Seeing The Light

Flower stem emerging from Aloe petricola; Leucospermum 'Tango' first flowers color up
 

No gardening today.  The wind is ripping branches, leaves, and flowers from shrubs and trees today.  At least it's a cold Santa Ana this time, not hot, and a strange one, because the sky is grey with clouds instead of the usual tannish with blowing dust.  A low pressure system from the south and a high pressure system from the north are meeting to squeeze Great Basin air, sending it roaring through our neighborhood.  The neighbor's dead Eucalyptus rocks stiffly, like Frankenstein's Monster walking; the live Eucs, with considerable grace, sway.  An occasional leaf blown hard, hits window glass with a plunk.  Birds are absent.   Indoors, I look at garden photos and consider light.  

Late afternoon light:

Midday light:
Late afternoon:

Midday:

Advantage, late afternoon.

 Overcast morning:

Sunny morning:

Advantage overcast.

 

Late afternoon, really too late, but with the sun behind our hill, the starry quality of each Leucodendron stem tip is apparent:

That quality is mostly lost in early morning sun

Somewhat better in mid-afternoon overcast.
Backlit drama:
Less chaos in shade, but less energy.  Calm.  Calm is good, too.

Light considered.   Outside, the wind still whips.  Will the neighbor's dead Euc finally fall in this storm? 


Comments

  1. Love this. The light can make such a big difference. Winter, spring, and fall angled sun can create fascinating images, too. Beautiful photos! (I hope the wind won't cause too much damage.)

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    1. Thank you, Beth! Not much damage, except everything is super DRY.

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  2. A wonderful photo essay on the changes light brings. The first Leucodendron shot with the blue wall in the background and the plant lit up is stunning.

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    1. Thank you! We are very lucky to be able to grow Leucadendrons here. They are wonderful plants.

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  3. Hello dear Hoover Boo,
    Storm is not my favorite kind of weather but I hope for you it's gone now. Beautiful photo's of the flowers in your garden.
    Rosehugs Marijke

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    1. Wind is my very least favorite. Thank you. Happy you liked the pictures!

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  4. A most interesting way to look at the garden, through the light. The late afternoon light in the first picture makes those plants look rich. The overcast light really brings out the blue in the agave and the red in the plant behind it. I love the stars in the late afternoon light. It seems the plant is trying to hold the sun up. I hope you don't have any damage from those awful winds. Hold on to your hat.

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    1. Yes the aqua color of the Agave in overcast was so pretty. It really does look like that in person. When the sun is bright it looks washed out in comparison.

      Wind was bad, but not horrific. We were lucky. I never wear my hat when it is windy because it always blows off, how did you know? LOL.

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  5. Exquisite pictures showcasing sculptural beauties in your garden.

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  6. I enjoyed your evaluation of the effect of light conditions on photos. I hope the wind convinces your neighbor to take down the dead Euc. It was fierce here too but other than blowing pillows and plastic trugs around before I battened everything down, there's just a mess of leaves and flower petals - the wind, still blowing here, was especially hard on the Hong Kong orchid tree.

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    1. The county was out looking at the dead tree, and they may send out a "cut your tree down or we'll do it and charge you for it" notification because it is a fire hazard. Those go out in March, so we'll see if it creates any action.

      I can see the big delicate HKO flowers would not hold up to any dry wind. Still blowing here, but not howling like it was. Some chance of rain on the horizon--yay!

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  7. The light is magic. Hope the dead euc knows to fall home?

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    1. At least the Euc is leaning away from the power line, which is a good thing. Time will tell what it falls onto!

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  8. Is that a yucca in the second photo? It is beautiful. I've been trying to get a shot of the late afternoon sun as it comes through a miscanthus outside the bedroom window. I've been unsuccessful because of the window screen.

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    1. Yes, Yucca 'Bright Star'.

      I have to take the window screen off sometimes to get bird pictures. Ours are on the inside of the windows, sort of strange but makes it easy to remove them.

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  9. The light in winter is endlessly absorbing, as your photos expertly illustrate. Aloe petricola is another stunner!

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    1. Yes, the flowers do that two-tone thing, like Aloe 'David Verity'.

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  10. Beautiful in any light. That second photograph-- I love that warm light.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, it warms me up looking at it. (It's actually a bit chilly here today.)

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