikon D300s, Nikkor 300mm f/4, Promaster UV filter, Sundisk SDHC digital film

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
Mono Lake Tufa SNR
State Natural Reserve

Something from my Eastern Sierra trip back in June. I’m really looking forward to going again this Fall.

I spent 2+ days in the 395 corridor. My last morning a girl-friend from a Meet-up group and I got up just before 3AM to drive out to Mono (Moe-noh) Lake to photograph sunrise.
We started out at Navy Beach but there weren’t as many tufas (two-fahs) there and the few that were there were quite a walk out. We would have missed the sunrise had we walked out there so we drove over to the south side where all the tufas are. Yes, these have probably been shot a zillion times by other photographers…many were here this morning, but this was my first time to the lake. I was so thrilled to see them and photograph them.

The “Save the Mono Lake” group has won their battle and the lake will be restored. When it hits it’s mandatory depth all these tufas will be submerged under water. Get there while you can!

Nikon D300s
Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8AF-S
B+W Circular Polarizer

PP-Clarity, vibrance, resized.

Historical Information:
The reserve was established to preserve the spectacular “tufa towers,” calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. It also protects the lake surface itself as well as the wetlands and other sensitive habitat for the 1 – 2 million birds that feed and rest at Mono Lake each year.

Mono Lake is a majestic body of water covering about 65 square miles. It is an ancient lake, over 1 million years old — one of the oldest lakes in North America. It has no outlet.

Throughout its long existence, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams. Freshwater evaporating from the lake each year has left the salts and minerals behind so that the lake is now about 2 1/2 times as salty as the ocean and very alkaline.