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Monday, November 10, 2008

PHOTOGRAPHY AT MAYFIELD PARK


Austin garden bloggers had a busy weekend. A group visited Peckerwood gardens on Friday and on Sunday several members of the group met at Mayfield Gardens to learn a little more about garden photography. Rachel of In Bloom shared some of the knowledge she had acquired from her photography classes. Thanks Rachel for sharing your Sunday afternoon with us. Being somewhat new to photography I already know that I have a good deal to learn; not just about the how to compose the photograph but also about the camera itself. I think I came away from the afternoon having learnt some good tips and I hope to be a little more thoughtful in composition in the future. Here are a few of the photographs I took today.


A few paperwhites were already in bloom. 


This statue of a little boy reading will soon be surrounded by paperwhite blooms


Most of the leaves have fallen from the beautyberry but small clusters of the brightly colored berries still remain.

 The property sits on a steep limestone cliff so there is no shortage of rubble limestone with which to build. Judging by the shelves inside this was used as a storage shed in the past. 

Limestone rubble was also used for this wall.


A solitary water lily on the pond is reflected in the water.

After today's class I am trying to be more thoughtful about composition. One of the next steps is to invest in a tripod. Im hoping this will improve close up photography of flowers.




8 comments:

  1. Lovely photos. My daughter had her wedding pictures taken there, and I remember what a beautiful place it was. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. The photos are great. Nice place to visit!
    Aiyana

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  3. Hiya,

    Sounds like another lovely outing. Tough, living away from England ;-)

    BTW, Ever been to Birkenhead Park, nr Liverpool when you lived in Lancs?

    Are you telling me that you have dafs in flower now? I haven't even planted my bulbs yet.

    Didn't understand the 'pudicat' joke. Verification? Actually they are making a little more sense these days. More vowels, so you can pretend it is a new word.

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  4. I was sorry to miss this outing, but Friday's road trip had exhausted my free time away from family this week. I quite enjoyed your photos. My favorite is the octagonal shed with the writhing live oak in the background.

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  5. Your pictures are great examples of what Rachel was teaching us. My absolute favorite is the water lily - is it the shot you were composing when the small boy "encouraged" you to get even closer?

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  6. Morning glories- Lots of people were there taking photographs- families and weddings.
    Joco- Never heard of Birkenhead park. Yes we do have bulbs in flower already. We are still in the 70s here although there is a frost warning for the weekend. Crazy Texas weather. "pudicat" was the verification word. They have made them a lot easier.
    Pam- There are some interesting features but the gardens themselves need a lot of work. There has not been much improvement since the last time I was there which was about 10 years ago.
    vbdb-Yes , I was kneeling right down by the edge of the pond to get my shot and a 2 year old thought my bottom was a good target!

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  7. It sounds like the Austin garden bloggers had a fun weekend! I'm going to have to visit Mayfield Park sometime-- it looks like a nice place to visit, and the water would make a nice site for practicing some macro focus stuff with my camera.

    As for the paperwhites, I keep hearing conflicting reports about their scent. Is it good or bad or does it depend on the cultivator? Any suggestions for a good one? I want to put something just outside the kitchen window to scent the house when the windows are open, and your picture gave me an idea. :)

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  8. I think the smell must depend on the cuktivar because I have grown ones that smell very medicinal. I prefer the later flowering narcissus which smells wonderful.

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