I visited Castle Rock State Park (between San Jose and Santa Cruz, California) yesterday for a hike in light rain – surprising for this time of year in Central California.
This shot, unfortunately, is a reminder to me of the importance of using a tripod. I shot it handheld at a low shutter speed (albeit with an image stabilized lens) and it is not sharp enough to make a large print, though it works just fine as a small image on the web.
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This small tarn is just below Tioga Pass on the Yosemite side of the divide. I stop here almost every time I cross the pass, and I’ve seen it in many different conditions: rain, midday sun, sunset, thunderstorms.
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Since my exchange last week I’ve been looking more at the many dry grasses that grow here in Central California.
This photo was taken near Guadalupe Reservoir at the Almaden Quicksilver Park.
This was taken at f5.6 with a moderate telephoto. The depth of field was shallow enough – and the wind was blowing the grass – that only the center stalk is really in focus. If I had it to do over, I would experiment a bit with aperture to try to bring all three stalks of grass into focus, but still maintain the out of focus background.
These ferns were growing under Laurel trees at Almaden Quicksilver County Park, where I frequently hike.
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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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Since my exchange last week I’ve been looking more at the many dry grasses that grow here in Central California.