A Scattering of Petals

a-scattering-of-petals

A morning spent – well spent – in one of my favorite places in L.A.:  The Huntington Gardens.  Spring is in evidence everywhere, flowers and trees in bloom, and everyone out enjoying a cold, sunny day after days of rain.

Pano of 32 images, taken with the Nikon Df and 85mm f1.8G lens.

Mushrooms in the Mud

mushrooms

The other day, record-breaking rain.  Today and yesterday, a break from it; tomorrow more is due.  I went out to the local park, to survey the differences, and just get out of the house.  And these are what I found, barely 2 inches tall!  I rolled around here and there, on my side, upside down, on my stomach, and came home with a few good shots and very, very muddy clothes.

Creek

Creek

The other morning I was out to a local park, one which has a small creek running through it.  With all the recent rains, the creek is rushing along, and you can find ducks with their mates, kids, dogs, photographers, and molting crayfish.  Also, dead and drowned palm trees, which is good, because they are an invasive species and the city doesn’t seem inclined to get rid of them.

Anyway, I decided to take a bunch of panoramas with a narrow DOF.  This is one of them.  I really enjoy doing panos – not sure why – maybe it’s because I always find the natural world so grand that a small image never seems to do it justice.  Also, with a pano, you can crop – sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t because you wish you had included just a bit more here or there.