A Southern California native, I have a degree in history and a love of aerospace. I took up photography as a research tool for my job and fell in love with the medium. I plan to share some of my work here and hope you enjoy it.
Just a reminder that the Sierra Madre Art Fair is this Saturday and Sunday (link). Here is one of my new images that I will have available this weekend. It was shot a the Huntington Library and Gardens at their lily pond near the cactus garden.
The Huntington is a truly magical place, especially at twilight. Members have certain evenings during the summer that they are allowed in between 5:00 and 8:00. We go when we can as there are usually great photo opportunities.
I especially love how the water goes black in this image. It's like the lily pads are floating in space. There was just enough light left to add texture and interest to several of the pads and flowers. I hope you like it as much as I do.
Lin requested that I post the original color image, too, so here it is. In actuality the result is not much different from the other in terms of tonal changes. Instead of black and white, it's a greenish-gray and white, with the whole range of variations incorporated into that shade.
It is rather calming, as greens tend to be, but I think the pure black and white is more striking, or at least culturally carries more gravitas. I don't know...what do you all think?
I have other images that are a bit more vibrant in the greens than this one. I will post them at a later time.
We had actually been to the Huntington in February as well when Tina's sister, Lin, came for a visit. While wandering the cactus garden, something we don't usually do, I took a shot of this Agave plant. We liked the look, but Tina suggested I convert the original color image to black and white.
This is the result. I'm rather pleased with it myself. There's something very sensual and flowing about the Agave that makes it endlessly fascinating to capture.
I don't know why I'm so fascinated by Koi, but I am. I guess it's the way they come up to be fed, like little hungry baby birds. It's their mouths that really crack me up, truth be told.
So naturally I gravitate to the ponds where the hungry Koi swirl and splash in wistful longing for someone to please feed them, da*n it! Invariably someone does (no, not me) and they go crazy with delight.
Here is one such swirl. Or perhaps we could call it "a gaping of Koi?"
I thought it was especially appropriate that while we were at the Huntington Gardens to met our Canadian friends, two Canadian Geese were frolicking in the pond in the Chinese garden. They were particularly attached to the root system of this water lily and spent several minutes nibbling happily away. It made for a very pretty picture, eh?!
My, how time flies when you get busy. I did not realize a month had passed since I last wrote, but there it is. Between getting Tina ready for her inaugural Art-in-the-Park foray and my articles for work, it seems there is very little time left for blogging.
Nevertheless, I am going to try to post more frequently, even if the verbiage is minimal. I'm assuming people would rather look at pictures than read my blather. So here we go.
We had two good friends come down from Canada for a surprise visit. The Huntington Library and Gardens was chosen as a mutual place to meet them and a couple of their other friends. Before lunch in the Rose Tea Room (a must!), we wandered the grounds. The rose garden was in full bloom. This bunch caught my eye and smelled wonderful, too!
Ah, Spring in the Huntington! There's nothing quite like it!
To steal a line from Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that kids will gravitate to water like bees to honey when you don't want them to get wet, but will scream bloody murder and fight like the Dickens (pun intended) when it's time to take a bath.
The Huntington Library's Children's Garden is a virtual pot of honey. Fortunately Christie and Mike are well aware of its lure so they come with a change of cloths for Evie whenever we visit. This trip was no exception.
Do not be fooled by the delicate stance and the use of a Papyrus stalk to poke the fountain: Evie is thoroughly wet at this point and only got wetter. But she had a blast and that is the ultimate point, after all.
For those who have never been to the Huntington, it is well worth the time and money. It is one of those neat places where I always find something to photograph every time we go. More of those shots later.
And the formal tea in the Rose Garden Tea Room is the best around. It is a very civilized way to spend a beautiful afternoon. Between the art, the gardens, the food and the company, you can't go wrong.
I thought this made a nice image. The bare winter branches of the tree next to the sun-bleached wood of the bridge in the Japanese garden at the Huntington Library was just too striking to pass up. I love the contrasts. I'll have to see how it looks as a black and white image.
We were walking to the Rose Tea Room for tea at the Huntington Library and gardens when we passed the arbor where the grape vines entwine the arch. The leaves looked so beautiful with the sunlight glowing through them. I'm hoping Tina gets inspired and makes a painting from these images.
Since I seem to be on a water fowl kick this week, I'll close with some duck pictures I shot at the Huntington Library's Chinese Garden on the same day as the egret photos in the first post of this series. This one would make Travis Bickle proud.
The same duck moved out to a patch of lily pads, which made for a very serene image. But a bit later, after the duck had moved on, the light and reflections made the scene even more beautiful. The duck was nice, but this is better, in my opinion.
We went to the Huntington Library and Gardens last Saturday. Three or four times a summer they hold a "members only" series of evening events and this was one of them. While most people flock to the free concert, we made a beeline for the Chinese Gardens. Our journey was worth it; not only was the Golden Hour in effect, but a beautiful white egret decided to go hunting for dinner near our location. I managed to get several shots of him with the 75-300mm zoom telephoto (rough equivalence of about 420mm with the digital). These are some of the results. Hopefully Tina will be inspired to make some paintings from them. I especially like the back-lit image above. It really glows.
The flight shot is a crop, but the rest are full-frame images from the camera. I was quite happy with the results.
More Huntington pictures to follow in the next few days.
