Category: Uncategorized

Copyright © 2010 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.
My goal today was to photograph a decent well framed, and focused bird in flight. I’m also trying out some new settings in my Wildlife program setting. I hope to be ready for the bird festivals this year and early next. I am happy with this shot!

PP- recovery -he was flying toward the sun, clarity, a little smart sharpening, and slight crop off the top and left side, resized.

Nikon D300s
Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 AF-D
Tamron 1.4x Extender
Hoya Multi Coated UV filter

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

Tule Elk Preserve
6.2 mile hike
The Pond
Mating Season

My friend Alex and I went out here today to see the Elk in Mating season. We hiked out just beyond the Pond.
This Bull Elk had about 15 females in his Harem. They were relaxing just beyond the Pond. It was a 3.1 mile hike out here. We past 4 Harems along the way. What a fantastic morning and afternoon to see these magnificent Elk! The Harem picking seems about settled. They seem to have decided on their territory, and mates. There was no fighting today.
I’ll try to get back a bit earlier next year to see if I can see some of fighting.

Nikon D300s
Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 AF-D

PP- My standard ACR sliders -vibrance, clarity, a wee bit of sharpening, slight crop off the right, and resized.

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

On the way home from Glacier National Park we took a slight detour to stop here. The color is awesome! It really was this blue. This is SOOC( straight out of the Camera) except for a slight crop off the bottom and right side.

Why so blue? “Light gets absorbed color by color as it passes through clear water. First reds go, then orange, yellow and green. Last to be absorbed are the blues. Only the deepest blue gets scattered back to the surface where you see it as the color of the water. The water is of course no more blue than the sky is blue.”

“The beauty and intense blue of Crater Lake have awed people for generations. Five miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2,000 feet high, the lake rests in the shattered remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island and other volcanic features, now hidden under the lake. Crater Lake is filled with rain and melted snow. At 1,943 feet deep, it is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world.”
~ National Park Service-U.S. Department of the Interior

Nikon D90
Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 AF-S

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

A special gift, a great buy, and a reminder of an old friend. Each one has a special memory, and story.

Nikon D300s
Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 AF-D

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

I needed to do some weeding today so decided to take my camera out with me. The bees obliged.
I saw a new sparrow all fuzzy but didn’t get a good shot. I hope it comes back. It’s eying my Hummingbird feeder. I’ll keep the bird feeder full to tempt it too.

Bees, Gathering, Pollen, Blossoms, Agapanthus, Lily-of-the-Nile, Nikon, Nikkor, San Jose, California, Backyard Gardens

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

After scouting out a couple of other locations my friend Alex and I headed to Wilder Ranch to check it out too.
The houses were closed for the day, but there were still a few barns open and some farm animals were still out in the pastures and paddocks. This scene I shot through a window in barn that housed old horse drawn carriages, lumber, and machinery that is used on farms.

For the Historians-
The park covers approximately 7,000 acres, with 34 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails winding through coastal terraces and valleys. Several buildings once belonging to the Wilder family have been restored. You can explore the history of early ranchers and farmers along the Central Coast through tours and living history demonstrations. The site was originally the main rancho supplying Santa Cruz Mission, and later became a successful and innovative dairy ranch. The grounds include Victorian homes, barns, shops, gardens, and a historic adobe. Major wetlands restoration projects have attracted some of the original flora and fauna back to the area.

PP- Vibrance, clarity, contrast, brightness, cropped and resized.
Nikon D300s
Nikkor 17-35 AF-S f/2.8

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

“I found an alter by the sea;
I walked around it eying every
angle, marveling at the beautiful
gifts placed there by those who before
me stopped here long enough to reflect on nature,
life, and the things that matter.
Did those who built it gain strength,
Hope, faith, their centered place?

I found an altar by the sea,
I added nothing, but took away
a memory of how it looked today.
An open temple full of grace.
~ Deborah M. Zajac

Ano Nuevo California State Park
Pacific Ocean
Bones
Shells
Driftwood

Nikon D90
Nikkor 80-200mm AF-D