reflections

Posted on October 16, 2012 by backyardsisters

This week while reflecting on some past photos, the idea to explore reflections struck.
Reflections can be created by many different shiny surfaces. Water, is a natural.

Buildings can be reflective as well. In this instance, in Chicago, the reflection of the older intricate architecture in the sleek more modern building is a nice study in contrasts.

The building at 333 W. Wacker in Chicago’s riverside facade is curved to mirror the shape of the bend in the river. The surface is highly reflective which showcases the river, surrounding buildings and sky.

Glass, of course, is another reflective surface which can be used very creatively because you get a picture within a picture effect.

The children here are reflected in the glass of the gorilla’s enclosure.

A shiny counter top serves as an interesting reflective subject also.

One of the funnest places I have found for reflective pictures is the Cloud Gate sculpture, aka the bean, in Chicago.

The skyline and sky are reflected as are the many people enjoying their reflections and the city’s too.

The shape of the bean can distort the images creating a fun house mirror effect. Go inside the structure and you will be treated to an abstract reflective delight.

This week I encourage you to look to the reflections presenting themselves in your daily life and maybe snap a photo of a few.

~Sue

A Rearranging of the Resources

Posted on October 9, 2012 by backyardsisters

What to do when a beach is losing its sand? Move sand from one area in the ocean to another of course! After many years of shrinking, the beach between the Topaz jetty and Ruby St. in Redondo Beach, CA is growing. This is no easy feat. There has been a barge and much activity just offshore for the past month. A sign on the shore explains that this is part of a beach replenishment project.

It is an intriguing sight that has initiated much speculation and musings from onlookers. Also, it piqued my curiosity. When that happens, I will often turn to Google and this time I learned the sand is being moved from the harbor entrance of Marina del Rey where it had settled thus making the entrance too shallow at times of low tide. Seeing the barge for the past few weeks and desiring a closer look, I grabbed my camera with my most powerful zoom lens attached and went to the shore.

It was early morning a little past the golden hour, the hour immediately following sunrise or preceding sunset, but the light was still soft with a warm hue. The early morning and late evening hours provide diffused softer lighting due to the sun’s position in the sky and are often favored by photographer’s because of this.

The interaction of the boats with the barge kept my attention for quite awhile.

I was glad to be able to zoom to 300mm making it possible to make out the names of the boats and the barge.

Also, allowing for a peek at the activity I couldn’t have gotten with another lens or my naked eye.

Part of the enjoyment I get from photography is the ability to get closer to things and activities and then being able to capture them. It helps to have a lens, such as a 300mm, with the capability of bringing a subject closer when it isn’t physically possible to get closer. Some may, OK do, call it my inner paparazzi.

May you unleash your inner paparazzi.

~Sue

The Weekend Dish

Posted on October 5, 2012 by backyardsisters

Brownies – chocolaty, chewy brownies, are one of my favorite desserts. Over the years, I have made countless batches and tried many different recipes. While some are very good, I think that there are a couple of types of brownie mixes that produce results just as good as, if not better than, the ones I have made from scratch. And let’s face it sometimes you just don’t have the time to make something from scratch but still want that fresh baked, warm from the oven goodie.

My two favorites are Trader Joe’s truffle brownie mix and Ghirardelli”s double chocolate brownie mix. When making the Trader Joe’s mix lately, I have been using olive oil instead of the melted butter, with the intent of making it lower in saturated fats. The result has been an excellent, moist brownie.

The brownies can be mixed up, baked and ready in a little over an hour – which also allows for a half an hour of cooling time. Both these mixes include chocolate chips and if you wanted to, you could add nuts or maybe some dried fruits as well. For another treat and perhaps dessert for a dinner party top a brownie with vanilla ice cream and drizzle your favorite caramel sauce over the whole thing (could even be topped with whipped cream.)

I sure enjoyed preparing and photographing this recent batch, which also had the added benefit of making this backyard sister’s house smell wonderful; yet another reason to bake! We will be indulging all weekend long.

All in the name of art!

~ Sue

jumpin’ jazz, levitation and light, oh my

Posted on October 2, 2012 by backyardsisters

Kamasi Washington and the Next Step were the featured act at the Jazz at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) series a couple of weeks ago and I was lucky to have wandered over that way and stumbled upon such a lively and talent filled performance; with my camera too.

Kamasi Washington is a Los Angeles native jazz saxophonist that I was not familiar with yet. It turned out the show was great entertainment. Dynamic music accompanied by powerful vocals and interspersed with solos by the accomplished band members kept the evening flowing.

Since it started at six, the lighting for the first half was fairly easy. I started with my ISO at 500 and my aperture as wide as it would go; which with the lens I was using was 5.6f, and a shutter speed of 125. As the sun began to set, I slowly raised my ISO to 800 and then 1250 in order to be able to use a faster shutter speed.
During the intermission, we went to explore the new installation titled Levitated Mass by artist Michael Heizer.

It made headlines around town when the giant boulder was transported from the inland empire to the museum via a huge transporter constructed just for that purpose. The crowds it drew as it slowly made its’ way through the city over the course of several nights made it a legitimate and literal “rock star”! Now, in its’ new home at the museum it is a fun exhibit to experience. The sun was setting making a beautiful back drop and many people were playing nearby and venturing under it.

The second half lighting was a little trickier because the sun had set; making it a great deal darker. With my ISO at 3200 and my location closer to the band, I attempted some more shots.

I changed locations and was able to capture the pianist back lit.

It is a distinct venue with the stage in front of the Urban Light installation and I wanted to express the sense of place the art provides.

Also, the palm trees create a unique scene I was able to capture from up close and down low, looking up at the stage.

On the way out, I couldn’t resist setting my ISO lower again to 400 and using the Urban Light installation by the artist Chris Burden as my subject.

I’m glad I am now familiar with Kamasi Washington and the Next Step. I enjoyed a delightful evening of jazz, art and photography. For this backyard sister, it doesn’t get much better than that. If you would like to discover what it’s all about, the Jazz at LACMA series will be occurring this Thursday and every Friday through Thanksgiving weekend.

Happy wanderings~

Sue

creepy, crawly and beautiful

Posted on September 25, 2012 by backyardsisters

Around here, nothing quite signals the beginning of fall like the increase in the number of orb-weaving spiders. It begins with one or two building their wheel shaped webs spanning great expanses between branches or leaves.

The next thing you know there are 5, 6 or more getting to work nightly building massive and incredibly sturdy webs. They start popping up all over the neighborhood.

There is nothing like accidentally walking through the remnants of one of these spider’s strong, sticky webs to turn me into a giant whirligig, madly brushing at my clothes. These spiders are persistent. Every night they construct and in the morning can be found seemingly floating in mid-air in the center of their web.

Yet, they are skittish too. Often, as I approach one it will scurry away from the center and hide.

Upon the occasion of an unsuspecting bug becoming trapped in the web, the spiders will spring into action to immobilize their prey.

As much as the sight of spiders makes my skin crawl, I can’t help but find these creatures fascinating and admire the beautiful webs they create; using a telephoto lens at 300mm from a bit of a distance, of course.

And, I am thankful I have never found one inside. I like to think of them as nature’s Halloween decorations.

If you are in the Los Angeles area and would like to see all types of amazing spiders and their webs, the Natural History Museum has recently opened the spider pavilion. It’s a creepy, crawly good time!

We welcome fall and all the season brings!

~Sue

The Weekend Dish

Posted on September 21, 2012 by backyardsisters

Living under the flight path of a small, local airport, we have our share of interesting plane moments. The most awesome and thundering is when a touring B-17 makes its’ annual appearance. Those four propeller engines sure get our attention!

But nothing compares to this once in a lifetime opportunity to capture the space shuttle on the back of a 747 for its last time in flight and as it lands at LAX where it will be prepared for its’ journey to its’ new home, the California Science Center. I spent this morning looking skyward with a few hundred people on the bluff in Santa Monica waiting to spot the piggyback spectacle as it toured over the Santa Monica Bay and pier.

I caught it again as it circled around. It was a thrilling sight and I am glad I got to experience it.

Another photo opportunity of the aviation variety takes place on Saturday September 22 at 3:30 in the LA Harbor. Three World War II era planes will fly over the USS Iowa, a WWII battleship and the SS Lane Victory, a WWII merchant vessel, for more details click here. To photograph these planes I recommend at least a 200mm lens. If it’s a sunny day set your ISO to 100 or 200 and your shutter speed to at least 250, it can be higher, to freeze the action and then adjust the aperture for a proper exposure according to your meter.

If you would like to make this weekend an all airplane themed one, you may enjoy a performance at the TreePeople’s Coldwater Canyon Park. Their Once Upon a Canyon Night performance program is staging a “free-wheeling re-imagination of the first table-reading of the original screenplay of the classic comedy movie!” Airplane!

Off we go into the wild blue yonder.

~ Sue

A New Perspective

Posted on September 18, 2012 by backyardsisters

With the voice of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character from Kindergarten Cop urging, “get down!” in my head, I ventured out this week, my mission: to concentrate on photographing from a different angle. The Redondo Beach pier as my muse I began and caught this couple as I approached. I crouched down and click. . .

let the fun begin. Simple things can take on a new perspective when addressed from a different angle. Items look larger and have more presence when photographed from down low.

Looking up,

and making a point to step to the side as opposed to approaching from straight on

can add interest to a photo.

I slowly became aware of many pelicans out and about.

Suddenly, there is a commotion of flapping wings and pelicans running to one area.

A fisherman’s catch is fair game to the pelicans.

There were pelicans trying to steal the fish from each other as well as getting tangled and caught up in the fishing line and lures. All the while, I was sitting on my heels clicking away.

After suffering a couple of bites trying to retrieve his catch and even though disappointed at his loss, the fisherman worried about the pelicans welfare and freed the snagged birds. After the commotion died down, it became apparent there were two more stuck together by a hook.

Luckily, with the help of a bystander, they were freed.

When one looks at something from a different angle it can change one’s perception and add interest.

I urge you to use Arnold’s “get down” line as your mantra this week, and you can experience a new perspective yourself.

Have fun with it.

~ Sue

Ebb and Flow

Posted on September 11, 2012 by backyardsisters

There is a rhythm to the shore. This rhythm is the result of the constant ebb and flow of the tide as well as the waves. This morning I took a stroll paying particular attention to the tempo of the waves and how it effects the people, birds and items at the point where the water meets the sand.
I wandered over to explore the tide pools, a wave came in. . .

And the wave went out leaving seaweed draped over many of the rocks.

I decided to zoom and bring the seaweed closer; then another wave came in.

And went out. . .

Turning to the shoreline, a wave was retreating leaving relative calm.

Then zooming once again as another wave rolls in. Leaving the bird seemingly unfazed but the fisherman in hip deep water suddenly.

Some seaweed and shells were left on the sand from a ride on a wave.

I zoomed again.

The evidence of another stroller. . .

is quickly erased.

Surfers and swimmers will often pause at the shore waiting for the waves to recede to make their entrance into the water.

Birds also take advantage of the ebb of the waves to hunt for sand crabs.

The rhythm of the sea is predictable in its occurrence but the effects on the surroundings can vary from day to day. Sometimes an abundance of seaweed comes ashore and sometimes a large number of seashells. There is always something to discover at the shore.

Many happy discoveries to you.

~Sue

The Weekend Dish-Peaches and Cream Italiano

Posted on September 7, 2012 by backyardsisters

“The Beautiful Month of September is here!”, our grandmother would exclaim in a sing-song voice on the first day of September. She had an affinity for September, it being her birthday month, also mine and my younger sister’s. We have carried on the tradition and call each other to wish a Happy Beautiful Month of September on the first as well. September also is a time of changes and new beginnings. For school folk it marks the beginning of a new year. It is the time when the weather starts becoming a little cooler and the leaves begin to change colors. With a nod to a trend I see developing, lists of five things one can do, either in a week or a day, I am compiling my own list of five things to do this weekend to celebrate the beautiful month and what it brings.

1. Take some time to think about the things you are grateful for. They can be very simple: ice cream on a hot afternoon, the nudge of your dog’s nose against your leg in an attempt to elicit a pat from you, or greater: the love of your spouse or significant other, your health. If you want some inspiration check out photographer/film-maker Hailey Bartholomew’s gratitude project titled365 Grateful. She shares her tale of how finding and taking a picture of something she was grateful for every day for a year changed her life.

2. Go for a walk with an eye out for signs of the changing seasons; the different flowers which are beginning to bloom, perhaps the presence of new wildlife making a fall appearance in your area or the thinning crowds at the beach.

3. Tackle a project you have been putting off all summer; that closet that needs cleaning, the stack of paperwork which has been pushed aside too many times.

4. Launch a creative endeavor; begin a painting or drawing , a photography project, or writing the first page of your novel, a poem or even a letter. To read some fascinating letters written by notable authors ( actors, authors, politicians) visit the letters of note website.

5. Use the last of the season’s peaches to make this deliciously simple dessert.

Peaches and Cream Italiano

3 peaches, peeled, pitted and halved
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup marsala wine
Dissolve the sugar in the water and marsala and let the peaches macerate in the liquid for approximately one hour.
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup whipped cream ( made by whipping: 1 cup cream, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla until thickened)
Mix together cheese and whipping cream and splash of marsala wine and set aside until ready to use.
Dark chocolate for grating

Heat skillet over medium high heat and place peaches cut side down . Cook until beginning to brown and slightly caramelized. Place one half peach in a bowl with cut side up. Fill space where pit was with the whipped cream/cheese mixture and grate the chocolate over the top. Serve immediately. Serves 6

If you like the idea of lists of 5 things to do, and would like to be inspired every day, then you may want to see what David has compiled at 5thingstodotoday.com

Have a great weekend easing into the changing rhythms of September, the Backyard Sisters’ way.

~Sue

I lost my fear of heights on the Eiffel Tower

Posted on September 4, 2012 by backyardsisters

A commercial I saw recently featuring a little girl who dreams of flying prompted a memory of my own dreams of flying as a little girl. Since I haven’t yet acquired either the skills or ability to fly, I have found, in my opinion, the next best thing – aside from flying in an airplane – searching out the tallest structures or mountains and ascending them to take in the world from up high.

Paris is especially fun to experience from a vantage point far above the city. One obvious choice for this is the Eiffel Tower.

This required my putting aside my feeling of skittishness when looking down from great heights. I share a kindred spirit with a young girl I overheard as I was descending the Eiffel Tower. She declared, “I lost my fear of heights on the Eiffel Tower!”

It is hard to be nervous while gazing at such a captivating view. Cars and people are so tiny, almost toy-like.

When one travels a few hundred feet up, an orderliness to a city becomes apparent.

Often, the tall structures are evident from great distances and invite, almost taunt, me to visit.

Toronto Skyline

The views can be magnificent, even at night.

View from CN Tower, Toronto

The CN Tower in Toronto has an outside observation deck which is lit up at night with changing colored lights creating an interesting hue to photos taken through the lights.The view from above also allows one to see things which can’t be seen from ground level, like the maple leaf on the rooftop.

View from CN Tower, Toronto

A funicular ride to the top of Monte Igueldo in San Sebastian, Spain made this view possible.

Here’s to seeing things from a different perspective and the joy of beauty trumping any fears holding you back.

May we all, “lose our fear of heights on the Eiffel Tower!”

And maybe I will learn to fly someday, baby steps.

~ Sue

backyard sisters

Saving ordinary moments from the brink of oblivion

Tag Archives: by Susan Greene

A Rearranging of the Resources

The Weekend Dish

jumpin’ jazz, levitation and light, oh my

creepy, crawly and beautiful

The Weekend Dish

A New Perspective

Ebb and Flow

The Weekend Dish-Peaches and Cream Italiano

I lost my fear of heights on the Eiffel Tower

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