Phoneography Challenge: Nature (Longwood Gardens and Summer’s Morning Light, Part One)

05 August 2013

Lens:

1. Coleus Leaves, iPhone 4s, Longwood Gardens, July 2013; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2013

2. Canna Leaf, iPhone 4s, Longwood Gardens, July 2013; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2013

3. Canna Leaves, iPhone 4s, Longwood Gardens, July 2013; © Sally W. Donatello and Lens and Pens by Sally, 2013

Pens:

Gracie (http://graciebinoya.com), Polly (http://watchingthephotoreels.com) and I began the iPhoneography Monday Challenge in February. Recently, we had a re-launch that made the challenge open to everyone who uses their Smartphones as their lens–exclusively, experimentally, frequently, occasionally, or back-up. If you’d like to join the fun, please click here for details. Please use the current badge until a new one is created, which will be ready sometime this month.  

Mother Nature has been incredibly wrathful this summer. I cannot blame her  seesaw personality. Her performance is very much a reaction to human intervention; we’ve really done a disservice to ourselves and the planet. Selfish, selfish creatures that we are.

In the throes of a plan to go to this place or that, weather is a key. Especially here in the Mid-Atlantic the temps can easily be trumped by the ridiculous spikes in humidity that seems to linger far too long. Mostly, I’ve been able to fulfill destinations scheduled, but not entirely.

Fortunately, I picked the best day of the week to visit one of my favorite horticultural centers, Longwood Gardens, which is sightly over the border between my home state of Delaware and Pennsylvania. I planned my arrival to coincide with the doors opening; I wanted to take advantage of the morning light.

The forty-five minute drive through the countryside is a heavenly prelude. With both my Nikon DSLR and iPhone 4s, I spent a blissful morning following the sun’s dramatic display. Oh, and the gardens were designed impeccably.

For me this season’s plantings at Longwood are some of their most memorably-designed beds. Many plantings strut large leaves and they’re spectacular, especially with radiant morning light pushing through those luscious-veined gems of splendid colorations.

This post is the first of two or three from my meanders. Mostly, I used my Nikon DSLR. In the Lens section are eight that I took with my iPhone. The light was so cooperative that I was bouncing here and there to follow its charm and translucence.

The trio of my photographs gives you a flavor of the leaves and their showiness, exhibiting how the rays lit their attributes. Cannas and coleus are two of the plants that welcomed the beams of morning sun. In “Longwood Gardens and Summer’s Morning Light, Part Two,” you will see Thai Elephant’s Ear, which were my favorites from this visit. That will be posted soon.

Truly, this photo shoot was sealed by nature’s colorful and sculptural magnificence. I found exhilaration and tranquility in the choices and designs of the seasonal gardens.

As time moved, the crowds grew. By noon I was seeking quiet in my car, and headed toward home. This first half of the day gave me much to contemplate. The most marvelous part of this jewel of the Brandywine Valley is its never-ending story. No matter how many times I visit Longwood Gardens, there is always a sense of the new–a new narrative that is built upon nature’s character and enchantment.

Tip of the Week: Last Sunday’s New York Times had a fascinating article about Travel Bloggers called “Travel Blogging Today: It’s Complicated.” While my blog does not have a travel theme, I certainly spend time on the road at photo shoots and on holiday at distant and regional havens. I perk up at hints that help me be better at what always seems “slightly chartered and unchartered” territory: the blogging life. The article has many ideas that can be applied to any blogger’s journey. It definitely perked my attention. Here is the one that stood out: “Many successful bloggers believe that the best way to both thrive and maintain a level of professionalism is to keep the focus on the reader.” Click here to read it. Hopefully, you’ll find a tip of two that will benefit your cyberspace life.

Note: As always I welcome comments about this post or any part of my blog. If you want to read more about Longwood Gardens, click here. If you are traveling to the East Coast, I encourage you to visit this national treasure. There is something to please everyone’s taste. As you admire, you will be inspired.

See other entries:

http://blogagaini.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-monday-nature/

http://weliveinaflat.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/weekly-phoneography-flowers-in-the-sky/

http://completelydisappear.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/will-you/

http://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://streetsofsfphotos.com/2013/08/05/natures-process-4-photos/

http://graciebinoya.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge-nature-2/

http://thepalladiantraveler.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://watchingthephotoreels.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge/

http://ayearinmyshoes.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/iphoneography-monday-nature-2/

http://angelinem.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge-nature-2/

http://vastlycurious.com/2013/08/05/lens-and-pens-by-sally-nature/

http://40again.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://nwframeofmind.com/2013/08/05/phoneography-monday-nature-2/

http://rfljenksy.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://goomfh.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://starlight427.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/phoneography-challenge-nature/

http://shotwithmyphone.com/2013/07/25/hibiscus-in-the-sun-its-these-little-things-which-bring-joy-iphoneography-photography-summer-flower/

Here’s a reminder of the weekly schedule and themes for upcoming Phoneography Monday Challenges:    

1st Monday: Nature

2nd Monday: Macro

3rd Monday: Black-and-White

4th and 5th Mondays: Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).