Spring in Sara's garden was a riot of gorgeous color everywhere I looked!  And, as you many know if you've been reading my blog, 99% of her color comes from foliage....not flowers!  Take a look at just a few of the images.

I just got back from a fabulous week shooting the spring foliage in Sara's garden.  Look for more of our images in upcoming posts.  But, here are a few to sample.

Up Close and Personal

After using more "landscape" shots to illustrate the use of form and foliage to create a garden with year-round interest, Sara and I decided to publish some more intimate views of her garden.

I spent the first few days of February back in Petaluma in Sara's garden.  Over the course of the days, we shot great winter color.  But, one day, when I planned to do some macros, there was a brisk wind blowing up over the hillside and down through the garden.  You can imagine my disappointment.  But, as many of my great instructors and mentors have said, "Shoot what's there, not what you want it to be."  So, I thought that one of the aspects of Sara's garden is not only the variety of form and foliage but also the movement!!!  So, I tried to capture the dynamic nature of the garden, rather than freezing it.  Naturally, I had trouble at first shooting images that didn't just look like I needed a tripod! (I was using one!)  I finally figured out that my Singh-Ray Thin 77mm VARI-N-TRIO would be worth a try.  Doug Steakley had shown me how to use these filters to shoot wonderful soft water movement around Monterrey and Carmel ,California.  Why not try it here?  It took some experimentation, and I need to do more...but I'm beginning to capture it.  The sharp images of the more rigid plants contrasting with the voluptuous swirls and bobs of other more flexible plants in the garden.  Check out the "smoke" of the olive trees!  This was great fun.

Am back in Petaluma, California, photographing Sara's Garden in winter.  We've added a new post to our blog Form and Foliage, featuring the impact bright golds at a time when most gardens are drab.  We also spent a morning photographing another local garden that features a more Japanese design.  This garden has both mature and newly added elements as the home's new owner begins to craft the garden to her artistic taste and interests.

READER PHOTOS! More from Sara's garden in California - Fine Gardening

READER PHOTOS! More from Sara's garden in California - Fine Gardening

 The next challenge is to "develop" the images so they look good on the blog.  I've found that while the images look good on my iMac, they're dark and undersaturated on the blog.  So, I've started experimenting.  I'm sure someone knows a lot more about this process than I do, and I'd appreciate some input!!!  


These are some of the images I posted with Sara on Form and Foliage.   I've tuned them up and we will revise the posting.  It's all a learning process.