California’s Devastating Fires!!

The fires in California are absolutely devastating!  I’m posting this to ask you for your prayers.  Many I know have evacuated the foothills of California and the fire is zero percent contained there.  It’s been horribly hot, terribly dry due to a severe drought, and the fire is jumping all over the place.  There are evacuation centers set up for those who’ve lost their homes and many people who live near the areas are going there to drop off food, clothing and whatever else is needed.

I live near Mt. Diablo which is about 30 minutes east of San Francisco and about 2.5 hours south of the devastation.  I am pretty much at the base of Mt. Diablo and I couod barely see it due to the smoke. There was even ash on our car and on the tables at the local coffee shop this morning.

I know this is not photography-related but I would sincerely appreciate your positive thoughts or a reflective moment for the devastation this has caused.  Let’s hope the fire gets under control soon.

California Fires

 

 

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The Golden State

Many people think California is called “The Golden State” because of the gold rush but it’s actually because the hills turn golden brown in the summer and the fields of poppies that bloom in the springtime.  This was taken up on Mt. Diablo about a month ago.  I really love the majestic oaks that dot the hillsides.

The Golden State

Should you wish to purchase this print, please click here.

Soon…very verrrrry soon….

I’m “almost” finished with the store.  I took a break yesterday from it.  Yay for breaks!

In the meantime, I thought I’d share with you this HDR image from last year from atop Mt. Diablo.  The function of this door is still a mystery and why I call it “Door to Nowhere”.  It was a bracketed three exposure photo taken on my D7100.  Even though I’m on my D750 now, the D7100 is a great camera….the shot came out nicely on all three bracketed photos which made it easier for me to process it into one photo.

Not that I’m an HDR expert by any means, but from what I’ve learned about processing my own photos is I’m a firm believer in not just clicking a button in a filter and calling it done.  The Photomatix or Nik HDR merge is only one step within my photoshop files.    And I must admit I really love the editing stage…it’s my favorite part. 🙂

I’m now embedding links from my photo website into my blog so that when you click the image, you will be taken to my website.  You can then scroll to the bottom and click where it says “click here” and it will then take you to the store.  Why upload more images when I can just paste a link here!  Gotta love technology.  *sometimes* 😉  Have a nice weekend everyone!