Hiker taking a break - Middle Fork of the American River, ASRA, Auburn, CA
Kim, Jeff and I were having lunch down by the river. The guy in this photo was part of a group of hikers that stopped for a break.
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Hiker taking a break - Middle Fork of the American River, ASRA, Auburn, CA
Kim, Jeff and I were having lunch down by the river. The guy in this photo was part of a group of hikers that stopped for a break.
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Snowy shoreline and reflections at Sugar Pine Reservoir, Foresthill, CA
For this shot of Sugar Pine Reservoir, I eliminated the sky. One way to add impact to your photographs is by eliminating the sky, especially when it's not all that interesting.
For more on this, read my post When in doubt - leave it out! 
Auburn-Foresthill Road nearing China Wall, Foresthill, California.
Photo - Sierra Sunrise as seen from our deck, Auburn, CA
Although this may not be the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen, I didn't have to go very far to enjoy it!
A few mornings ago, when I looked out our French Door, this beautiful sunrise is what I saw. That's not a normal occurance for us, but now that winter is finally here, we will be experiencing a lot more of them!Â
I have gotten into the habit lately of looking out our French Door every morning, when it first starts getting light outside. I also keep my camera handy and ready, so I can take advantage of whatever might be in my field of view, such as the sunrise above and the deer in the photo I posted a few weeks ago.Â
Photo Tip - Keep your eyes wide-open and be prepared, because photo opportunities can be as close as your own front yard! 
Zoom of Palm trees, Panorama Bluffs, Bakersfield, California.
Photo - Abstract Aspen grove, near Bridgeport, CA
This abstract was created from the same original photograph of the Aspen grove I have been featuring over the last few weeks. I used the Spherize Distorting Filter in PhotoShop to get this effect. This doesn't work well on all subjects, but with a little experimenting, you will find what works best.
Happy experimenting! 
Photo - Digital art photo created from an out-of-focus original photograph
I'm not a wildlife photographer per se, but when an opportunity presents itself like it did here, I'd be a fool not to try to capture it.
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Photo - Digital art photo created from an original photograph
Last week, I posted the photo above and had viewers guess how it was created. Thank you, Richard Wong, for your participation in the guessing game. Thanks also to all of you that studied it, but decided not to participate.
Here is how it was shot
It had been raining for several hours. After it stopped, I went out to the deck to dump the water out of the chairs. You know, the really popular outdoor folding chairs almost everyone has? Fortunately, I looked at the puddle that had collected in the chair before dumping it. Floating in the puddle were these beautiful Oak leaves and the lighting was just right. I went and got my camera and took a series of shots before dumping the chair. Â
This is how it was processed in PhotoShopÂ
Step 1 - Image Adjustment
Step 2 - Selected Hue/Saturation
Step 3 - In edit, changed the setting from master to blue.Â
Step 4 - Gave it a +70 in saturation.Â
Step 5 - Selected Filters
Step 6 - Selected Poster Edges
Now that the cat is out of the bag, how many of you had it right all along? 
Photo #1 - Tundra with kayaks, Alpine County, CA. This photo was shot at 1/15 sec as the Tundra was moving.
Photo #2 - Bougainvilleas, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California. This photo was shot at 1/5 sec. I also fired my flash.
- You can use either a stationary or a moving subject.
- You need to use a slow shutter speed (1/15 sec or slower works best). You will need to use a low ISO, unless you are working under really low light. Try adding either a polarizer or a neutral density filter to let less light in when not working under low light, which will let you use a slower shutter speed.
- This is a great technique to use when there is not adequate light to capture a standard image.
- A flash can also be used while zooming.
- Keep your camera as still as possible. A tripod is recommended, althought I rarely use one for this.
- Experiment with different shutter speeds and lenses for different effects.
- During your zoom, try to zoom in or out as smoothly as possible for the best results.
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Photo - Old truck in rural Auburn, CA
A few weeks back, I posted a photo tip titled "Shoot it before it's too late!" Since that post, I have been following my own advice and making it a priority to shoot the subjects I've wanted to shoot for a long time, but have taken for granted and assumed they would always be around. I have also been shooting subjects that I know will never be the same again, such as the baby goat in the photo below. He is growing daily!
Photo - "Peter" is one of 3 baby goats next door.
The photos above "The Old and the Young" both taken in my neighborhood, are examples of recent subjects I have captured before it's too late! 