Fall Photos From The Ruth Bancroft Garden
Back in September , I attended a photography workshop conducted by John Ricca at the Ruth Bancroft Garden. I had attended another class of Johns back in 2013 and that led to a 3 day Yosemite National Park workshop with John and Keith Walklet that completely changed the way I approached taking photos.Though I have been taking photos now for several years, I'm by no stretch an expert and no matter the difficulty level of a class I always learn something useful. This particular class was described as for beginners,but the opportunity to get into the garden at 8am was compelling and I expected this would be casual, with those needing more help getting valuable one on one assistance while more experienced photographers could work on their own and obtain Johns' advice and counsel when needed.Our friend Gerhard of Succulents and More was in attendance as well, and he shared some of his photos from that morning here. On January 28th, another 8am workshop will be held, and I have signed up for that as well, hoping for some blooming Aloes and good winter light conditions.
I took almost 300 photos that morning in September, and am sharing here some of those I liked the best.
The backlit Agaves displayed an inner glow that was fun to capture, one of the great benefits of early access to the garden.
I love this area of the garden and usually take many photos here .
Some Aloes were blooming and some were bloomed out, nevertheless they are beautiful in any season.
My Aloe-naming skills are horrible, but I'm very fond of the red toothy-action on this one.
The garden also features a collection of Eucalyptus .
Wider views of sections of the garden.
Plant portraits
Even the expiring Agaves are worth a photo.
I took almost 300 photos that morning in September, and am sharing here some of those I liked the best.
The backlit Agaves displayed an inner glow that was fun to capture, one of the great benefits of early access to the garden.
I love this area of the garden and usually take many photos here .
Some Aloes were blooming and some were bloomed out, nevertheless they are beautiful in any season.
My Aloe-naming skills are horrible, but I'm very fond of the red toothy-action on this one.
The garden also features a collection of Eucalyptus .
Wider views of sections of the garden.
Plant portraits
Even the expiring Agaves are worth a photo.
Beautiful! I'd say you're getting value out of your investment in these workshops. One day I need to take a workshop, or at least start learning the capabilities of my own camera. In my case, good photos are more a matter of luck than planning.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris, the great thing about these workshops at the RBG is that they are free for members, though I would be happy to pay for them. The first thing I did when I got my 1st DSLR was to take a 2 night not-for-credit DSLR introductory class at the local community and that was helpful. But the class at Yosemite (not free !) was the best thing I ever did.
DeleteYou did great! The big Agave looks like an eruption of blue lava from bowels of granite. You sure seem you know what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteMyself I've never been able to figure out that darn f-stop thingy.
You can fix a lot of sins in Lightroom Hoov ! And don't sell yourself short, you take lovely photos f-stop thingy knowledge or not.
DeleteFabulous Kathy! Love every one of these. Your photography just keeps getting better and better. Beautiful work my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you Deanne, that means a lot !
DeleteHi ks, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are simply stunning! I just love them!
I would like to work on improving my photography skills this year and thought to do it buy reading a book, but your post got me thinking if taking a workshop is not a better option. It might be pricier, but most likely much more fun.
Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy New Year 2017!
Warm regards,
Christina
Thank you very much Christina, I enjoy reading your blog very much. Roses were my 1st gardening obsession though don't have as many as I used to ! Theres nothing like hands on training for photography, and there are tons of free video classes out on the internet. Some that have helped me are by Mike Browne and Mark Wallace. Also Saxon Holts site Photobotanic has lessons that are specific to plants and gardens. I have taken a few workshops from him as well.
DeleteHappy New Year to you !
The morning sun on the Agaves made for some wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing them. I still treat my digital SLR like a point and shoot. Some day I really should learn how to use it manually. I used to know, when I was in my 20s, how to use a pre-digital SLR, I even developed some of my own photos back then, on film. The specifics of camera use probably aren't really all that different.
ReplyDeleteI shoot in aperture priority most of the time Alison, it lowers the complexity considerably !
DeleteFantastic photos! They bring back fond memories. Are you going to the workshop at the end of January? I haven't received a confirmation yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gerhard, and yes I am going. I actually called the office to reserve my spot-it seems like I read somewhere for members to call in. Hope it doesn't rain !
DeleteYou definitely have a gift Kathy! Beautiful work. ��
ReplyDelete