FMTSO: Space

Hello my fellow town shooters. I'd like to take you on a tour through Red Rock Canyon located in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Most people who have never been to Las Vegas have a preconceived notion about the city. After all, we are considered the city of Sin, what with all the gambling, drinking, strip clubs and 24 hour non-stop partying going on. It must be quite hard to imagine quiet neighborhoods, serene mountains and beautiful canyons with a variety of wildlife.  Let my pictures be proof that there is another side to my town.

Most people who come out to Red Rock Canyon are local hikers, rock climbers and photographers. There are some tourists who come and are awestruck by the view.  There are big rocks to climb on and  if you squint, you might be able to see the city in the distance.

There are also wildflowers that sprout up in the desert spaces at Red Rock Canyon.

Of course, it's always windy when I try to take a photo of the flowers.

There are cave-like spaces where some birds dwell.  I believe I've heard the vocalization of quail around these parts  but I am not 100 percent positive on the type of bird noise I've heard.

There are spaces in the rocks where critters can hide, such as this lizard who is trying to blend in and not be noticed.  this little guy was very hard to capture because he was moving all over the place.

I was amazed at how much space this tortoise covered in such a little amount of time as I followed him around.  He was quicker than I thought he would be. The group I was with tried to give him some water.

The three guys in the foreground are in my camera club.  They are very serious about photography.

I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Please check out some more open/closed spaces in other towns by clicking on this whole sentence.

Thank you and have a fabulous weekend.

FMTSO: Winter

This is the tree in my front yard which I took with my phone just five minutes ago, at 5:00 p.m.

The rest of the neighborhood pretty much looks the same.  My grass still has some green in it but it's pretty dry. Although the temperatures haven't dipped too low,  it is still a bit chilly.

It's cold enough at night that I want to make hot chocolate.

But I didn;t make this hot chocolate and I'm not the one drinking it.

This hot chocolate came from the Mt. Charleston Lodge.

Yep, when I want to see winter I just hop in my card and drive to Mt. Charleston.

Here are some of the shots from my last trip in December.

This is the Mt. Charleston Resort which is different than Mt. Charleston Lodge.

The lodge is just up the road a few more miles.

Icicles hanging from the balcony of somebody's home.

The Lodge, too icy to sit outside and enjoy the view.

Someone's cottage near the lodge.

I just love driving through the snow.

I wish I had more pictures to show you all but this is pretty much it.

Tonight is the first meeting of the year for my camera club.

We are having a presentation by professional photographer, Royce Bair who will be discussing night photography.  I expect it to be a really good presentation and a great night.

To see other town's winter click here for the Friday My Town Shoot Out.

Have a great weekend everyone.

FMTSO: What Light's up your town?

It's been awhile since I've posted and I've been feeling the pull to come back for some time now. My desire for going out and taking fresh photos with my camera is still lacking, however, I do take lots of photos with my phone.  I will be posting some archived photos for this weeks FMTSO theme, and since it's close to Christmas, I will be posting images that convey the Christmas spirit, the winter holiday, etc.

This photo was taken in 2012 and is a photo of a Christmas village.

It looks better in black and white because I forgot to adjust the white balance on the camera before aiming.

A sunburst of natural light.

This is at the Resort at Mt. Charleston.

The same area where the sunburst was shining, only this was taken from inside the resort.

These photos were taken with my phone just over a week ago.

Playing with fire.

This was taken in March of this year with one of my photography groups that I belong to.

Wrong time of day for a photo shoot!

All of these photos were taken in outlying areas of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Gosh, I kind of feel inspired to get out there and start taking more pictures.

Thank you all for viewing my participation.

I appreciate you stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

Learn and Grow Your Photography

Learn and Grow

By JarieLyn Robbins

 

Have you ever thought about taking your photography skills to a higher level but didn’t know where to begin?

If you are new to the Nevada Camera Club, Congratulations!

You have taken the first step to becoming a better photographer.

Those who have been members for a while know the value of attending program meetings, competitions, field trips and workshops.

They are already reaping the benefits.

If you don’t believe me, just look at the quality of photos that are being entered every month.

Nevada Camera Club is a wonderful place to learn and grow.

In addition to the Nevada Camera Club there are many resources available to photographers of all skill levels.

 If you are a student or prospective student who dreams of a successful career in photography, there is a wonderful on-line resource that has an abundance of information about available photography programs.

This web site allows you to browse by school type, category, type of degree and by state.

There is also a comprehensive guide to Professional Photographer Associations.

The reason I endorse this website is because it also lists an array of competitions that you can enter.

For example, there is a current photography contest that is sponsored by Army Magazine which is open to amateur and professional photographers.

 First prize is $500.00 and second prize is $300.00.

So, even if you aren’t interested in getting a photography degree, it’s worth a browse.

It’s not just for students and prospective students.

It’s for any photographer who wants to learn and grow no matter what your skill level.

You might find an international or local association that you never knew existed, or you might find a photography competition that is screaming your name.

What have you got to lose?

Check it out at www.PhotographyDegree.com

A handwritten letter from Betty White.

FMTSO: From The Ground Up

I absolutely love this week's theme for the Friday My Town Shoot Out.  I cheated though because I didn't actually go out this week and take photos.  These come from my archives and were taken last September while I was on vacation, so they are not actually from my town but they are still my photos in different towns.

Galvastan, Texas.

Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.

A block wall with horses painted on it.  Again, in Amarillo, Texas.

Well that's it for this week.

The day's come and go so fast anymore that Friday is here before I can even blink.

Hopefully, next week I'll have some fresh photos for the theme.

Join the gang or check out other participants here.

FMTSO: The Five Senses

Happy Friday!  Today's theme is the five senses.  I picked out several photos for the theme but in the end I just didn't think they were good enough so instead I will post just one picture which represents all five of my senses.

 

First, I SEE it, then I TOUCH it, then I SMELL it then I TASTE it and then everyone around me can HEAR me say Mmm Mmm good as I devour my sweet treat using all of my senses.

 

 

Last Friday, while out of town,  I scoured Los Angeles and Hollywood for graffiti for FTSO and I found some, but unfortunately, I never made it to the computer, so I will share my graffiti with you now.

 

 

 

 

 

My sister up at the top to the right and her friend Julie on the left.

 

 

 

And lastly, a not to subtle message.

 

 

 

Have a great weekend everyone!