Tag: Photography

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”- Albert Camus

Posted in California, hikes, Nature, PhotographyTagged , , , 2 Comments

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved

The beautiful colors of autumn along the trail this morning. The air was crisp, and cool as I started my hike in darkness and perfect solitude, but now and then there would be a “crack!”, and rustling in the branches as another leaf fell to the ground to line the trail with a carpet of fallen leaves. For over an hour these were the only sounds I heard.
Fall is at peak in the mountains where I hike. Already many trees are bare. Winter is fast on Autumn’s heels.

Nikon D300s| Nikkor 85mm| f2.2| 1/40 sec| ISO 640| Manual Mode| Hand-held

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve; Hiking; Photography

An evening on the Trail-September’s Hiking Report

Posted in California, hikes, Landscapes, PhotographyTagged , , Leave a comment

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

September 2011 Hiking Report
This is a sunset I shot on an evening I dropped too far behind while hiking on Horse Heaven trail with the Night Group. I was moving slower than my normal slow pace, so I dropped back and hiked alone the rest of the evening when the group decided to go up the 1st killer mountain. That particular part of the trail is a mountain with a climb of somewhere between 300-500ft with a grade of, I kid you not 25%! There is another mountain behind it just like it to be climbed to reach the summit that can’t be avoided. Being as slow as I am and this trail is very challenging for me as it is I decided to hike up Grove trail and cut over to Hidden Valley Trail rather than turning around and heading back down.  I’m glad I continued on. I was rewarded with soft colors and the amber light was warm and soothing.
I’m not feeling very motivated about hiking this month. I need a goal. I’ve found one! Details soon.

The month’s totals follow:
9/1 -6.90mi, 2,211ft, 4h28m- Mission Peak via Horse Heaven Tr. + Photography
9/2- 6mi, 699ft, 2h55m -Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes National Seashore.
9/6- 5.43mi, 1,550ft, 1h53m- PG&E trail- Rancho San Antonio
9/14- 4.71mi, 1,001ft, 1h36m- PG&E trail out & back Rancho San Antonio
9/16- 8.84mi, 1,970ft, 3h12m- PG&E trail up to Vista Point out and back
9/19-  6.2 mi est. 2,000ft est, – Hidden Valley trial to Grove Tr to Peak trail.
9/24- 8.36mi, 2,551ft, 4h30m- Mission Peak and Mt. Allison via Hidden Valley, Peak Trail, and Horse Heaven Trail.
9/30- 4.1mi, 820ft, 1h 26mins.- PG&E trail to Wildcat Loop O&B
Monthly Totals
Elevation Gained
12,802ft
Miles Hiked
50.54
YTD Elevation Gain          YTD Miles Hiked
79,869ft                                344miles

Nikon D700| Nikkor 18mm Ai-S| f11| 1/320 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Tripod

A new segment of Just be there…

Posted in Interviews, Photography, Still LifeTagged , , , , , 1 Comment

…with  Diana Lee Angstadt.

I have been a long time admirer of Diana’s Still-life’s.  She has an innate sense composition which I envy.  She cleverly stages everyday objects into wonderful compositions that are both beautiful and timeless fine art photographs.

She shares with us how she created this beautiful piece she calls “Desk Corner”.

Photograph by Diana Lee Angstadt

Q. Tell us about this set up?

Diana: Setting up the still life is the biggest hurdle; trying to make sure it looks as natural as possible. Objects should look as though they have a relationship to one another in a natural way. For this composition I began with the flowers. Then I slowly added in other items. I do not really think about it before hand. It comes to me as I am creating it. I will remove, and switch items until I feel it is cohesive and in good balance. I always like to have the light as soft as possible to create a gentle softness and mood.

Q. How did you expose for this shot?

Diana:  I don’t have too much available light from a nearby window, so I used two lamps with natural light bulbs… one to be the main source and the other as “fill” light. They have bendable arms so I can position them easily in any direction.
My exposure was Shutter Speed 1/40 with an F stop of 8. I used a tripod with a cable release.

Q. What camera and lens did you use for this shot?

Diana: The shot was taken with a Nikon D300 with a 50mm 1.8 lens. After I upload the image, I also add “texture” by placing it over the entire image and then vary the opacity in certain areas to allow the photo to come through the texture.

 

To see more of Diana’s work visit her website here.

http://www.dianaleephotodesigns.com/

 


Tickle my Bum

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Tickle my Bum, originally uploaded by dmzajac2004-.

Via Flickr:
Copyright © 2011 Deborah M. Zajac. All Rights Reserved.

Way back in May a friend and I went to the famous Frog Jumping Fair in Angel’s Camp, California.
The frogs need a bit of coaxing.
The judge encourages the contestants to “give em a little tickle on the bum.”

A lot of the time the frogs would jump backwards toward the shade and the pond they were so rudely pulled out of to come be the star of the show!

I didn’t do too well shooting the frogs in the air. I wasn’t as skilled as I would like to be anticipating where they would jump… when they did jump. I hope I get the opportunity to go again. It’s silly, and a lot of fun to watch.

Nikon D90| Nikkor 70-300mm @ 300mm| f8| 1/400 sec| ISO 200| Manual Mode| Hand-held