Category Archives: Photography

Russian River, Meet Pacific Ocean

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There is nothing more humbling to me than a massive body of water. Some of my favorite moments have been staring out into the ocean, or perhaps a huge river. The Mediterranean Sea when I was in Turkey. The Amazon River in Peru. The Pacific Ocean in my new home state of California. Well, on one of our recent outings, Jake and I drove up to have dinner along the coast, and we ended up at the Russian River Delta, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean near Jenner, CA.

And looking at the delta where the river meets the ocean…

Near the shoreline, the ocean has some beautiful rock formations jutting out from the water.

What a beautiful place, and we live here! If only we could figure out a way to have this view out our back deck….now that would really be something.

Relaxing by the Eel River

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A few weekends ago, Jake and I drove up to spend the night pseudo-camping at our friends’ house up in Garberville. It’s up in Humboldt County, about 3 hrs north of Petaluma. Janice and Jerry invited us up for a quick getaway, and little did I know I would be staying right on the Eel River!

For the last several months, I’ve been doing research with my friend David at Friends of the Eel River. One of the major concerns with the Eel River water supply is that much of the water is diverted to the Russian River via PG&E’s Pottery Valley Project. While I’m still learning the ins and outs of the water world in California, it is very exciting for me when I get to see the subject of my research.

According to Janice, the river level was much higher in previous summers. This summer, there is a lot more visible gravel along the river bank than in previous years.

It was a wonderful getaway, though probably too short. We look forward to going back again soon.

It’s Hot–Think Cool

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When the temperature reaches 100 to 110 degrees here in the Mid-West, I remember cooler days along the California coast.

Wouldn’t it be great to dip your toes in this clear, beautiful water. One of our most valuable resources, cool water represents life and adventure.  And it is cool, wonderfully cool.

Think cool.  Be cool.

The Trails and Gardens at Crystal Bridges

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Crystal Bridges is a world class Museum of American Art.  But no visit would be complete without a walk through the grounds that surround it. In fact, one of the best reasons to walk along the trails is to be able to truly admire the graceful world class architecture from various vantage points along the trails behind and adjacent to the buildings themselves.

The museum is a masterpiece by acclaimed architect and urban planner, Moshe Safdie.  In addition to Crystal Bridges, his work includes projects in such diverse environments as Old City Jerusalem; Singapore; Golden Dream Bay in Qinhuangdao, China; as well as Kansas City’s own Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

There are extensive trails through the 120 acre site.  These trails pass by creeks, a pond, and native plants. They wind through and around the grounds. Small walking bridges pass over the creeks on the property that are actually fed by the Crystal Spring.

But the grounds are not limited to natural beauty.  Sculptures the quality of the world class art in the gallery are on the grounds outside as well.  My personal favorite is Stella, by artist/sculptor, Andre Harvey.  Stella weighs in at 560 pounds.  She seems to me to be completely and utterly content.  No dieting for this lass.  Look at her smile.

To rain or not to rain, that is the question

Posted on by annandmeg

It is dry, oh so dry.  The impact of this drought is the subject of a future post.  But the question of the moment is whether there will be rain today.  The weather forecast gives us hope that there will be relief from the 105 degree temperatures for at least a few days.  We are also given the promise of rain, precious rain.

Late yesterday afternoon I felt a single drop of rain.  On my drive home I saw a splash or two.  By 8 p.m. I was excited to see a real cloud.  The gray of a rain cloud was fighting against the fluffy white cloud which normally would have seemed lovely and delicate.  Now the dark of the rain cloud holds  our attention.

There were a few more drops and nothing more.  What does today hold?  Precious rain or dry heat?  That is the question.

Ann’s Office through the eyes of Color Sketch

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Color sketch is a so-called “effects mode” on my Nikon.  Described by photography writer, Chris Hall, as “making something out of nothing”, these photographs prove you can create art out of everyday things.  The first photograph is the view from my office chair.  You can see my clock, weights, M&M machine and books.  In the upper left hand corner is a calendar Meg gave me for Christmas.  The cover is a photograph of my husband, Terry, sitting in the back yard.

The beautiful flowers in this shot are really ink pens Meg gave me for my birthday in 2009.  She was  in the midst of final exams her first year of law school.

These photographs include some of my favorite reminders of Meg and Terry. But color sketch sure does make my office more fun for those who don’t understand the pure pleasure I get from the treasures with which I have chosen to surround myself.

They’re here, they’re there, they’re everywhere–Canadian Geese

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Have you noticed that Canadian geese are everywhere?  No?  They are if you live in the Midwest.  They are in our parks, our ponds, our golf courses, our lakes and rivers.  Ten years ago Kansas City had Canadian geese flying overhead with the change of the seasons.  Slowly we noticed that a few stayed through the winter.  Now they raise their young within a few feet of city traffic. Their waste is on our streets, our sidewalks and in the grass. Plaza traffic literally comes to a halt whenever a mom and her babies cross the street.

With the number of geese so nearby, I thought it would be fun (and easy) to photograph them for the blog.  I took photographs in Loose Park and near Kauffman Garden.  Most of the shots were just boring.  Then I found a beautiful spot on Brush Creek that catches the morning sun at a great angle.  Having seen geese swimming in the area I decided to take my camera to get photographs of the geese just at the beginning of day.

It isn’t that easy. Five mornings I have made the trip, looking for birds that are in the water right at the right place and time to create opportunities to photograph them when the colors of the water are most vibrant.

The geese sleep on open land, maybe 20 or 30 feet from the water.  Depending on factors known only to geese, they begin to move toward the creek between 8:15 and 9:00 a.m.  Most move toward the water in groups, a few move individually.

After arriving at the water’s edge they begin to primp and preen.  Finally, they enter the water, almost en mass, and only slowly spread out as they begin to swim upstream, downstream and under the bridge.

For a few wonderful moments the sun’s rays cause patterns of light to reflect back from the water, causing the beauty of the ducks to combine with the richness of the colors of sun, the rock and shade. When I am lucky I can find a goose in the water at the right time and place to catch them at their photographic best.

All too soon the suns rays are too strong to catch the colors, the ducks have moved too far on the water to easily shoot, and the water itself seems to turn a muddy green.  It is time to leave the geese for another day.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy

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The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore/Flower, dominates the central square in Florence, Italy.  Construction began in 1296 and was completed in 1436. It stands on the site of an earlier church erected during the 7th century.  Identified as a basilica or duomo, the complex of buildings at the site a cathedral, it is the home congregation for the Archbishop of Florence.  Wow.  When Terry and I visited Florence in 2011, 575 years after it was completed, I had to marvel at the comparatively pristine condition of the complex.

Our day in Northern Italy would not have been complete without visiting this architectural marvel. The architecture is alternately described as  Gothic, Classic and Romanesque, because it has elements of each of those styles and more.  The world was changing in the late 1300’s and the early 1400’s. The architecture of this magnificent structure was changing with it.

At the extreme right in the photograph is the bell tower, or Campanile, the second of the three buildings in the cathedral complex.  It’s design and construction were overseen, until his death, by the famous Italian architect and painter, Giotto di Bondone.  The pink, white and green facade reflects the natural colors of the marble from which the facade of the building was constructed. The intricate designs, exquisite windows and interior and exterior sculptures and Biblical works of art, are characteristic of the churches of Northern Italy built at that time.  But this is no less a masterpiece.

I particularly focused on the gilt bronze panels on the doors that  are situated on three sides of the duomo.  Additional, similar doors are on the baptistery, the third buildings in the cathedral complex.  Like every other aspect of the cathedral, the craftsmanship and detail are of the highest quality.  They evidence that the finest artists and intellectuals gravitated to Florence and helped usher in the Italian Renaissance.  Look at the detail of the faces and the elegance of the horns.

Surrounded by galleries, palaces and museums, the cathedral establishes Florence’s role as a center of  culture in the 1400’s.  Not surprisingly, the historic centre of the city is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.  It shares that designation with Dubrovnik, Croatia, which has also been featured on this blog.

Palace of Fine Arts: a glimpse of ancient Rome in San Francisco’s Marina District

Posted on by annandmeg

While Derek was in town at the end of June, we visited many of the iconic destinations San Francisco has to offer. One of them was the Palace of Fine Arts. There are few locations in the States that make me feel like I’m wandering the beautiful old architecture of Europe, but this was definitely one of them. With my camera in hand, I proceeded to get lost in the beauty of my surroundings. What a beautiful place to go for an afternoon stroll.

Near the eastern entrance, the tops of these giant columns all have figures facing inward. I don’t know what it means, but it is beautiful architecture.

Looking toward city residences, I thought this was a beautiful view. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a house right on the park?!

This was my attempt at an artistic shot, looking straight up from underneath a set of columns.

The architecture reminds me of ancient Rome, but the color almost reminds me of ancient Egypt. How fascinating.

It was a lovely visit, and the late afternoon sun created some beautiful shots. I highly recommend adding the Palace of Fine Arts on to your visit into the city. You don’t have to stay long, and parking is free. It truly is a magical place.

“Making Water Fluid” From Snapshots to Great Shots

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Anyone who follows our blog knows that I am struggling to master my camera.  I bought Rob Sylvan’s Nikon D5100 From Snapshots to Great Shots, and am making baby steps toward improving my technique.  Chapter 7 on Landscape Photography explains how to get shots with silky or “smooth-flowing” water.  Among the recommendations is to set the ISO at 200 or lower and the shutter speed at 1/15th of a second or slower.

I followed the directions, sort of, and ended up with water that is silky to frozen. The shot was taken at Kauffman Garden, in Kansas City, Mo.  Too me it looks much like glass.

I hope you like it.  If you do like it, give credit to Mr. Sylvan, if you don’t, I guarantee, the fault is all mine.