…you may be in for a shock…

June 25, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged ATV trips, cactus flowers, Carson Valley, Ford Mustang, Ford Ranger, Hoonie Mine, Mercury Cougar, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Quartz Peak, Reno Mustang Car Club, Restomods in Reno Car Show, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

I have no idea where the time gets to. I sat down to build this post and realized that it’s been over two weeks since my last post. I haven’t been sitting around, however, as you will see from the images below. I have made some changes, too. The first change is that I bought a new camera body – a Canon 7D Mark II. To help me learn the camera, I bought a book by David Taylor. I’ve used his books before, so I was confident things would go well. Then I read the first page – “If you’ve just upgraded to an EOS 7D Mark II from one of Canon’s consumer DSLRs you may be in for a shock.” Boy howdy, was he right!! It’s a big learning curve, but the results will be worth the work.

I would also like to introduce you to the PHOTORANGER!

The PHOTORANGER – a 1999 Ford Ranger Sport – in its natural environment. You can see Blue and his band above the bed on the far hillside! This image was made with the new camera body.)

I took it into the Pine Nut Mountains to find the horses and see how it performs. It did not disappoint. I took it to a few places that I wouldn’t take the Expedition. Very fun for me!!

A couple weeks ago, my friend Rich and I went to the Restomods in Reno Car Show. See the Automobiles page for more images, but here’s my favorites from the day.

Who doesn’t love a classic Mustang with a matching pedal car?

Some people just know how to live. The Reno Mustang Club president just acquired this a few weeks before the show.

This Boss 302 belongs to a good friend of mine. He’s still working on his ’66 hardtop.

I’ve always had a soft spot for Cougars. This car was beautiful and I was pleased with this picture. Note the Parnelli Jones tribute car on the left.

And I hate it when I hit the wrong button and publish too soon. My apologies to those of you who will get this again.

I took a ride with my ATV group to the Hoonie Mine on Quartz Peak. The scenery was gorgeous and the quartz formation was awesome. See the Landscape and Scenery page for more images.

The view of the Sweetwater Range from the summit of Quartz Peak.

Who knew that quartz could sustain life?

But plants are everywhere, if you know where to look…

As I said, the quartz formations were great!

I spent some time in the Pine Nut Mountains. When the horses were hiding, the cactus flowers made great subjects. Check out the Wild Horses page for more pictures of the horses, and the Landscape and Scenery page for more cactus flowers.

This is the Boys Club – Samson, Little Socks, Skip, and Jack. These 4 bachelor studs are hanging out together until they get their own mares and start their own bands. They were on the hill overlooking Blondie’s band and lined up for this shot.

This is Blondie, not too worried about the Boys Club (who were behind me) but wanting to know what I was doing.

For my Wyoming friends – a cactus flower shaped like a ‘W’.

I submitted this macro image to a contest – we’ll see how it fares in competition.

Well, that’s it for this post. Enjoy and I’ll try to be more timely with my next post.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

All RAW — All the Time!

June 8, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Cattle drives, Cinnamon Teal, Daggett Pass, Egrets, Finches, Hawks, Lake Tahoe, Marmots, Monitor Pass, Pelicans, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Raptors, Rock Chucks, Scenery, Waterfowl, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography, Willson's Phalarope | 1 Comment

It’s a quiet Saturday morning and I’m not heading out for an hour or so. My friend, Rich, and I are going to Reno to see the Restomods in Reno Car Show. Assuming they come out, you’ll see pictures in my next post. I’m astounded that it’s been almost 3 weeks since my last post. Time really flies when you’re having so much fun!

I’ve made a couple changes in my shooting and editing process since my last post. First, I’m shooting in RAW format exclusively (All RAW – All the Time). I resisted going to RAW for a very long time because I wasn’t comfortable editing in RAW, it consumes massive amounts of memory, and the images can not be used right out of the camera – they must be edited. In the last few months, I made learning to edit in RAW a priority and have gained enough comfort factor to shoot in that format exclusively. Of course, my editing time has increased and I fill up SD cards quickly. The tradeoff is worth it, however, as I was becoming increasingly less happy with the JPEG images coming out of the camera. The second change is my ‘backup’ process. Like many photographers, I have triple redundancy for storing my images. Until recently, I used the SD card from the camera, my computer, and an external hard drive. Since I’m filling up memory cards so quickly these days (a 32 GB card every 3-4 weeks – yikes!), my lovely bride convinced me that buying more and more SD cards was not the most cost effective method for storage. Plus, SD cards can fail and they are not recommended for long term storage anyway. So I purchased another external hard drive and spent some time backing up all my images on it. Fortunately, memory (data storage, not my feeble mind, darn it) is getting better and cheaper all the time.

I’m refining my workflow for editing in RAW, but it’s getting easier and I’m getting more proficient. A REALLY BIG THANKS to all my PHOTOSHOP mentors who cheerfully (at least when I call) answer my sometimes silly questions. We’re usually on the phone, so I don’t see their eyes rolling and their voices don’t betray them. Occasionally, my questions trigger a learning moment for them, too, so I think it’s beneficial all around.

Enough about that part of my creative journey, though. Now I have to remember what I’ve been shooting for the last couple weeks. Because my feeble memory doesn’t feel like it’s getting any better as time goes by, I keep a shooting log to help me remember where I’ve been, when I was there, and what I was shooting – that’s a big help.

A day or so after my last post, a friend texted that a local rancher was moving some cows and it would be a great photo opportunity. I grabbed the camera and ran out the door – well, I did say bye to my lovely bride. As usual, the appointed time was ‘flexible,’ so I looked for interesting shots while I was waiting.

I found this breeding adult American White Pelican in an irrigation ditch.

This is a great shot of Jobs Peak, the Carson Valley’s most recognizable mountain peak.

Oh yeah, I was there for the cattle drive. George Strait sang ‘How ’bout them Cowgirls?’ I always thought the song was for the Wyoming Cowgirl basketball team – turns out it wasn’t. This was an all female crew and they did a great job!

A couple days later, I made a trip to the Pine Nut Mountains and found Blue’s band. The sly devil moved them from open ground and into high brush, but I still managed a few nice images.

I’m not a big fan of horse butt pictures, although I have quite a few. I liked how this little one was just visible above the brush.

Several of the mares and babies. Our bands look very healthy.

Little Jo – my favorite!

And this is Blue. He’s the stud!

In the last couple weeks, I’ve made several trips to Mottsville Lane here in Douglas County. With the rivers flowing well (for now anyway), there’s lots of water for the migrating waterfowl.

My bird book has been getting quite a workout. This is a Wilson’s Phalarope.

In the same pond, a Cinnamon Teal.

This Great Egret posed and pranced for me, then ‘floofed’ itself and flew away. As my followers know, I love it when a bird does something a little unusual for the camera.

The mountains called a couple times, so I made trips up Monitor Pass in California and took a hike at Lake Tahoe with my son.

I took a drive up Monitor Pass for some scenic shots. After driving by it many times in the past, I finally noticed this tree. I have several images to edit, as I photographed the tree from all angles. I liked this shot and edited it first.

This is Lake Tahoe from Castle Rock, just off the Tahoe Rim Trail near Daggett Pass.

This is a California Snow Flower – some call it a California Snow Plant. They are starting to grow in the Sierras and we saw several on our hike.

Sometimes, one finds interesting shots on the side of the road and in the backyard!

Driving in from the Pine Nut Mountains the other day, I saw these Hawks in a tree next to the road. A baby was visible, when I pulled up, but dropped out of sight when I started shooting.

Okay, this wasn’t on a public road, but I shot this from a vehicle. A friend took me on a tour of a highway construction project and this well-fed little guy, along with several friends, make the project home. I’ve never made images of a Marmot (aka Rock Chuck) like this before.

This Robin sat on a rock in my backyard long enough for me to see him, get my camera, sneak out a door on the far side of the house, and make several images.

Another patient little fella’. This Goldfinch sat in one of my Austrian Pine trees long enough for me to see him, go get my camera, and make several images. Although he sat on the branch for a while, he did not sit still. I have several shots of him in motion.

Many of you have seen my night shots of my neighbor’s trees and the moon (one of those is my cover photo on Facebook). The moon was in position the other night, so I made a few more of those shots. While I was out there, I also made some images of the pergola in our backyard. My lovely bride designed the trees and lights very well. While I was shooting the pergola, a playful spirit found his way into the shot! Silly playful spirit.

I’m finishing this on Sunday night, after a busy day yesterday at the car show and a trip to Reno today for a friend’s retirement ceremony. My apologies for the further delay. The car show images are worth the wait until the next post – I promise.

Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

As promised – car show pictures…

May 18, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged 1928 Franklin, 1928 Lincoln Tow Truck, 1932 Ford Woodie, 1936 Ford Roadster, 1940 Ford Pickup, 1940 Ford Woodie, 1966 Ford Mustang, Big Mama's Car Show, Carson Valley, Holy Smoker's Car Show, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements | 1 Comment

In my last post, I promised pictures from the Holy Smoker’s Car Show (May 2) and Big Mama’s Car Show (May 9). I tried some new shooting techniques at Holy Smoker’s, using neutral density (ND) and circular polarizer filters alone and in combination, with interesting results. As a result, the images you see below and in the Automobiles page took a lot of work in Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. This is good in several ways. I learned: 1) how to use these software packages better; 2) the value of shooting in RAW format, and; 3) most importantly, this filter combination doesn’t always work in certain lighting conditions. My journey continues. Let’s look at a few pictures. (Go to the Automobiles page for a few more pictures.)

Who doesn’t love a well done Woodie? This is a gorgeous 1940 Ford.

I don’t remember what year this is, but my feeble memory says 1932…if only I could read that license plate…

This 1940 Ford Pickup belongs to my good friend, Charlie. He went a little wild and widened it several inches. More elbow room, I think…

I don’t normally take pictures of cars that aren’t Fords, but who can pass up a 1928 Franklin that looks this great?

To prove I was there – here’s my ’66 Mustang hardtop. Darn tree put my car in shade all day, and the guys in the background were manning the barbecue grills. Yes, I gave her a bath when we got home.

After working on the Holy Smoker’s pictures, I revisited my shooting techniques and decided I was over thinking and trying too hard. For Big Mama’s, I left the ND filters in the bag and just shot with the circular polarizer. I like the results and the amount of work in post-production much better. As a warning to all of you aspiring photographers out there (and a reminder to me), remove your ultraviolet (UV) filter before you attach your circular polarizer. I used both last year and got a condition called ‘vignetting’ (dark areas in the corners). The journey continues!!!

Here are a few images from Big Mama’s. Those of you who follow me on Facebook have seen these pictures, but you haven’t seen the pictures on the Automobiles page.

I have the filters worked out, but now I need to work on the finer points of composition, like ask the nice people making the shadows on the fender to move out of the way…my ’66 Mustang hardtop.

My good friend, Mike, took second in class (gotta’ wipe off the grass from the tires to win the tie breaker) but was picked ‘Best of Show.’ Fudge will be on next year’s show t-shirts.

Another friend, also named Mike, brought this beautiful 1928 Lincoln tow truck to the show. Last year he brought a 1912 Speedwell (featured on this year’s shirt as the kid’s choice).

Not seen on Facebook – here’s the rear of the Lincoln tow truck. See, it really could pick up your car and take it somewhere.

Here’s a teaser to get you to go to the Birds page. Some of our friends have been watching a Great Horned Owl pair in the tree across their driveway. This Owl pair had two babies about two months ago. I finally made time to get some pictures. This is one of the babies. The rest of the family was off somewhere.

No, this little one’s not glaring at me – that’s just the way Owls look.

Well, that’s the fun I’ve had in the last couple weeks. The journey continues as I try new things – some of which work and many that don’t – but that’s what a journey is all about. Until next time, enjoy! PHOTOROGR

Patience is a virtue…

May 10, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

In my last post (Sometimes the Magic Works…), I told you a little about my time as a Deputy Sheriff in Wyoming. I often think about the great men with whom I served for that brief time. They had colorful names (Snake, Namu, Okie, the Magnolia Boys, even a token Marine we lovingly called Gomer) to match their colorful personalities. Another of our favorite phrases was ‘patience is a virtue.’ This phrase is not unique to my law enforcement family, as it is commonly used by many people – mostly Mothers. The difference is that we followed it up with a very long discussion that began with ‘felons are inherently stupid’ and ended with ‘you’ll be standing there ready to cuff them up and take them off to jail.’

In this post, I’m taking a different tack with the concept of patience. I’m trying to learn photography as a means to taking better pictures. I’m trying to learn it by doing, with a lot of help from my friends and reading lots of photography books, blogs, and websites. Thankfully, I have wonderful friends who are very patient with me (a really BIG THANKS to my wonderful, patient friends). I think I’m a source of entertainment for them, which is why they put up with me. But I digress…

For the past couple weeks, I’ve been working with neutral density (ND) filters to control light entering the lens. I bought a couple gradient ND filters that have dark shading on one side gradually decreasing to no shading on the other. I used these filters to make some landscape images last week. I also used standard ND filters and circular polarizer filters, alone and stacked together, at a car show I participated in last weekend. I took my ’66 Mustang to a car show today, so look for car show pictures in my next post.

On to this week’s images. I’ll start with a new image of the owlets. Mama was out of the nest and the two little guys were up and checking things out. Maybe I can catch them taking flight sometime.

Great Horned Owlets. Even when they’re fuzzy, they have that intimidating GHO stare.

Last week, I took a hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail south of Lake Tahoe. It was a short hike to the Meiss Meadow (also called Big Meadow), leading into the Dardanelles Roadless Area. The day was glorious and the meadow was beautiful. The little birds were very busy and hard to get, although I managed to capture images of a couple. And this squirrel didn’t think I could see him.

One of my friends tells me this is a Savannah Sparrow.

I think this is a Lark. I’ll open my new bird book sometime to confirm.

He scampered up the tree, then sat very still.

For the following landscapes, I used the gradient ND filter to control the light at the top of the images. I will use the standard ND filter next time, as the foreground (where the gradient was light) was difficult to work with in editing.

The creek was flowing away from me in this shot. It is deep, but not very wide – clear water so the small trout were visible. The ND filter helped with the sky and trees, but not so much with the grass.

The creek was flowing into the shot in this image. Again, the ND filter helped the sky and trees, but the grass was much brighter before editing. I like the composition, but not the colors in the foreground.

I like this image. The grass is green, but not blown out (too bright). This shows how pretty it was up there.

The distance from the trailhead to Big Meadow is about a half mile, with about +250 feet elevation change. The trail is well marked and maintained. Hikers cross this bridge as an entrance to the Meadow. This image looks from the Meadow side, about 7,500 feet elevation. I like how the ND filter helped this image. Overall, the gradient ND filters worked well – now it’s up to me to figure out when to use them.

I also had some fun in the evenings. My neighbors have stand of aspen trees that they light in the evenings. I have been waiting for the moon to rise at the right time, to make the picture I’ve been visualizing for some time. One evening the moon and clouds cooperated – I noticed at the right time – and made these images.

I was so excited that I had this composition that I forgot that I still had the standard ND filter on my camera from the car show. I like the result and made this image my ‘cover’ for my Facebook page.

The next night I removed the ND filter and moved to a little different spot in the yard. Thankfully, it was dark out there because I was standing in my front yard in my jammies taking pictures. The ND filter gave the nice blue hue in the previous image which begs the question – which do you like better?

A little different crop and editing. If only the neighborhood owl had passed through the shot at the right time…

I also looked at the mountains one evening when we had a gorgeous sunset. I’ll close with this image. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Right place – right time. Deep, vibrant colors with a hint of the sun just over the horizon. One of my favorite sunsets.

Some days the magic works…

April 23, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson City NV, Owls, photography techniques, Raptors, Wildlife photography | 2 Comments

Many years ago, I met and fell in love with a wonderful woman. In one of the greatest moments of my life, she consented to share my life and allowed me to share hers. A couple weeks before we began our journey together, I started a very brief career as a Deputy Sheriff. My fellow deputies were always joking about a book we should write, called “Things You Want to Say in Court, But Aren’t Allowed To.” One of the things we wanted to say was “…some days the magic works…” This would be in response to questioning by the defense attorney regarding the reasons a procedure, practice, or investigative technique worked (or didn’t work) in one case but not another. Those funny (and sometimes not so funny) things we always wanted to say have come to mind many times over the years – most recently in the last week.

As you know, I’m marketing note cards featuring my images. My first note cards were made using a card stock and were 8.5″ x 5.5″ (A9 size, in printing jargon). Several customers requested smaller note cards on a glossy paper. After some looking, I found note card blanks that fold to 5.5″ x 4.25″ (A2 size), with a glossy surface for printing. I bought the paper and began making note cards with wonderful results – until a week ago. Last week my printer adopted the “some days the magic works” mindset. After several frustrating days on the phone with technical support, I finally found a way to make the printer work correctly. The jury is still out, however, as I’m waiting for better consistency (some days the magic works).

Between the printer and other things occupying my time, I haven’t been out shooting as much. I’ve been watching a Great Horned Owl’s nest in nearby Carson City. I saw that the eggs hatched and there are two little ones in the nest. Take a look!

The first time I saw a baby – peaking over the edge of the nest but not far from Mama.

Yesterday, Mama was on a limb below the nest. The little ones were very active and loud. I’m not sure if they were hungry or just mad that Mom was taking a break.

This little one was looking over the edge of the nest towards Mama.

Today, Mama was back in the nest and the little ones were laying low. The leaves blocked the view (there’s a hint of a fuzzy little head just to the right of Mama) of anything fun.

There are a few more images on the Birds page – take a look!

Into the future, car show season is just around the corner. I’m working with a new neutral density filter system to make shooting in bright daylight a little easier. The results will be great. Until next time – ENJOY! Photorogr

All Who Wander Are Not Lost

April 14, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Coloma CA, Como Mine, Dayton NV, Genoa Cowboy Festival, Genoa NV, Genoa State Park, Lake Tahoe, Palmyra NV, photo editing and composition, Rawe Peak, Virginia City NV, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 4 Comments

My lovely bride and I snuck out for a quick dinner last week and, on the way, I saw a sticker on a car that read, “All Who Wander Are Not Lost.” For some reason, the phrase resonated with me – maybe because I was hungry – but the thought seemed incomplete. Susan and I discussed the sticker over dinner, brainstorming ways to complete the thought. We decided that it needed to say, “All Who Wander Are Not Lost – Some Of Us Are Taking Pictures!” I slept well that night, meeting a subliminal need to be profound. Maybe it was the good dinner and wonderful company – I’ll go with that (love you, Cutie!).

In my last post, I teased you with a promise to deliver a great composition montage from my photography challenge. Here you go!

This is the stamp mill at Coloma State Park, overlaid with a texture from a classic Chevy I found in a barn yard. I placed the wood stamp mill in the rusty areas of the texture and let the faded grey areas interact with the background and foreground.

The challenge for last week was street photography. The instructions were simple: go to a location(s) and take pictures of street scenes – include people if you can. I was a bit apprehensive for this challenge. I don’t live in a big city where people can be oblivious of activity on the street. And the Carson Valley is not small enough so I know everyone. Granted, I know lots of people here, but not everyone and, in true pioneer spirit, being too invasive can get you shot around here – figuratively, not literally. So, I traveled across the Valley to the Town of Genoa. It’s a quaint little place – the oldest settlement in Nevada (unless you’re from Dayton, where they take exception to Genoa’s claim, but I digress). Tourism is big in Genoa with lots of people around, so I felt safe with my camera over there. Genoa has one main intersection with a 4 way stop. I parked a little bit away from the intersection and started taking pictures: a nice couple walking through the Genoa State Park; vehicle traffic going through the intersection; a family stopping at the General Store from their bicycle ride; and a group of men enjoying drink outside the Genoa Bar, the “Oldest Thirst Parlor in Nevada.” My attention kept returning to a group of people placing mulch in the planting areas along the street. I recognized one of the workers, so I approached and said howdy. They are members of the Friends of Genoa, and were sprucing up the downtown before a major tourism conference next week and a big event, the Genoa Cowboy Festival, the first weekend in May. They were very chatty and welcomed me and my camera. Here’s my image.

I got rave reviews from the photo challenge facilitator, who liked that the woman’s red jacket complemented the red in the stop sign, the ‘V’ positioning of the people, and the lines created by the tools connected the people in the picture. Better lucky than good? Yes, I think so!

One of the great things about being retired/self-employed is that my time is mine to use as I wish. Susan and I live in a great neighborhood with wonderful neighbors. Several of these neighbors are members of an ATV group that hits the trail at least once a month. This month’s trip was southeast of Dayton, the Rawe Peak area, and featured fun stops at the Como Mine and the Palmyra town site. If you want more information on this area, just Google ‘Como Mine’ or ‘Palmyra, Nevada’ and you’ll find lots of information on the area.

This is Lynn, John, and Bob, with the Como Mine in the background.

Looking down to the road from the mine equipment. The high desert was beautiful.

This drum was intriguing. I don’t know enough about this mine to tell you what its purpose was.

The remains of the only building ‘standing’ in Palmyra.

I can’t go anywhere without looking for a little wildlife. We hit the jackpot near Palmyra, as we found a band of 6 horses, including a young colt.

Here he is with Mom. A fire passed through this area some years ago, making tough walking to get close to the horses. Not too close, however – this was shot with the big lens and then cropped.

The yellow grass, bare trees, and reds in the horses created quite the challenge for my limited photography skills. The horses were mostly cooperative and didn’t run away.

We also went to a nearby mountain, just down from Rawe Peak, to enjoy the views and let a couple group members do their geo-caching thing.

Looking northeast towards Stagecoach, Nevada.

Looking northwest towards Mt. Rose. Dayton is in the right side of the image, and Mound House is on the left.

Looking across the Dayton Valley to Virginia City on the hillside (along the light brown line in the far mountainside). Mt Rose is just out of the image on the left.

The view to the southwest and the Carson Valley. Jobs Peak, Freel Peak, and Little Sister are the prominent snow covered peaks. Lake Tahoe is just over the ridge of the far mountain range.

I’ll close this week with a images of the wild horses closer to home. I checked on them the other day, and they are enjoying the spring very well. I now have images of 7 new ones this year. I know the names of 4 of the 7. I hope you enjoyed my fun week. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

These are the two little ones in Shorty’s band, I think. They didn’t get too far from their Mamas.

This is one of my favorite images from this year, and is available on a small note card or as a larger print. Sorry, I had to get one commercial plug into the post!

More fun than I should be allowed to have…

April 5, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Apple Hill CA, Coloma CA, Eden Vale Inn, Folsom CA, Jackson CA, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Placerville CA, Sutters Mill | 4 Comments

Last weekend, Susan surprised me with a weekend vacation to Gold Country in California. She told me to pack a bag, load up the cameras and tripods, and we headed out! We drove SR 88 (it’s very nice that CA and NV used the same number for this road) to Jackson CA. On the way, we stopped near Red Lake and grabbed a few pictures.

It was still morning and the sunlight made this slope an image begging to be made. As always, my greatest challenge was balancing the exposure for the light and dark colored rocks and the bright snow patches (wait -that really is snow -we actually had a little this year).

I am working hard to look around when shooting. Just because there’s a great subject in front of you doesn’t mean there’s not a greater subject to the left or right, or behind, below, or above you. This rock slope is just right of the above image, and I was intrigued by the tree growing out of seemingly impenetrable rock. Again, I loved the lines and shadows of the rock, and the beautiful tree gives the promise of life in the most unlikely places. And then there’s the water – the source of life – coming down the slope. Beautiful!

Just down the fill slope, I found this tree also defying the odds. The summit in the background enhanced the composition very well.

We got to Jackson in the late morning. The weather in this quaint little community was great. We found Tailing Wheel Park, a local park that is home to the remains of a wheel system that moved mine tailings from the Kennedy Mine to a holding pond. The Kennedy Mine was a very busy place in the early 1900’s, and its operations generated a massive amount of tailings. A freak rainstorm washed some of the tailings into fertile farmland, and the Mine constructed this system to prevent a lawsuit. Two of the four wheels remain, but only one remains standing. This is a beautiful area, worthy of a visit. Go to http://www.touramador.com/kennedy-tailing-wheels-park for more information.

Tailing Wheel 3.

More Tailing Wheel 3.

Here is my lovely bride standing next to one of the buckets used to transport the tailings. This is displayed next to the remains of Wheel 3. All that remains of Wheels 1 and 2 are the foundations, the wheels are long gone. Wheel 4 is still standing, and is housed in a building uphill from Wheel 3.

We had a nice lunch at Stanley’s Steakhouse in the National Hotel, in downtown Jackson. This historical building was recently remodeled and is beautiful.

This is the lobby of the National Hotel. I am so lucky to travel with a beautiful model.

After a little walk around town, we decided to visit Old Folsom. We traveled on two lane roads through rolling hills. We hadn’t been to this area at this time of year before, so we were amazed by the green grass. We are so used to traveling Nevada and Wyoming, and found the absence of sagebrush a nice change.

We saw this fella’ when we turned from SR 169 onto Scott Road. At first, we thought he was a statue because he didn’t move – then his tail switched.

When we pulled over to take a picture, we found he had a friend.

We saw several scenes like this on Scott Road, but the road is so narrow that shoulders and parking don’t exist. When we found this tree, we also found a place to pull off the road and park.

I walked a little way down the road for this image. It was definitely worth the walk. This is typical of the country between Jackson and Folsom.

We love Old Folsom, and have visited to do a little antiquing. It’s been a while since our last visit, and much has changed – all for the better! We went down to the railroad museum (which was closed, darn it) but found these couple of images.

I think this is a residence for a station master or someone like that. We’ll go back when it’s open and we can go in.

We could see the displays through the windows, but this was closed, too. Gotta go back sometime!

On our way out of town, we stopped at the Folsom Factory Outlet Stores to look for shoes. I found an awesome pair at the Merrell store – they will be great for the summer! We headed up the hill to Placerville and the Eden Vale Inn. Thirty years ago, a pair of newlyweds bought a barn and transformed it into their home and then a bed and breakfast. Mark and Gayle are marvelous hosts and mere words do not do justice to the Inn. Eden Vale deserves its own blog – visit http://www.edenvaleinn.com/ for more information.

Here is my lovely bride in one of the many garden areas at the Eden Vale Inn. This one is right outside our room.

After dinner, we sat around the fire pit and chatted with a young couple from Los Angeles. Well, that’s the end of day 1 of our great adventure. Are you tired yet? Surprisingly, we only drove about 150 miles total for the day. Not too bad!

Day 2 began with a gourmet breakfast at Eden Vale, and then a trip up the road to Coloma CA. Coloma is on the American River and is home to Sutter’s Mill. Surely you remember what happened at Sutter’s Mill in 1848? That’s right – gold was discovered and the push to gold country was on. We started our visit to Coloma in the peaceful confines of the cemetery. There were several names on the sign at the gate and I didn’t memorize them. We enjoyed exploring the grounds. We encountered a few mosquitos here – the only place we did on our adventure.

From here, we went down to the river and the State Park. At the Sutter Mill replica, we found the Park Historian giving a tour. We listened in for a bit, and then started walking. We bumped into the tour several more times during our time there.

I was off to the side working on other pictures when the tour arrived, so I missed the historian’s spiel, but I think this is a stamp mill. The historian fired it up and made some noise.

I liked the lines and shadows made by this rock wall, the difference in the grass between the upper and lower levels.

And my lovely bride in the remains of the Coloma jail.

Susan decided I needed to be in a picture, too, so I set her up and went to the corner – yes, it’s a familiar place for me!

From Coloma, we drove into Placerville and walked around. Placerville is a great place to visit – lots of things to see and great places to eat. We visited a yarn store and kicked around the antique shops in town. We also drove up to Georgetown to see a new place. I found a picture that I want to make there, but I need to do it when the modern cars are gone – oh no, we have to go back for another visit!

Day 3 and another great breakfast. We loaded the Expedition and bid our hosts good bye. Just uphill (literally) from Placerville is Apple Hill, a farming area that specializes in (you guessed it) apples and other fruits. In the fall, Apple Hill celebrates the harvest with a couple months of tours and fairs and sooo much fun. You can pick your own apples, buy an apple pie, and have a grand time! Wait for images from my visit there next fall. For now, the trees are in bloom and things are quiet. We enjoyed driving the rolling hills and seeing the pretty country without the traffic and chaos.

Apple trees in bloom!

I’m not sure when this tractor ran last. It sure makes a pretty picture!

We drove up US 50 to Lake Tahoe. The traffic coming the other way was the usual for a Sunday afternoon – lots of people heading home from their weekend at the Lake. We stopped at Bridal Veil Falls, and I got out the tripod and worked in the low light. The water was flowing, but not very fast. Darn drought!

We got home, unpacked the car, and started doing the laundry. I rested and then started working on the pictures. We watched a covey of Quail kick around the yard one morning this week, and I caught up with them on the east side of the house.

The blur in the image was caused by a couple other Quail chasing around. I left it alone because it’s kind of fun.

So now you see why I’m having more fun than I should be allowed to have. As always, my lovely bride Susan treats me like a king. I am so lucky to have her and enjoy her love and support. For next week, be prepared to see more baby horse pictures (I found a new one yesterday) and also my submittal for the weekly photo challenge – composite montage. I am overlaying an image with a texture to create a more artsy look. I’ve been experimenting with the technique, but haven’t finished my submittal.

Thanks for following my journey, and Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

My ‘Creative Spirit’ is alive and well!

March 26, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Fallen Leaf Lake, Glen Alpine Falls, Lake Tahoe, Owls, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | Leave a comment

As promised, I’ve been trying new techniques and subjects this week, and I’ve been having a blast. I haven’t forgotten my familiar subjects, however, and you’ll still see plenty of them. Before we get to this week’s highlights, I’m very excited to announce that I am offering for sale 4.25″ x 5.5″ glossy note cards. I printed a set of prototype cards and sold out immediately. Take a look at the ‘Buy My Images’ page for prices.

Let’s start with my image for last week’s photo challenge – Shutter Zoom. This technique uses a long shutter speed combined with changing the focal length (or zooming) the lens to create an interesting image.

This is one of our apple trees. They are leafing early this year and provided a wonderful subject. The only editing I did was a little cropping and ‘vignetting’ (the light color in the colors).

The challenge for this week is a ‘re-do,’ to make another try at a previous challenge. I didn’t have a plan for this challenge, waiting for the creative spirit to strike. While shooting at Glen Alpine Falls yesterday (more on that later), I made an image that begged to be black and white. Here’s my submission for this week’s challenge, a re-do of the black and white challenge.

PHOTOROGR - Re-Do - Black and White - 6311

Glen Alpine Falls in black and white.

Since I already introduced yesterday’s shoot, here are additional images from Glen Alpine Falls. The falls are usually much more dramatic this time of year, but the drought and resultant lack of snow pack have really impacted the falls. They are still beautiful, but this is more typical of water flows in late summer or fall. I worked on shooting in manual mode, selecting aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, and exploring how changing one impacts the other two. I normally shoot in aperture priority, as depth of field is my primary concern for birds of prey. My next go round with landscapes will include different filters. So much fun to be had!

Glen Alpine Falls.

Glen Alpine Falls.

These rocks are not part of the falls – they are downstream. They have their own water source and create a different kind of waterfall. I noticed the intricate shadows caused by the rock surface, which created a very pleasing pattern. The old and large tree on the left enhances the composition.

Speaking of great trees growing in an unusual environment, on my way to Glen Alpine Falls I saw this tree growing at the top of a rock cut. The road was built about 60 years ago, and the solid rock slope has eroded away during that time. I am amazed that this tree is growing considering the lack of soil and water supply, and exposed root system. It grows, though, and has for years. Nature is truly wonderful!

The wild horse bands have been great this week, too. Blue now has three babies, and Blondie has one. Here are the little ones.

This is the newest little one – Sydney – one of Blue’s babies.

My special buddy, Little Jo. She put on quite a show for me the other day.

And Little Jonah, Blondie’s daughter. She was feeling quiet when I saw her the other day.

I found Hope having quite a fun time. She was bucking and jumping and roiling in this dirt patch. I kept thinking she found an anthill, but she kept going back and eventually lost interest.

And I found some owls.

I’ve been trying to make a good image of these two for several months. I finally figured out the right combination of aperture, shutter, ISO, and shooting technique to get an image that I could edit. The light was not nearly this good when I made the image. And the bird on the right took off right after I made this image.

I found this Horned Owl by accident. She had her head up at the right time. I’ve been back a couple more times, but she keeps her head down more often than not. There will be more of this one in the future.

I will close with a couple fun images. The Manzanita is blooming in the Sierras, so I took this picture. By chance this morning. I saw this balloon in the sky over Gardnerville and pulled over in time to catch him descending and landing. And so, my Creative Spirit is truly alive and well. New subjects, a number of new shooting techniques, and an eye looking for different opportunities – expect lots of fun in the coming weeks! Enjoy – PHOTOROGR

Manzanita is beautiful year round, but these pink flowers make it more so.

Gotta love a hot air balloon in the sky, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the background.

Hi Ho Silver, Away!!!

March 17, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Carson Valley, Hawks, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Raptors, Wild Horses, Wildlife photography | 1 Comment

For those of you who are counting, this is my 25th post (hence the ‘Silver’ reference)! I’m very excited about my journey, as you saw in last week’s blog. This week was especially fun, as I converted our breakfast table into a studio for several days and, for the first time, built a composition for my weekly photo challenge. Before I get into that, however, I had a very exciting day yesterday. For the first time in several days, I went out looking for nature pictures. The raptors are scarce right now, with most of the birds who live in the Carson Valley sitting on their nests and only a few transients flying through. So I drove into the Pine Nut Mountains to see if the wild horses were available for a few images and to see if I could get glass on the new filly in Blue’s band, Hope.

The day was overcast and the light was a challenge – gotta’ love a lighting challenge. As I came into the Pine Nuts, I found a couple bachelor studs grazing (you can see one of them getting up from his siesta in the wild horses page). They allowed a few pictures and I went on, finding Shorty’s band on a hillside. They were close to the road and weren’t too worried about me, so I took my pictures from the Expedition. As I topped a low rise, I saw two bands on the hillside in front of me. Hmmmm — could I be that lucky? I made my way towards them, parked at the bottom of the hill, and got ready to engage shank’s mare (taking a walk, for those of you not familiar with the term). I made a few images, moved up the hill a bit, stopped and made a few more. Then I realized that I was that lucky – one of the bands was Blue, and I could make out Hope. I pressed on. In his normal nonchalant fashion, Blue began moving his band farther up the hill, using Socks’ band as cover for their escape. I stopped and made a few images of Socks’ band, but my sights were on Blue and I didn’t want them to get away.

I continued up the hill – Blue’s band disappeared over the ridge. Fearful that I would miss my opportunity, I moved more quickly. As I neared the top of the ridge, Blue and his band were to my left and close by. I quickly set up the tripod and hit the shutter release. I located Hope – click click. I looked around and there’s another little one – smaller than Hope and a beautiful brown color, and not getting too far from Mama. I adjusted position and made a few images. My heart was racing – who was this new baby? I wondered about the name, so I sent a quick email to those responsible for keeping track of the Pine Nut Horses, the Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates. (I love technology most of the time – this time it worked for me, so I loved it!) The response was quick and extremely exciting for me! They didn’t know that Blue had a second baby born this year, and I was the first to report in. Because of that, I had the honor of naming her. Oh yeah, she’s a filly! When I wasn’t sure of the gender, I decided to use Joe for a boy and Jo for a girl. She is officially ‘Little Jo’ until she outgrows her name, and she will become Jo.

Little Jo and her Mama.

Hope and some elder members of Blue’s band.

My weekly photo challenge was Board Game (Harmony/Unity). The challenge uses a board game to illustrate the design concepts of harmony and unity by grouping, overlapping, and/or repetition. I got into our game cabinet to see what we had and generate ideas. For those of you who have known me for a while, you recognize that this level of creativity can often yield very questionable results. I assure you, no one was hurt and nothing was destroyed in completing this challenge.

I decided to use two board games, Risk and Hunt for Red October. When I pulled them out, I realized that we never actually got around to playing Hunt for Red October, but we had put the playing pieces together. Both games have a worldwide conflict theme, so I thought they could work together. My initial concept was to overlap the two game boards, then use a combination of playing pieces to create a grouping and repetition.

First try. Okay – kind of fun. I used selective focus (in focus in the middle and blurry front and back). I didn’t like the background and the boards weren’t prominent in the image. On to concept two =>

In the second concept, I put the camera higher to see more of the boards, and raised one end of the HFRO board to create better background. I also used a little off camera flash to inject drama by controlling the shadows.

Flash from the camera angle: not bad, but not enough drama for me.

Flash from the right: I liked the general effect of the shadows, but wasn’t pleased with the way many of the vertical playing pieces were shaded by other pieces; also, the boards were still not as prominent as I wanted them to be.

Flash on the left: I really liked this image – the shadows made the drama for which I was looking and the boards were good, but I wasn’t happy with the almost reflective light from the vertical pieces.

I played with this concept a little more, trying to overcome the things I didn’t like. I was limited by the type of flash and quickly became frustrated by my inability to control the light better. Challenges to be met down the road! So I created a more simple concept.

Using only the Risk game, I created a series of concentric rings around the compass at the top of the game board. I used indirect natural sunlight for primary lighting, a hand held/fired flash for shadows, and a longer exposure to help with focus. I liked the overall effect and called the challenge complete.

The challenge for this week is Shutter Zoom – I can hardly wait to get started on that! And I can’t make a post without a couple of Raptor images:

One of the few Hawks I’ve seen on a fence post lately. He looks pretty serious.

And this Hawk is working on its nest. The eggs must be in, because all we see is a head on the nest now. More to follow.

Well, that’s it for my 25th post. I’m still excited to share my photographic journey with you, and I hope you are enjoying the ride!

PHOTOROGR

Shooting the West…and a little reflection…

March 10, 2015 by The PHOTOROGR Project in Uncategorized and tagged Hawks, night photography, photo editing and composition, photography techniques, Photoshop, railroad photography, Raptors, Shooting the West, trains, Wildlife photography, Winnemucca NV | 2 Comments

I had the most wonderful experience this week – I attended ‘Shooting the West: The Nevada Photography Experience’ (www.shootingthewest.org). Mere words can not adequately describe this event, and I don’t have the photographic skill to do it justice, either. I attended a couple classes, met several people that I ‘knew’ through Facebook, made many new friends, and saw some amazing pictures.

My experience started Wednesday evening, with a class called ‘Winnemucca @ Night.’ Instructor Craig Moore led our group into the chilly Winnemucca evening and gave us great information and ideas for taking pictures in low light conditions. Here are a few of my ‘experiments.’

We started with ‘flash techniques’ for taking pictures of bright lights (such as casino lights) with a person in the foreground. Craig taught us a technique that allows the lights to shine but the person to be seen in the image. I have an image in mind – stay tuned. Then we played with long exposures, capturing lights from cars and nearby signage. I only took a few shots, but I enjoyed the technique. Visit my Shooting the West page and look at the image with the Winners Casino sign and the traffic signal – I got all the lights in the traffic signal.

We stopped by a local night spot. The patrons were very accommodating and allowed us to take lots of pictures. I saw this great image in the mirror.

Experimenting with long exposures again, we learned how to make ‘ghost images’ on the court house steps. Can you see the mere shadow of myself? This was very fun.

The local Catholic Church has this beautiful display outside. I made several images using different settings. This was the best image out of the camera, but still took a little work to bring out the colors on the walls.

It took most of the night to warm up from the ‘chilly’ evening, but my camera and I were ready for the Composition class on Thursday. M.D. Welch taught us the basic elements of composition, and then cut us loose to practice. I traveled to Winnemucca often when I worked for the Nevada Department of Transportation, but I looked at the community with different eyes on this trip. Here are a few of my images from Thursday.

This is an image that I made for my weekly photo challenge – mirrored images. Winnemucca has these beautiful light poles, but they only have the light, flag, and Chief Winnemucca gusset on one side. I copied and flipped the original image to create this interpretation of their street lights.

The Martin Hotel is one of the best Basque restaurants in which I’ve had a meal. We were near the end of the class when Michelle, one of my new friends, pointed out this beautiful reflection. Thanks Michelle for sharing. I have to start looking around more…

I went back to my architectural roots with this building. This beautiful Art Deco style is home to Winnemucca’s Volunteer Fire Department. The blue tint to the picture was quite accidental, as I had the white balance on my camera set for the previous evening’s light. Sometimes those accidents work, but most of the time they don’t – at least for me. Take a look at the ‘not blue’ image on the Shooting the West page to appreciate the building in more natural light. I kind of like this one.

As with many cities in the western U.S., the rail road is a big part of Winnemucca’s history. Amtrak still stops here, but the train station is more of a covered waiting area than a traditional train station. In my mind, the architect successfully integrated traditional elements of railroad stations into the design. In this image, two diesel engines on a siding are seen from inside the station. On the left, the sign identifies this stop as Winnemucca.

And then came two days of presentations by world class photographers, with subjects that included the California Missions, aerial photography, landscapes, time lapse, and trail camera photography. Using images submitted by attendees, one presenter showed how to use Photoshop to edit and repair images. As part of STW, participants can enter a picture in a competition titled ‘Give It Your Best Shot.’ The presenters and participants choose their favorite pictures and the images were breathtaking. No matter your interest, experience, or skill in photography, Shooting the West is a ‘must do’ for anyone with an interest in photography. I encourage you to go to http://www.shootingthewest.org to experience this great event for yourself, and consider attending next year, April 25 to May 1, 2016.

Oh yeah, during my R&R time, I bumped into a Hawk on a snowy morning. I just can’t make a post without including a Raptor picture or two.

Yes, it was a cold morning and, amazingly, we had snow on the ground and in the trees.

Same Hawk, different tree. I’m not sure if he was making sure I saw the liftoff or if that was his way of telling me to leave him alone.

As you can see, I was blown away by my STW experience. On the 3 hour drive home, I reflected on the things I’d seen, the information I received, the people I met and talked to. I found myself thinking about the possibilities and direction I want to take my photography. I haven’t yet decided what direction I will take as I continue this journey. I guarantee that you will continue to see images from the Carson Valley and surrounding area – the raptors, wild horses, and beautiful scenery. But you will also see me try new techniques and new subjects. I have an image in my mind outside a local casino, and I have a starting point to begin the exploration of that image.

Hang on, because this ride is only going to get more interesting from here. Enjoy – PHOTOROGR