In the holiday spirit

Just some random images from the holidays this year.  Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

I thought I'd better get this in before the holidays are over!  Best wishes to all my family, friends, readers, nerds, etc for a happy and healthy holiday season and a peaceful and happy New Year.  May 2012 bring you everything you want and nothing you don't. 

Christmas in California

In my childhood, going to the local nursery to get a Christmas tree usually involved scarves, sweaters, boots and hats.  It also sometimes included snowball fights over who picked the nicest tree.  Then we'd leave the tree out on the porch for a day or so to let it dry off enough to bring it inside.

This weekend, the husband and I went to our local nursery to get our Christmas tree.  The trip did not involve any special items of clothing, nor did it include any fighting of any kind, including with the owner, when we asked how negotiable he was on the price.  It did, however, involve a swing around the rest of the place to see what was in bloom.  I love Christmas in California!

Fun with extension tubes

I wanted to practice some real macro photography with my 50mm and extension tubes, so I picked up a bunch of flowers at the supermarket.  I like a variety of colors and textures and it's fun to see how close you can actually get to the center of a lily or a daisy.  I also keep a spray bottle handy since I think that waterdrops add such an interesting dimension to an image.

Holiday Lights, Part I

I made my first attempt at photographing holiday lights last night.  Some good, some not so much but overall I was pleased with how they came out.  I used a tripod, set my aperture at f/10 so I would get some twinkly lights, and used my remote shutter release to minimize camera movement.  The only post-production I did was to tweak the exposure (it's so hard to get the exposure right; you're always off by 5 seconds one way or the other!), and maybe adjust the contrast a little.  And crop out some stuff in a couple of cases, since I was using my 24-70mm lens, which didn't allow too much flexibility in composition.  So, here goes....

Impromptu photo walk

I was early for an appointment in Berkeley the other day, so I decided to wander around the block to see what I could see.

A stained glass Celtic wedding knot in someone's window.  I liked the way that the reflection was slightly distorted in the glass.

A beautiful, crisp late fall morning

I think this little guy was posing for me because he stayed very still for two frames, then took off. 

Lost and found

More random images from our visit to Santa Rosa.  Eventually I'll get back to doing this on a regular basis but for now, I hope you'll enjoy the scenery.



I love old brickwork and wrought iron, so this was a nice opportunity to get a photo of both of those together.



Scented candles in pottery receptacles for sale

Santa Rosa is Charles Schultz's home town

My crew and my partners in crime

November flowers

I love flowers and I feel very blessed to live in a part of the country where many flowers bloom all year long.  Yesterday, Robert, Pandora and I went up to Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County where my parents live.  We took an hour to wander around the historic district of the city and found that there were roses blooming all over the place.  I love photographing a lot of things, but I have a special fondness for flowers and these just made my day. 

And just for good measure, a persimmon tree in full color.  Awesome!

We have a winnah!

Every week, I participate in a photo challenge with a group of ladies who I share a message board with.  Everyone submits a photo that represents a theme, and then we get to vote on which photo is the best representation.  You don't win anything except bragging rights for the week, and last week I won!  The theme was "Hidden" and I had two options to submit, the one that every Bay Area photographer has taken at some point or another

or something a little more original

I chose the more original one and they liked it!  So now I have a gold star to wear until next Friday.  Thanks, ladies!!

Classic rocks!

Last week, there was a classic car show in Alameda where they closed down four blocks of Park Street and lined up classic cars on both sides.  The requisite Model T was there, and every decade of the 20th century was represented, except for the 90's. 

They had gangster cars

Cop cars

Big cars

and little cars

Don't panic, that's a ceramic dog!

Some of them had amazing details

and I really wish the art form called "hood ornament" could be revived

because I think they say a lot about their owners in a way that personalized plates really can't

Well, maybe they can!