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May 14, 2011 by elisa sherman

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2011

My friend and I made it up to the Tulips on what might have been the brightest day in April…

It took 2ish hours to get to just the one garden once we left the freeway…so alas, we made it a good one…

Some may remember images from my last trip in 2008 – I was taking my then new Rebel XTiand lenses for a tour, to figure out how to use them…the difference this time, less time, less fields, more sun, less clouds, no droplets, more sun(yeah, it was bright!), and oh yeah, I actually now know how to use a camera, lol…I took my 5d, my 15mm fish, 70-200 2.8 and my 50 1.4 to see what we could see this time. I tried to stick with the extremes at 200, and 15mm wide open at 2.8 – figured noone wants to see just another flower portrait – but eh, they are pretty flowers, so…Anyway, because it was so bright, I figured, extreme perspective would be able to capture some drama in what would otherwise be, just more flower pictures – though, that is what they are! And that’s all ok:)

When I say I know how to use (now) – it sounds silly – and I was really happy with my 2008 images – you might even like some of them better than this years! (and that’s ok:) But I barely knew how to use the focusing system, didn’t quite understand what I would get through the various lenses (10-22, 50, 100 w/my 2008 rebel)…I like to think I had an eye and a bit of style – which has always been a little like my cooking – by feel and senses…These days, new gear, and I at least in my head a bit more of a sense of – hey I know what I’m after – how to shoot it, and well, never forget to just enjoy it.

So with all of that said – here are some of the colors admist the brightest sun – gotta love the pretty!

Archive (alternative view – non flash)

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival 2011 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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April 10, 2011 by elisa

Freeway Park ~ Spring in Seattle 2011

Took the new LX5 on a spin around town, specifically a jaunt through Freeway Park, in the middle of downtown, and caught the spring flowers, magnolias, cherry blossoms, tulips and whatnot (read I don’t know what the other flowers were)…all in the first burst of bloom amongst our barely there Spring in Seattle…I tried to shoot it wide open the whole time to see how it really performs at it’s limits…

Some of the images – not bad for a little point & shoot:)

Archive slideshow (click here for non flash version)

Freeway Park Seattle 4-9-2011 – Images by Elisa Sherman

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February 15, 2010 by elisa sherman

Maui…wowie?

Well maybe not literally *wowie* as somehow I never caught the herbal scent, even whilst wandering across the park under the infamous banyan tree…sigh – the once cash crop, seems to have gone underground, or rather to ground perhaps, as I know I saw some *happy* surfers at another park – really, just friendly;)

“Wowie” aside, the sunsets were gorgeously divine, the vistas, beyond scenic, the coffee, so smooth, the water so clear, and the sun so warm…I could go on and on, it was paradise. Mom and I stayed at Lahaina Shores – I highly recommend – the town is super cute, and the hotel/condo is right on the beach, you practically fall into the ocean when you step out the back doors…

It seemed everywhere I turned, the frame was post card perfection – the sunsets – so stunning. A not so funny thing happen to my shots for most of the trip – I somehow(don’t laugh!) got a piece of hair caught up in the camera between the mirror and the sensor, ruining several shots – but perhaps, it was meant to be. It certainly made it easy to pass over the shots where a blurry line cut the scene in half. Where I could, I cropped around. Where I couldn’t I moved onto the next frame…sigh, you would think checking the images everyday, I would have figured this out quicker, rather than ruining 3 days? Oh well! Que sera, sera! as they say…

Even whilst the unfortunate technical difficulties, I think I was able to record some of the beauty that surrounded us, 360 degrees…sunsets, to black lava beaches…all the way around the island, here’s a taste…Note – even the old trashed out cars, are pretty – I guess that’s what happens in paradise!

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October 3, 2009 by elisa sherman

Sand Surf and The Hills…..

The Hollywood Hill(s)……lol…

Aside from the musical pics taken from last weekends jaunt into the Holly-hood, I played vacation snapper…

You know it’s LA…even the thin layer of smog, isn’t a turn off… and the surrounding beaches – Venice and Santa Monica, so close, and so gorg…there is a reason why, all the beautiful people want to live there….it’s fun, it’s gorgeous, and it’s sunny!

On landing, headed up to Santa Monica…so pretty…it was so relaxed…and enjoyed a lunchtime raspberry margarita…….yum – and hey, I was on VACATION, lol…and raspberry anything is yummy! And you gotta love anyplace that features a perpetual ferris wheel! And sandy beaches………sigh…

Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel by Elisa Sherman | photosbyelisa.com

Sigh, but back at home…summer is over………..but…HAWAII in January…happy birthday to ME!

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August 15, 2008 by elisa

California Dreamin’ ~ redux

‘Twas the summer of 2008 – my mom and I drove down the California coast from the Hearst Castle to Hotel del Coronado, blue oceans and vistas endless. We constantly had our GPS re-routing each time we took the most coastal roads…everything – so pretty…good times. View over famous pool from Hearst Castle ~ Hearst Castle ~ Heading south ~ Out to Ohai ~ South again, more beachy coast ~ Marina Del Rey ~ Venice ~ Mission at San Juan Capistrano ~ La Jolla ~ Coronado ~ Archive Gallery ~ (alternate non flash slideshow here)
California Coast 2008 – Images by Elisa Sherman At the end of this trip – caught Lukas Rossi with Stars Down in LA-la land… http://photosbyelisa.com/2008/08/stars-down-is-minty-fresh.html

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June 25, 2008 by elisa sherman

Fremont brings in The Summer…

Spent this past Saturday bringing in the Summer over in Fremont at the Summer Solstice Parade and celebration…

Went on Friday to get the press pass so I could shoot from w/i the parade…

So I shot walking through the middle of the parade, back and forth from every angle…It was fun, crazy and full of sheer abandon from the participants…

From the naked(yes, I said NAKED) painted cyclists, the topless chocolate painted dancers, naked skater girls…to all the fabulous people powered floats, the imperfectly gorgeous belly dancers, the fabulous drag queens, the political statements, the zombies, the love fest huggers, all of the enthusiastic participants, the crowd, all of Fremont…it was all sheer madness…

It was fabulous. By the end of the day with the bare and painted skin scattered through out, I was numb to excessive exhibitionist displays…

It was a celebration…Fremont, goes full monte bringing on The Summer…

Here are the images I clicked that hopefully communicates some of the pure joie de vivre that was there at every turn…Here is a slice of the spectacle, the PG version…you can go straight to the set for the “full monte” so to speak;)

Full slide show of the set including the chocolate lady and a few select painted bicyclists, skaters…beware, NSFW(not safe for work)!

Europe photos will be coming soon!!! swear! lol…

xoxo
~Elisa

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June 15, 2008 by elisa

Europe 2008: From Tuscany to Paris via Venezia!

Venezia – that would be Venice:) In late Spring 2008, a 9 day stay at a Villa above Montecatini, spent touring the countryside of Tuscany with days spent at historic towns of Siena, San Gimignano, Vinci, Lucca, and much celebration at our family friends wedding. The trip continued with a drive across from Montecatini to Venice – we stopped at Bologna and Padua along the way. And Venice – the town amongst canals…A cruise trip to minor isles – Murano, Burano, and Torcello, midnight run to the the Venice ER, gorgeous food(yep!), and vistas from atop San Marco’s. I would love to go back for more than a few days… And jetted back for a long weekend in Paris – the Eiffel Tower, a cruise along the Seine, tour of the night lights of Paris, the Notre Dame…so much so little time. First our stay in Tuscany – the views from our villa were SPECTACULAR… One of the most memorable things about this trip – is how gorgeous the skies were – I mean, why do they have prettier clouds than us? I mean whether scary or scattered – the skies were gorgeous… The historic towns – beyond…so rich in time… Even the trees are prettier in Tuscany…sigh… There is probably nothing more impressive than the views from above – and I sent my brother in law, Brett up the towers at San Gimignano to take some spectacular shots – thansk Brett! And well there was just so much to see – just in Tuscany… One cannot of course, be in Italia without imbibing – alas, we got to attend our friends wedding where bottles were atop every table – as is custom at any meal here… Beyond the gorgeousness that was so obviously Tuscany – the drive across was very cool – on a train we never would have stopped at the towns of Bologna or Padua… Upon arrival to Venice – the visions of city on the water were simply inescapable…the Grand Canal – the little canals…the flowers hanging off the balconies, San Marco’s, Gondolas…the food ~ bella! And, voila – Paris… Full Archive ~ (none flash version CLICK HERE) Europe 2008 – Images by Elisa Sherman Europe 2008: From Tuscany to Paris via Venezia!