grungy leaf

I applied one of my unused presets on this picture, almost by accident - and I'm happy with the result.

preset Grungy Leaf

great if you are aiming for rich contrast and deep blacks

the things we do to take a picture

I'm sharing pictures from a recent trip to Lundy Canyon in Eastern Sierra Nevada range. 

 I have never seen a beaver dam and here they were everywhere!. My husband loves to make 360˚ panoramic pictures and too often I watch him with knots in my stomach on some high spot, turning around as he takes photos. Spots like this include a cliff, a high rock or a top of a beaver dam - as in this case:

If you drag slowly toward the bottom of the window, you'll see me in action :-)
(don't forget to zoom in or out to get a different view)

http://www.360cities.net/image/lundy-canyon-beaver-dam-ii#567.99,39.69,70.0

and here is another 360:

http://www.360cities.net/image/lundy-canyon-beaver-dam#-93.19,9.42,26.2

some creations by master beavers

monterey in august

We were meeting our daughter, who was coming from Southern California, halfway - in Monterey. I feel so lucky to live in an area with so many inspiration around, lurking, waiting to be explored...I just need to have my eyes open.

It started by spotting some classic cars in the Wharf while driving through Monterey, then we enjoyed typical coastal atmosphere, watching harbor seals watching us. 

I don't know about you but I consider eating Thai food a visual experience as well.  :-)

We spent the next day strolling around the picturesque city of Capitola (still the Monterey Bay) where I shot one of my five-star photos (link), experienced close encounter with brown pelicans and dissevered surprising beauty in watering fields north of Santa Cruz.

Don't miss the rest of the photos!!

b&w preset rome

When processing photos from my trip to Italy, I made a bunch of nice B&W Lightroom presets, one of them I'm sharing with you today.

Rich contrast and slightly pronounced grain makes it perfect for architectural or urban photos. I would advice against using it for portraits, there is too much contrast.
Don't dispair, I'm planning on making some more! :-)

As always, I'd appreciate some feedback, and respecting my TOU. Thanks bunches and enjoy!

some examples:

liguria and tuscany

I would like to share another batch of photos from Italy (first part was surprisingly interesting Genova). So much to see around Genova and Florence! Little towns rich with history and beautiful atmosphere:  Lucca, San Gimignano, resort-like Portofino or well known Pisa. See them all HERE.

(photos shown here processed with my presets)

San Gimignano

moonhunt

Shame on me, really. 

Five years I've lived in the area but this was my first time taking pictures in Sacramento. It had to be the bright spotty orange ball on the sky which made me finally go and explore one of the most recognized landmarks - Tower Bridge.

Not much luck with the moon there. The moonrise was around 10:30PM, the sky was too dark to have any detail on the Moon. Add to it a long exposure I wanted to have calm, mirror-like water - a recipe how to reduce the Moon to a cute, sparkly star.

I don't mind though. The shots of Tower Bridge are nice enough.

The sushi dinner by the Riverwalk Park wasn't bad either.

my golden poppy quest

There are about 10 known locations in California where you can find great fields of Golden Poppy (state flower), worth taking photos. I opted for Bear Valley in Northern California, about 80 mins drive from me. I was hoping to try our 17mm Tilt-Shift lens. Those are optimized for f/16 and higher and with tilt functions I could have an image sharp from 0 to almost infinity. COULD.

I drove through the valley which is beautiful itself, only no signs of the poppies. Eventually, I had to turn back because the roads were extremely bumpy and I couldn't bear the suffering my dear car was going through anymore.

Well, here is what I found instead of the fields of gold:
(can you tell I have a tendency to apply photo treatment to any rustic or vintage photo?)

the rain is gone

Here, when it rains, it pours.

The word "storm" is typically used by anyone I know when saying that there is a system bringing rain or snow. In 95%, there would be no thunder, no lightning…just rain. Heavy, never ending.

The thing about California is that after 5 days of raining, the sun is up, sidewalks are dry in a couple of minutes and the only sign of the pour would be my soaked, sploshing lawn. I have to be quick if I want to capture beautiful droplets on the leaves.

the maple trees outside my window, 

mercilessly whipped by cold strands of water

B&W leaf study

finding interesting forms...

Trying something new - abstract

I am hooked up. 

I was never a fan of abstract arts. But this is totally different. Flowers and leaves show me their hidden, mysterious side. It's something I don't make, I only take several extremely close-up shots and let myself be surprised.

I call these Microphoto Abstracts.

January photowalk in San Francisco

I was still in the middle of processing and digesting photos from our previous trip when I decided to drag James Bond (code name for my husband) and myself to San Francisco. According to the Weather Channel, the weather was supposed to be clear after a couple days of rain.

Rice paddies in Sacramento

We've been passing Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area since...forever. It's right by I-80, the main highway connecting  Northern California and Nevada. Some waterfowl and herons are still there, seemingly oblivious to the traffic right next to them. When they leave, the fields will be turned back into rice fields - paddies. What a pretty thing to photograph during sunset, right?

Photos on Picasa.

More pictures from New Zealand

I've been massively uploading and flooding friends and family with more photos because I can't just keep those to myself. Only separating the whole chunk of my memories into thematic albums allows me to show them as they deserve. 

I am not showcasing my photography skills but merely sharing the breathtaking beauty of the country.

More photos from Fiordlands, the coast, and urban-like pictures on my Picasa website.

The Fiordlands are a region where you could spend 2 months wondering around with your mouth open. I can only recommend cruises in Doubtful and Milford Sound (even though we strongly dislike organized tourism), especially the overnight trip in Milford Sound, which will occupy #1 spot among our activities in Fiordlands. 

I can't tell much about the West Coast of South Island, we only stopped for night in Franz Josef Glacier area, as we were heading south towards the Fiordlands.

Catlins Coast (south of the South) welcomed us with extremely windy and chilly weather, nevertheless, forest hikes around waterfalls, gorgeous coastal scenery and wildlife made up for it! Even for a terrible hostel in Owaka and the rain!

There was no time to place a rose by the ruined cathedral in Christchurch, as instructed by my friend Suzie, we only had 25 min to get to the airport from the downtown.

We certainly did rush through many places!

Doubtful Sound, Fiordlands

South Island

New Zealand photos

I'm finally getting close to having my photos from our January trip sorted, GPS tagged, and somewhat processed. Simultaneously, I am proccessing my mental images from this beautiful country, who knows how long THAT's gonna take!

Sheep 
(more photos)
Abundant EVERYWHERE! Sitting, laying, huddling together - they will forever be one of three things which would pop in my mind when you say New Zealand. They seemed a bit afraid and curious at the same time. Whenever we stopped on the side of the road they would scatter very quickly, then paused and watched. Their hair is very greasy, even that of little baby lamb.
Did you know that there is more sheep in NZ than people? Surprisingly, it's not easy to find lamb on menus in restaurants, supposedly the meat is expensive there.

Fern

(more photos)

Probably the most recognized symbol of the country. You could find the fern logo on merchandise, guides, on company logos, etc...

Some fern grows tall, into graceful and mysterious plants, which you could easily mistaken for palm trees. Others can be really small, showing funny, caterpillar-like spirals. Add deep green moss, covering the ground like a carpet, fallen logs and even tall trees. 

Magical!

December in San Francisco

You can come again and again and still see the same places (and of course, new ones too) in different light and mood.
Could you get enough of it?

Other photos HERE.

Thanksgiving in Mexico

Don't ask me why I'm posting photos from Thanksgiving at the end of the year!

Leisurely 10 days in Punta Mita, about 20 mins north of Puerto Vallarta. Nothing to do. Just the ocean and sun.

Photos HERE.

Santa Barbara trip 3

I really don't understand how did that happen - my girl celebrated her 20th birthday!

The time spent there feels so relaxing and very "Southern California". Unseasonably warm weather surprised me - I was baking in my fall outfits.
And as always, the drive along the coast on Hwy 1 is worth the time.

Photos HERE.

Sand Dunes Preserve, Monterey

Sea Ranch

The area of this coastal region is really interesting. Due to very strict, environmentally conscious building code, the houses appear inconspicuous, as if blending into the surroundings - which is the intention after all. The style is not something appealing to me but the fact, that the houses fit in so well, is.

The walk along the ragged shore is nothing short of spectacular. Galleries in local town Gualala boast stunning photographs from locate artists - old barns, fences or mysterious forest. Truly a feast for the eyes!

Four days were not enough for me to take pictures I wanted.

More Photos HERE.

processed with my LR preset Vintage Garden, available under "Freebies"

Trip to Bodega Bay

The sole purpose of the trip was to put some miles on my husband's new Ducati bike before its scheduled service, model name: Diavel. Very comforting, right? For the peace of mind (meaning that I'm jealous of his new love and wouldn't let him go by himself!), I decided to follow my jet-lagged dear one in the car.

The first stop was one of our favorite Napa wineries (name Sattui), for lunch and some nice Cabernet Sauvignon. Responsibly, we persuaded a couple of young ladies from Canada to share a half of our bottle with us to ease our alcoholic load for the rest of the journey.

We arrived to Bodega Bay just in time to admire the sunset on the coast which, this time of the year, is more than enjoyable. The next day, my rider outbraved thick coastal fog and we drove back to the wine country for more tasting and then home.

Photos HERE.

my husband's new love

Greece 2011 - Mykonos, Delos and Paros

Here is part 2 and 3 of our journey. 

Mykonos is a trendy place (the town), with picturesque bars and boutiques in those tiny streets. It has two famous icons - ancient windmills and white pelican Petros (about 30 years old they told me). 

Delos is a smaller island just off Mykonos, which was is the hellenistic era a place of great religious importance, and was inhabited (that time) by 40 000 people + 400 000 slaves. Beautiful ruins, if you can say that. 

Paros - a bigger but more quiet place, virtually empty in September, if compared to Mykonos or Santorini. It has beautiful beaches and is frequented by windsurfers.