California Beach Girl

California Coast

While many are welcoming the beginning of autumn, I'm busy saying a sad farewell to the end of another glorious summer.... 
 I'm still that California beach girl at heart!!

McGown Peak, Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

McGown Peak

Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho

Caterpillar

Well this is out of my comfort zone! Finally, a living creature that moves slow enough for me to take a picture!!  It almost looks fake.

McGown Peak, Sawtooth National Forrest, Idaho

McGown Peak 

Sawtooth National Forrest, Idaho

Sometimes it just takes moving the camera a few feet left, right, up or down to create a more attractive composition. I changed my perspective down a couple of feet to keep the tree from blocking the background, and I like how the shape of the branch nestles into the shape of the mountain.

Twin Falls Idaho Temple

Twin Falls, Idaho Temple

Hope your Sunday is a day of rest, peace and worship.

Monet Pond, Ashton Gardens, Utah

Ashton Gardens

Thanksgiving Point, Utah

Sunflowers show off their bright fall colors, complimented by a dreamy background of foliage and dappled light. Taken near the Monet Pond at Ashton Gardens. I think this kind of looks Monet...ish.

Ashton Gardens, Thanksgiving Point, Utah

Ashton Gardens

Thanksgving Point, Utah

This was one of those times where I combined two photos to make a more pleasing composition.  Both were taken the same day, at the same place, but from a different perspective.  I loved how the morning light was shining on this single water lily, but from the angle I wanted to shoot, there was nothing but boring, dark, murky water behind it.  (For those who know my photography well, you know I rarely take nature photos with a plain background.  In fact, I believe that an interesting background is one of the main parts of a composition that turns an average image into a great image.)  Anyway, first I knelt down and composed my shot of the lily so it would appear in the bottom left hand corner of the frame.  Then I stood up and composed an image of a patch of lilies that formed a diagonal and was a short distance behind my main subject lily.  I locked focus on the main lily, then recomposed on the background patch of lilies so that they would appear soft and out of focus.  I always shoot three bracketed shots; one set for a normal exposure, one set 1 stop over exposed and one set 1 stop underexposed.  (My camera then takes all three shots automatically with one click of the shutter.)  Camera settings were:  1/640 sec, f/6.4, 250 ISO and I was using a 200 mm lens handheld.  When viewing all the shots at home on my computer, I found I liked the underexposed shots the best for two reasons;  first and most important was that it made for a more dramatic and interesting image with the lily much lighter than the background, and second, it hid all the murky, ugly stuff under the surface of the water.  Editing was simple.  I combined the two in PS, cropped, sharpened, and added a bit of vibrance and contrast.

Alta, Utah

Alta, Utah

A beautiful summer morning near Alta Ski Resort. Can you almost feel the crisp mountain air and smell the pines!!

Disneyland

Happy 47th Anniversay to Us!

I think adults with grown up children fall into one of two categories......

those who say, "Thank heavens I never have to go to Disneyland again"........

or....... 

the other category!

Albion Basin, Utah

Albion Basin, Utah

Two more floral images from Albion Basin, Utah. I often find satisfaction in finding small glimpses of simple beauty that go unnoticed by passers by who are looking for something spectacular to photograph.

Cascade Springs, Utah

Cascade Springs, Utah

I took a quick trip up the canyon to enjoy the cool, refreshing water of a mountain stream when the temperatures were over 90F degrees in the valley!! (Taken at Cascade Springs in American Fork Canyon.)

Solar Eclipse 2017

Solar Eclipse 2017

I was not going to bother taking photos of the eclipse. I figured there would be a zillion photographers with ginormous telephoto lenses who would get far better shots than I would ever be able to get. But at the last minute, I just couldn't resist, so I drug Jeff out of bed around 3 am and we drove 5 hours...(well I drove and he slept), to about 40 miles east of Jackson, Wyoming. And despite all the hype, there was very little traffic along the way. We parked in a beautiful area of pine trees and wildflowers, along with just a few other eclipse watchers and waited for the big event. The time of totality was indeed an eerie event. The sky turned a weird color and was dark enough to see stars, and the temperature dropped dramatically. In the end, we were both glad we made the effort to witness this event.

P.S.  A friend made the following comment on my facebook post of this photo:  "What filter did you use? 10 stop ND would probably not be enough to protect your camera."  Here is my response:

I went to a class at Pictureline about photographing the eclipse. The instructor said you can buy an expensive filter or you can make one. He suggested buying a special solar optical film sheet and making your own. He showed examples of cutting out the bottom of paper cups that would fit over your lens and taping the film over the resulting hole. He stressed not to tape anything directly onto your lens because there could be the possibility of damaging the lens, but also because you would need to take it off quickly to photograph when the sun is in totality. I looked on line and saw all different ways of constructing DYI filters, all of which seemed too much of a bother. I didn't even know where to purchase that special film. Then a few days ago I was in Pictureline again and they had just received a shipment of squares of that film, specifically for the eclipse. I decided to buy a sheet and the clerk said I was lucky I showed up when I did as they would be sold out that day. When I got home I had the brilliant idea to just tape the film over my lens hood with painter's masking tape that could be removed easily. It was easily done, and I could quickly take the lens hood off and on the camera as needed. Took less than 10 minutes to cut a circle of the film and tape it on. I kept thinking this probably won't work, or else surely someone else would be talking about doing this. Anyway, it worked like a charm! Here is a picture:

  

Upper Mesa Falls, Idaho

Upper Mesa Falls, Idaho

"Rainbows introduce us to reflections of different beautiful possibilities so we never forget that pain and grief are not the final options in life."  -- Aberjhani

Red Fish Lake, Idaho

Red Fish Lake, Idaho

Another view of this beautiful lake, taken earlier in the day.

Red Fish Lake & Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho

Red Fish Lake & Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho

Idaho has some stunning scenery.  In my opinion, this area is every bit as spectacular as the more popular Tetons, which are not far from here.

Floral Fantasy at Albion Basin

Floral Fantasy at Albion Basin

Just the Two of Us!

Will you...........?

Don't know this couple or what they were discussing, but they only had eyes for each other and they certainly were not admiring the scenery, at least when I snapped this photo. (If it was a 'significant' time for them, it's too bad I can't send them this photo!)

Good Morning!

I'm Loving These Colors!!

Sunrise at Albion Basin

Sunrise at Albion Basin

Such a beautiful place!!

Shoshone Falls, Idaho - A Different View

Shoshone Falls, Idaho

(Different direction, different time of day, different light, than last post.)