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...I made an attempt to combine the two, with less success.
I went mad snapping away close to 50 frames of this guy, somewhat reminiscent of this post from way back when. Being pretty much a loner, this strikes a chord.
And then...
The first thing I saw was an opportunity for another silhouette. Then something came into view in just the right place...
There was still barely enough natural light to make the flowers look good, yet dark enough to classify as a nighttime shot which accentuated the lamps and artificial light. Even got a reflection in this one, captured sitting down while resting after trying to cover as much of the Gardens as possible before it got dark on us.
When it did get dark, though, I discovered a bonanza that had me hopping for the next 15 minutes or so, as you will see...
This is the dining room at the Gardens, though it had closed by the time we got there. Three posts will be taken up with this guy: two shots in this one from a more distant perspective, two shots tomorrow of just the lattice work up close against the archway (seen here to the left of the lamp post in the middle), and then a reflection shot of a pool that is located in front of the white archway you see to the left of the metalwork.
Only a few were worth saving as the light was really low by the time we got here, but the effort may have been worth it:
Always enjoyed sneaking in shots like the one below. Interesting also to get a picture from behind someone focusing on what is showing through their glasses, or in this case the image on a device. And with the Bigger Cahoona at hand the smaller images-within-images show up nice and clear:
Unlike the post of the big fountain back on the 14th, a longer shutter speed was used to create the effect you see above. Had to do a double dose of sharpening, however, as it was captured hand-held at a half second instead of the usual tenth.
In this post published back in June of 2016 I noted that the Japanese are so focused on maintaining decorum that even infrastructure is housed in attractive dwellings, which makes things just a little nicer. Same thing was done here in Victoria, but only in special places such as the gardens...
Photographers sometimes spend years finding a niche where their talents lay, then honing them over time to a style uniquely their own. For example, at a frame store here in Houston once I saw the work of a very good photographer who narrowed his work to staircases. He went all over the region looking for good, mostly-outdoor staircase shots. His body of work was tremendous, and of very good quality.
I'm not saying there is much talent here, but have identified silhouettes as one of my favorite types of pictures to take. And for one who likes color against a black background, sometimes there is luck enough to capture a pic like the one above.
I have a cousin in Colorado Springs that had an 8x10 of a beautiful, colorful sunset behind a wintertime silhouette of a deciduous tree. I have since endeavored to capture something as beautiful, but am still searching...
Decided to get this in while there was a little sun left...
From this point forward the Victoria posts will appear in more/less the same order captured. The tree at left came into view as we entered the main part of the gardens, highlighted by the setting sun.
The origins of Butchart Gardens are a bit more obvious here, as the quarry walls are clearly visible but no less interesting. Due to the way the water looks it may appear that this photo was captured with a slower shutter speed. Nope - in fact during our entire visit here I struggled to get the fastest shutter speeds possible with the Bigger Cahoona due to the ever-lowering light situation. This fountain was in fact designed to spray a very fine mist, giving the illusion of silky cloudiness.
Closer-up shot below, with another view tomorrow:
This place is the perfect example of art overcoming an eyesore. We had a very good bus driver/guide that narrated the history on our way over there, saying that this used to be a rock quarry...a big hole in the ground. Once operations (of the Portland Cement Company) were removed to another location, the owner decided to spruce the place up a bit. And at the time it wasn't for the public - just something nice to show family and friends when they came over for a visit. Then in time a descendant decided to make it available to the public, which evolved into what we see today.
Not many posts will be this type of panoramic view, which are clichéd and boring to me, but wanted to capture and share at least one spot that makes it easier to imagine the roots of its past and the incredible transformation into what we see today.
Our next stop was Victoria, British Columbia - this was captured as we were disembarking (note the cool truck at left). A Carnival ship was a little long in getting out of our parking spot, so it was late by the time we were off and on our way. The excursion here was to see the Butchart Gardens, which are supposed to be the best in the world, but they were a 40-minute bus ride away and by the time we got there it was dusk; by then I'd given up on getting some good shots but, as you will see, tried anyway.
Zoomed all the way to get this one...not the best technical effort, but what a dream! Would give a lot to be standing right at the top of this guy, or alongside where it's the steepest. Better yet, catch it at the top of the mountain where it begins and follow it all the way down! What an adventure.
Zoomed all the way out from same spot below:
Before getting back on the bus we had a little time to explore; this was near the visitor center. Zoomed in shot below, captured hand-held at a tenth of a second:
Can't resist a waterfall...this was hand-held at a tenth of a second.
This waterfall was huge - the biggest I'd ever seen or been close to - and loud! To think of the amount of water tumbling over these rocks moment by moment. The sandbar in the foreground obscures a pile of boulders at its base that you can actually climb onto and feel the awesome power literally at your feet; I was surprised that some parents actually allowed their young kids to do this.
Naturally the Bigger Cahoona and I had to have a look, stepping from rock to rock until reaching a position close to where the lady is reaching up with her right arm. Amid the spray and thunder, and being so close to it, made capturing a decent photo very difficult. It was fun, though, and an experience I won't soon forget.
Only in post-capture did I realize that the couple to the right was creating a moment they wouldn't soon forget as well...
And the glacier itself. The waterfall to the right, Nugget Falls, was a surprise to us, and to me much more interesting than Mendenhall. Would like to have captured this shot 30 years ago, when the falls poured directly onto the glacier...
The excursion here was to the famous Mendenhall Glacier. Most of the remaining pics from Juneau were captured along the pathways leading from this visitor center and of the glacier itself.
Very colorful, as in other towns we visited in Alaska.
Looking the other direction from the same place, one of our neighbors parked at another spot reserved for these leviathans. I would love to get a behind-the-scenes look at the logistics and workflow that goes into parking these giants so gently and precisely.
