Filoli Garden

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"Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life."

It is from this credo of original owner William Bowers Bourn II that the name Filoli was created for his 654 acre estate in Woodside, CA. The house, formal garden and surrounding acreage is now owned by The National Trust for Historic Preservation and is open to the public.As much as I love flowers, public gardens are not among my favorite places to photograph them. This visit to Filoli was a shoot-out with members of the photography club, and we took advantage of a once-a-month-after-hours-artists'-access to take advantage of late afternoon light and no crowds.The formal garden includes an assortment of individual, smaller gardens, fountains, a pool, several ponds, and a nursery. As I wandered from the Rose Garden to the Daffodil Meadow to the Woodlands, past the Sunken Garden, and on to the Terrace, I looked for hidden treasures, details that would make unique photographs. In an obscure, back corner I found a set of distinctive, patina covered patio chairs...

and in the retail nursery,
a statue of Buddha hidden in plain sight.

As I waited to meet up with the others at the end of our time, I started playing with double exposures. I took the first image of a mostly green succulent and then overlaid it with a similar, but larger one with magenta lined leaves.

You can see more photos from Filoli on my Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

June Full Moon: Changing Light

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These three photographs of the June full moon show how the light changes as the sun sets.

This spot at Chesbro Reservoir is a perfect location to photograph the June full moon because the dip in the landscape lines up so nicely with the moon's rise. Moon rise was a full 45 minutes before sunset so I knew the moon would be very faint against a still bright sky. Normally, I like to use a long telephoto lens so the moon looks HUGE, and catch it when it first appears, but at Chesbro, the water and hills are as much a part of the composition as the moon. I chose a shorter lens so I could include the foreground grass and trees to frame the rise. I underexposed the shot to bring out more color.

All the elements came together for this shot taken just minutes before sunset. The sky was dark enough for the moon light to glimmer through, but not so dark that the contrast between sky and moon was greater than the camera sensor could capture. And the layers of warm, sunset color are always appreciated. I don't normally take vertical photographs, but the line of reflection in the water seemed to call for it.

This last photo was taken ten minutes after sunset. I zoomed in to give more size to the moon. Without the sun to warm it, the light turned a cool blue. At this point the moon was very bright against the dark blue sky. To prevent it from being completely blown out, I used a graduated neutral density filter and underexposed the shot. In post processing, I isolated the moon & darkened it to bring out the orange.

I hope you enjoyed viewing my moon shots
as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Roses, Roses, Roses

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The rose garden at Villa Mira Monte, the former estate of Hiram Morgan Hill and his wife Diana Murphy, is a local gem. In private gardens around town, roses have been in bloom since late April, but for some unknown reason, the bushes here have been on their own, private schedule and have held back their blooms... until now.
I liked the delicate feel of this small, single bloom leaning out on its slender stem.

Several members of the photography club joined me for this roses shoot-out. The specific goal for the macro shooters was to capture water drops on the petals. I tried for a different perspective. I positioned myself behind the flower and shot toward the sun, which was just starting to break through the early morning cloud cover and provided a glowing light on the petals. A spray bottle provided the water drops.

I continue to be in awe of the intrinsic beauty of roses...

especially when I see one that is perfect. I was in the right place at the right time to get this shot. I had already taken several shots when the emerging sun shown just enough light to set it aglow. I under exposed it to prevent the light from washing out the deep red color. The black background was a bonus.

Thank you for viewing my photographs.
You can see more photos from this garden on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

A Day at the Coast (Again)

Some places deserve a return visit (or several). Point Lobos is one such place. I made the 60 mile drive last week in search of the tide pools at Weston Beach (scroll 2 blogs down). I was inspired by a photo by Don Smith (http://donsmithphotography.aminus3.com/), a professional photographer with whom I have taken a couple of workshops. I was enthralled by the beach and the tide pools, but I didn't find the photo that was in my mind. I had to return. I timed this second trip to a minus low tide, thinking that would reveal more tide pools. It did, but the rocks were so slippery with glutinous seaweed, the outer tide pools were inaccessible. But no matter, I found the subject I was looking for: an anemone surrounded by colorful rocks. This is the photo I had envisioned. I love it when a plan comes together.

Point Lobos has many photographic opportunities. I left Weston Beach and ventured down the South Shore Trail in search of wildflowers. They were plentiful, but most were on the inland side of the trail. I spotted this colorful bunch growing out of a perilous outcrop. A photo with a slanted horizon is considered a rookie blunder, and I could have straightened it in Lightroom. I chose to leave it because to get this shot, I had to crawl out to the edge of the cliff, lie on my side, and try to look through the view finder while holding the camera steady. It would have been easier to take the photo while standing up, away from the edge, but that would have been ordinary. I wanted the low perspective. The shot was worth a few bruises.

Before leaving the reserve, I walked the Cypress Grove Trail.

As I did last week, instead of heading home, I ate a picnic lunch on the beach and then drove to Pacific Grove to take more photographs of the coast. The sun had come out and provided a bright blue sky and ocean, a perfect color counterpoint to the pink/purple ice plant.

The coast is only an hour away, so I will return.
You can view more photos from this day of shooting
on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

Bovine & Equine

Several members of the photography club and I spent an afternoon at a ranch in Gilroy shooting cows, horses, chickens, sheep, and rustic ranch 'stuff.'

You can see why this big, handsome fellow was a favorite subject.

"You lookin' at me?"

If you click on this photo to see the larger view,
you'll see what (actually whom) the horse saw.

Some photos are taken just for fun.

See more photos from this shoot on my Flickr photostream.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/

A day at the Coast: Point Lobos State Reserve

Don Smith, from whom I have taken a couple of photography workshops, posted a photo on Face Book of a tide pool taken at Weston Beach in Point Lobos State Reserve. I was inspired to find this beach (very easy) to see what it had to offer. OMG There was so much there to appreciate and photograph. The park does not open until 8am, so no sunrise shots, but it was a gorgeous day with a bright blue sky, and at 8:30 the sun was still low. For this first photo, I used a wide angle lens, shortened the legs of my tripod as much as possible, and sat down on the rocks. The natural lines carved into the rock lead the eye right to the deep blue of the water and sky. Click on a photo to see a larger image.After taking numerous wide shots, I switched to a 105 macro lens and started to explore the tide pools. Much to my chagrin, I did not have a polarizing filter for this lens. (I later found it sitting on the table at home.) After setting up the camera/tripod for each shot I positioned myself so I blocked the sun to even out the high contrast light (which is what Dan said he did for his tide pool shot). I have several more shots posted on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/suebrazelton/ but I really did need that polarizer.

I hated to leave such a beautiful place on such a beautiful day, so before exiting the park, I detoured over to Whalers' Cove. I was here last year, but in the summer, well after the wildflowers had lost their blooms. Everywhere I looked I saw a photographic opportunity, but fatigue was setting in and the sun was directly overhead. I ate a picnic lunch, reviewed my images, and headed for Pacific Grove. (See next blog.)

A Day at the Coast: Pacific Grove

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I return to Pacific Grove every spring. How could I stay away from such color and beauty? On this day, after spending the morning at Point Lobos, I just wanted to drive by and check the state of bloom of the ice plant, so I would know when to plan a full afternoon of photography.

Since the April temperatures had been so cool, I didn't think it would be blooming yet.

I was wrong.

Although not in full bloom, there was enough color to dissolve my fatigue and pull me out of my car. I didn't stay long because I knew I would be returning next week for the full color show.

If you have never been to PG in May, it is worth the drive. The path along the cliffs affords great views, and many photographic opportunities.