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Your Bio

Welcome to my site! I am a free lance photographer who has been taking pictures since I received my first brownie camera at age 10. I love photographing landscapes, people and events. I also enjoy watercolors, pastels and collage and I have an MA in Art Therapy. From art teacher to graphic artist to educational psychologist to free-lance photographer and painter, my involvement in expressive arts and image making has taken a few unusual turns. All of them have made the journey a stimulating one.

If you'd like you may rate photos, giving a "thumbs up/down" by moving your cursor to the right side of any photo in a gallery. You are welcome to make comments (click comment tab below the gallery). Any of my photos may be purchased in a variety of sizes, or on a variety of merchandise (like mugs, T-shirts) which are great for gifts. Click on "buy this photo" above any photo. You can contact me at ghostranchclaudia@yahoo.com. Thank you for your support of this site.

Most Popular Photos

Chimney Rock Splendor

Apr. 19th - Some days I don't have any photos to post, so today I'm posting two....this image is from Sarah's garden (as was yesterday's post). I went back again just to see the riot of color, form, texture, you name it.

May 6: basket of onions
I planted these onions last spring and just picked them now....I used the same "rain" simulation in this image as I did yesterday with the citrus. By the way, the onions taste great, too.

Apr. 19: Climb every mountain...the wildflowers are changing rapidly - mostly drying up. But the wild mustard is hardy. There were ladybugs everywhere in a mustard field near my house and these two were sitting on their respective flowers like queens of the world. And I couldn't resist the primary colors....

Apr. 30: Flowing Eucalyptus Branches
This tree is just across the street and the setting sun light hits it just right in late afternoon. I've always been enchanted by the grace of eucalyptus trees. They look almost human.

Apr. 6 - This is a photo taken two days ago at a Modjeska Canyon community art fair. This man was showing pottery and I love how his beard catches the late afternoon sun. So pensive....

April 13: Look what some boots and a hat can do....
This weekend I practiced with a strobe light and two pocket wizards under the tutelage of Michael W. We took the opportunity to dress up in our cowboy/girl duds and visit a local barn. I think I'm getting the hang of this.

Curious: I stopped by the side of the road to photograph this fellow - he has a beautiful thick neck. This is as close as I could get, because any closer and he tried to eat my camera!

May 5: Bowl of citrus
I tried something suggested by Bryan Petersen in his book "Exposure". To simulate "rain" with a sprinkler. I like the results (I also included the next image).

June 16: Mission Koi
More from my Mission San Juan Capistrano trip. I enjoy photographing the Koi and water lilies in the Mission's two ponds. It is a beautiful mission - "Jewel of the Missions", in fact. This is the one that celebrates the return of the swallows every spring at the same time.

Apr. 27: Just another rose

May 15: Don's Classic Chevy
This was shot a week or so ago in Old Towne Orange. I have been crazy busy for a week and am finally back to the dailies. I have a lot of catching up to do.

May 18: Luscious Pink
In Lightroom, I adjusted the Clarity slider to create a softer feel instead of sharpening the image.

May 27: Stages of life
Perhaps because I've been spending so much time in my own and my neighbor's gardens, I'm enjoying the budding and blooming of Spring, but am also more aware of life's cycles. In our culture I think we put too much emphasis and expectation on the Spring of life, and we are not mindful of the gifts that come at each stage (I certainly wasn't as a teenager!). I plan to age in loveliness and peace as roses do.

May 2: Picture yourself here
I have been playing with my new tripod all day, but didn't get anything I liked - need more practice I guess. So, this is from several weeks ago when I went on a wildflower hike at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.

I submitted this photo in my B&W class last night. Our assignment was to photograph people with different skin tones. These are two buddies from my yoga class who agreed to help. Of the photos I submitted, the class liked this one the best. It's challenging for me because I like working in color so much, but am learning a lot and starting to the appreciate B&W image.

Yellow Hills
This image was made on a walk yesterday in Modjeska Canyon. It is the time to capture wildflowers. It was close to sunset and the light was just right.

goofy & modest, braces & flounce: Being Thirteen
My thirteen-year-old neice, Brianna, spent the night this weekend. We went to the "mall" and tried to see how many free samples we could get. We also rode a ferris wheel. She tried on all kinds of clothes & I took pictures. I like this one - I think it captures that teenage hesitance and awkwardness. She wants to grow up, and yet she doesn't.

Galleries

Daily Photos : Best photos of the day

Best photos of the day

Updated: Jun 17, 2009 7:49pm PST

B-W Hoffman Spring 09 :

B-W Hoffman Spring 09

Updated: May 11, 2009 3:24pm PST

Case Study 1 :

Updated: May 11, 2009 3:44pm PST

Old Towne Orange : During this photo shoot in historic Old Towne Orange, CA, with my digital photography class, I walked for 3 hours. I was intrigued alternately by signs and angles and shadows, the historic architecture, and by people enjoying the out-of-doors, walking mall atmosphere.

Old Towne Orange

During this photo shoot in historic Old Towne Orange, CA, with my digi ...

Updated: May 15, 2009 9:27pm PST

Cowboys & Strobes : These images were taken on two occasions in a neighbor's barn. Michael W. is the model and friend who was teaching me all about using a single strobe to create unique lighting. I had a bit of fun captioning the first 5 shots....

Cowboys & Strobes

These images were taken on two occasions in a neighbor's barn. Michae ...

Updated: Apr 17, 2009 4:41pm PST

Modjeska Canyon images

Updated: Apr 15, 2009 8:15pm PST

Ghost Ranch & Abiquiu, New Mexico : A selection of photos taken during the 5 years I lived and worked at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. To see more or to find out about the conference center go to www.ghostranch.org.

Ghost Ranch & Abiquiu, New Mexico

A selection of photos taken during the 5 years I lived and worked at G ...

Updated: Mar 04, 2009 6:43pm PST

Southern California Scenes : A selection of photos of favorite southern California locations

Southern California Scenes

A selection of photos of favorite southern California locations

Updated: Sep 27, 2007 5:54pm PST

Spring Wildflower Hike : Hiking in the Limestone Canyon wilderness area of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy

Spring Wildflower Hike

Hiking in the Limestone Canyon wilderness area of the Irvine Ranch Con ...

Updated: May 26, 2008 9:42pm PST

Flowers & Gardens : Close-ups of a variety of flowers and gardens

Flowers & Gardens

Close-ups of a variety of flowers and gardens

Updated: Apr 22, 2008 9:07pm PST

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On Feb. 1, 2009, as I was enjoying a pleasant day at Laguna with my ca ...

Updated: Mar 13, 2009 5:14pm PST

Favorites and Misfits :

Favorites and Misfits

Updated: Mar 01, 2009 4:44pm PST

Photo Art : These are photos I've played around with in Photoshop, adding a variety of art filters.

These are photos I've played around with in Photoshop, adding a variet ...

Updated: Feb 20, 2008 12:30pm PST

password protected gallery

I visited Santa Barbara & got to see Suzy Galbraith 8 months pregnant! ...

Updated: Mar 14, 2009 7:21pm PST

Photography Classes

Updated: May 11, 2009 3:47pm PST

Photo Communities

Member of: Saddleback | DailyPhotos

Friends & Family

Friends: beccalynne • imagelover • Jean-Yves (Ifocus) • Jeff Groves • Melissa OShaughnessy • micalngelo • PhillipsImages • Vivian Frerichs (vivpix) • XinaCat

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