We Both Know More Than Each Other...

Situated on the campus of the California State University at Long Beach, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden sits tucked away on 1.3 acres.  The hills and ponds of this Japanese-style garden was built through a donation from Mrs. Loraine Miller Collins in honor of her late husband Earl Burns Miller. Following three years of planning, and in collaboration with the University, Mrs. Miller Collins selected University master plan landscape architect and longtime friend Edward R. Lovell, ASLA to create its design. Construction began in the summer of 1980 and it was dedicated in the spring of 1981

I just recently had the opportunity to photograph these gardens as part of our Photographic Society of Orange County club’s monthly outing.  We had the run of the place for two hours and unlike normal hours, they allowed us to bring in tripods.  You can see my entire collectionfrom this shoot on my website gallery at:  http://www.costamesaphotography.com/SouthernCalifornia/Japanese-GardensCSULB

I have always enjoyed going on photo shoots with other photographers.  I more typically enjoy going out with just one of two friends at a time, but when you get 20-30 photographers together, you can expect some great exchanges of technical and creative information.  For example, when you see someone crouch down looking at something that you didn't see, it not only alerts you to the possibility that you've missed something interesting, but more than that, it helps you realize and appreciate the diversity of interests, perspectives, and styles that people use to express themselves using the very same physical environment that you're in.

One of the pictures that you will see in my gallery collection of this shoot is a picture of a Great Blue Heron in flight.  Just after I captured that image, a woman friend next to me asked what settings I was using on my camera.  It was a great chance to exchange not just technical information, but the thought process behind using it.  In that moment, I felt like I was the expert, but just as quickly learned the expertise that she had with her visualization--she was noticing things I hadn't, and in that sharing exchange, we both benefitted from each other.  That's what's so great about sharing common interests!


(Metadata for waterfall image is 1/4 sec @ f/22 and ISO 200, focal length 20mm on a Nikkor 18-200mm lens)