Winter 2023 At Filoli
December 2023
I love a challenge and that is why I love December at Filoli. Throughout the rest of the year, there is typically a shot at every turn. December is different. The thousands of holiday lights are up and they are everywhere; which, makes for an amazingly festive evening walk through the gardens. That same amazing light show makes it more challenging to shoot the late arrival of the “fall” colors as the lights stay on during the day (LEDs of course). On the bright side: one thing that does come with this season is often some wonderful fog. Pair that with how the bones of the garden are beginning to reveal itself and you have a shot at a great shot…. Click on an image below to view a slideshow of December images.
Hare Of The Dog 12-31-23
I’m closing out 2023 with some black and white from my walk this morning. At our cabin in Canada I am told I am obsessed with water and the flow thereof. So, it was only natural for me to get all giddy when recent rains promised to bring some water off the Santa Cruz Mountains and down to Filoli. Happy 123123 Day and Happy New Year! Click on an image below to view a slideshow of images.
January 2024
Fall and Winter thus far have been dry and mild. Will that change in January (and February)? I hope so. The first visit of the new year was very productive. I really wanted to focus on the Camellias as this is their time of year. That said, there is always other things that catch my eye. I couldn’t walk past the few, hearty winter roses that were braving a couple of cold snaps. I hope to capture more water as the month rolls on, but we will see if the rain gods cooperate. Click on an image below to view a slideshow of January images.
February 2024
February continued with spells of warm, sunny Spring-like weather with a few storms interspersed. Lots to shoot. But, as an added challenge, I decided to drag out the old Hasselblad 501CM and 903SWC and pair them with the Hassleblad 100 megapixel back. Would the old lenses stand up to the test of time? You bet they did. And, I’m getting some interesting and encouraging results. But, it is definitely slower and makes me more deliberate. So, then I upped the ante and added a bit of Kodak Ektar 100 film into the mix. Lots of new challenges as we approach Spring. Click on an image below to view a slideshow of images.
About this project: 45 Minutes At Filoli
This project originated because my wife and I were looking for a pandemic-friendly afternoon outdoors and we visited Filoli in Woodside, CA. Spring had just begun to coax the blossoms and blooms along and I thought it might be fun to revisit the gardens every week and create a pictorial record of the changes. I decided on two guidelines. First, get in and out in 45 minutes to an hour. Second, go ultra-light by picking a lens from my old lens collection and sticking with that throughout my visit. Mostly, sometimes, I was able to stick with these guidelines. While my visits often stretched longer, trying to keep things simple and work fast gave the project an energy I enjoyed.