Photo Safari: The Huntington Library and Gardens

I was desperate to try out my new lenses, so I dragged my friend, Jesse, who also likes playing around with cameras, to the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino. We spent a good two hours there before the grounds closed while we each dialed in our new equipment.

The Huntington is famous for its roses. If you get the chance to go, stop in the cafe for some rose tea! #notsponsored

Takeaways

• It's a good exercise to practice shooting in different orientations to the light source
• Different settings are necessary for shooting into light than for shooting the shade
• Changing your orientation to the light source helps you learn how to change settings quickly, as well as gives you an idea of what settings are good in certain lights
• Move around the subject... a LOT
• The 5-angle rule: take photos of a subject from at least five different angles
• Forces you to shoot from angles you wouldn't expect to
• Helps you get creative with your compositions
• Mixes up your expectations of what can make a good photograph
• (Not my idea; read it in a blog post elsewhere)
• Prime lenses force you to move farther and closer, which allows you to understand the subject better
• Just because you have something in your kit doesn't mean you have to use it
• People will always get in the way; be patient to get the shot

Kit

• Nikon D7200
• af-s Nikkor 50mm f/1.4
• af-s Nikkor 35mm f/2
• af-s Nikkor 20mm f/2.8
• Tripod
• Basic cleaning supplies: microfiber cloth, lens cleaning spray, cotton swabs
• *All lenses have a UV Protection filter and hood

Story

I met up with Jesse at around 1 PM that day, which was too early to even consider taking photos, so we had a coffee and chatted for about an hour and a half before making our way to the Huntington Library and Gardens. This is one of my favorite locations for photo safaris because I've been there dozens of times (I have an annual membership), so I don't feel like I'm missing anything when I spend fifteen minutes taking pictures of a single statue.

We got to the grounds and decided to take refuge under the veranda of the mansion in which the Huntingtons once lived. Thankfully, there were some pretty cool reliefs on the pots of potted plants, as well as half a dozen busts of important-looking Romans. I spotted a bust with an interestingly angled nose that I really wanted to shoot, but a romantic couple was sitting in the chairs right next to it, so I busied myself with taking par-for-course photos of the reliefs on the potted plants.

When I looked up to check if the couple had left, they had. But another couple had swooped in and took their seats! GAH! If only they could understand that my photography practice is so much more important than their affections toward each other.

When I finally got a chance alone with the sharp-nosed Roman, I took the basic photos: front portrait and two profile portraits. Those made for incredibly boring photos, so I tried to follow the 5-angle rule. I took some shots that I didn't think would work or make for comprehensible compositions, but I did stumble onto something I was happy with.

Some Roman guy gazing wistfully off into the distance. (Shot with 35mm prime)

The shot caught the fantastic details of the sculpture that I was so impressed with. And somehow, I think it would make for a decent magazine cover because it provides space for text along the left side. Good practice for that.

When we had exhausted ourselves on busts and had recovered some from the heat, Jesse and I went around to the back of the mansion, where I inadvertently fell for the charms of the mansion's architecture. Again, I went for the obvious shots, but they felt tired and uninspired. So I got up close, trying to get at least two or three more angles from different perspectives.

Geometrics. (Shot with 35mm prime)

When I shoot architecture, I end up loving the photos of abstracted details more than those of the full building. While the latter is fun and all, I like exposing the building in ways that others might not initially see it. The geometry of where the wings of the mansion intersect ended up my favorite photo of the day.

Jesse and I had grown tired of the mansion and its immediate surroundings, so we headed to one of the gardens. Along the way, a stunning sight transfixed us.

Aphrodite and Eros. (Shot on 35mm prime)

Aphrodite and Eros cast a spell on us pretty quickly, albeit not a romantic spell. Instead, we couldn't stop taking photos from all angles--most of which didn't turn out that great. But it was still good practice.

As I walked around to the rear of the goddess, I found a shot that I thought was nice. And, of course, two kids were playing in the background, and there was a stroller in the way. GAH! Foiled again. I waited and waited and mumbled under my breath for the kids to go away, but it was a lost cause. I eventually took the photo when the kids and stroller were gone, but my heart was no longer in it, and the shot just didn't come out that well.

So we ventured on into the rose garden. I switched to my 50mm prime because I knew I wanted to take some flower portraits. I also busted out my tripod and set up next to some peachy roses. Already having figured out my shoot-in-shadow settings from the statue, I had an easy job in focusing and shooting.

Roses captured in the golden sun. (50mm prime)

Unfortunately, the tripod proved to be fairly unwieldy and generally unnecessary, as the shutter speed was fast enough not to warrant constant stabilization. I snapped my camera off the tripod base, which resulted in a small shower of rose petals that I regret having caused, and went handheld the rest of the time.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted from constant focus (pun kinda intended) and the sun. Jesse and I eventually went to my place for drinks to recover.