La Purisima Mission State Historic Park on November 3rd and November 10th at Moorpark for a Civil War Reenactment.

This past month we had two field trips to La Purisima Mission and the Civil War reenactment in Moorpark.

The first field trip was to La Purisima Mission State Historic Park on November 3rd for Village Days. Tule Village comes to life with the blending of traditional Chumash (Indian) and Colonial Spanish life ways. Demonstrators from the volunteers and kids help us learn a variety of skills such as grinding acorns, basket weaving, building a tule house, making soapstone beads or tule dolls, and playing Chumash games. When we arrived around 11:00 there was many mission volunteers and kids that put on costumes and showed how it may have been. Also, I love the Spanish architecture and early mission life.

Our field trip chairman, Douglas Wade, arranged for another monthly photo opportunity with fellow photographers.  We met beforehand for breakfast at Roxy’s Café in Palmdale, and carpools were formed.  Eight of us ventured to the Los Angeles Arboretum, in Arcadia.  The Arboretum is a fantastic place to practice photographing flowers and birds.

The place was empty!  Maybe people don’t like to venture out on a cool damp morning filled with drizzle?  The lighting was very soft and no harsh shadows, which was nice for photographing.  Upon walking into the park we were all mesmerized by the flutter of the Hummingbirds feasting upon purple Salvia.

Peacocks were prevalent, and quite tame!  Hmmm… bird shot?  Abstract shot?  Human Interest shot?  The noisemaker was the Guineahen…  what a scary face!

David and Chris Wilkins arranged another fun field trip for us, a return to Mono Lake for Star Trails and a trip to Bodie State Park.  Approximately twenty LPA members made the excursion to Lee Vining, the base for our photo adventures.  Some arrived a day ahead and some had to leave a day early, but most everyone made it to the south shore of Mono Lake for sunset and to light paint the tufa and practice star trail photography.

In preparation for the event, David and Chris arranged for a “close to home” field trip beforehand to our local state park, Saddleback Buttes, to learn how to set cameras for light painting and time exposed shots of star trails.

About 10 of us made the trip to Santa Monica, mostly to escape the heat of the Antelope Valley. We met at the dinosaur and 3th and Broadway. We grouped up and talked about some shot setups, such as shooting the athletic equipment; under the pier; on the pier; and the sunset with the pier in the foreground. The pier was very crowded and we all knew that we would get someone in about every shot.

When some of the group wanted to take images at the carousel where we got chased out, because we had tripods (but we were not using them). We moved around the area, looking for interesting items. Most of us did our own thing. I hung out with Tina Crowe and we moved all over the area. Starting at the carousel, then down to the athletic equipment where we tried to catch some performers and others having a good time. We moved to under the pier, the sides and up on top. We loitered around waiting for the sunset, wishing for some clouds but none this night. We took lots of images this day and headed back to the AV where it had cooled off.

Photos by Douglas Paul Wade

On June 17, Father’s day, a few of us made came over the Villa del Sol Cherry Farm in Leona Valley. It is located at the corner of Godde and Lake Elizabeth Road. This event has a special purpose and that was to get images for the AV Fair. This year’s theme is Cherry Jammin’. The images will be helpful for the Fair for promotion.  The 4,000 trees were full of fruit and the parking lot was full. A lot of families were picking. From young to old had their buckets and were clipping fruit. The farm has different five types of cherries, Bings, Rainers, Early Burlat, Tulare and Brooks. The farm has 50 beehives to gently pollinate the cherries before the picking season and you can purchase their honey at the farm.

On a chilly May morning, a group of ten photographers met at 6:00am on Lancaster Boulevard for a group photo and to discuss early morning photo opportunities. The light at sunrise is wonderful and the long shadows cast from the rising sun cast create interest, and the “sweet light” adds depth to textures, patterns, and accentuates colors and reflections. It was a very quiet morning, and gave each photographer some alone time to think about composition and exploring new ideas.

This field trip was about celebrating the city and trying to capture its character. The city of Lancaster has been revitalized and it was good to explore downtown and visit the Artist’s Loft,  American Heroes Park, senior housing, the colorful new apartments, and many things we take for granted when we just drive by.

After a few hours, some of us headed over the Katz N' Jammers Cafe for a breakfast. At 11:00am the Museum of Art and History MOAH, opened for the first time in the new space on the Blvd. It’s a beautiful building and wonderful addition supporting the arts. Everyone should make a point to visit MOAH.

All the member images can be seen in the gallery.

Twelve LPA members participated in the field trip to the Acton Rangers Gymkhana on Sunday, April 1st.  Sue Craft led the trip and provided tips and instruction on photographing horses and riders while they are competing in speed events.  There was an opportunity to photograph lots of action in Acton.

Some of us met at Crazy Otto's in Acton for breakfast before going to the Gymkhana.  The rest met us at the arena.  We took a group photo before going to various places around the arena to photograph the action.  The weather was fantastic.  It had rained the previous night; the skies were clear; the wind was calm in the morning, and the temperature was mild.  What a great day to photograph the horses and riders at the gymkhana.

Griffith Observatory sits on Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park. The most visited observatory in the world is a photographer’s delight. Sweeping views of the Los Angeles Basin, and beautiful landscape, greet a large number of exhibits lure visitors and locals alike. Intended for public astronomy and enjoyment, Griffith Observatory brings the fascinating mysteries of the universe a little closer.

On March 8th, a group of us left Lancaster to arrive before dark at the Observatory to scope out the area. The group consisted of Arliss Dawson, Douglas Weber, Pam Vick, Wayne Staley, his niece Sarah, Jerry Stowell, and myself.

The night was pleasant, but the sky was hazy. As the sunset to the west, we observed the full moon rising, and the moon was a beautiful red.