Monthly Archives: February 2026

Another Friday at the Garden

Posted by Mike on

Columbus Botanical Garden

I have it good. Or is it, I’m lucky? Or fortunate?

How about D, all of the above.

Anyway…

Yesterday turned out to be a really good day (weather-wise that is, I guess in general too). The possibility was high when I left for work so I brought my camera bag on the off chance I would leave early. Maybe, the chance was closer to definite, but the point is I went to the botanical garden for a mid-afternoon exploration.

Thursday evening was Camellia & Cocktails, which I had planned to attend but wasn’t feeling it after I got home from work. Today is the Camellia Fest and so Friday would allow me to explore without too many people around. I still plan on stopping in today for the festival, but exploring on Friday was a good decision. Plus, I got out of work a little early… 🙂

I generally explore the gardens in the same pattern. I hate to admit it but I am a creature of habit. I didn’t think there would be many new blooms in the area around the farmhouse but I couldn’t bring myself to not look. I was happy when I found a few crocus poking up through the ground cover. They were one of the early finds when I looked for Spring in NY and this one brought back some good memories.

Spring Sign
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/640s, f/3.5, ISO 100

Time to work my way to the Camellia Garden. I was hoping I could find a few more daffodils along the path to the garden. Looks like the cold did a number on the few blossoms I saw last time. I managed to capture a few interesting views but you will have to wait for another post to view my finds.

The camellias took a hit from the weather this week. Below freezing temps were not floral friendly. Is it wrong to admit I was looking forward to finding some blossoms past their prime. I have been enjoying what I can create with these views.

Catch Me When I Fall
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/125s, f/4, ISO 1000

With all that being said, the camellias are not giving up. As I walked through the garden I could see the coming attractions. I will have many more opportunities to explore this area…

Pink
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/1250s, f/5, ISO 100

The hands of the clock kept marching toward 5pm and closing time for the garden. It was time to work my way back to the car. When I returned to the entrance of the Camellia Garden I was distracted by the lights from the previous night’s event. And then I spotted the little vines hanging from the trellis which supports the bell (can be seen in this post: Shine Event).

Ensnare
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/125s, f/5, ISO 400

It isn’t supposed to be as warm as it was yesterday but I will be going back to the garden for the festival. I signed up for Camellia Sip and Learn at 11am (“Join us for an immersive tasting journey celebrating Camellia sinensis, the remarkable plant behind all true tea: white, green, oolong, and black.”). Probably should warn everyone there will be more botanical garden images incoming… 🙂

Entwined

Posted by Mike on

Squared – SQ208
Wrapped – WP01
Columbus Botanical Garden

In January, when I visited the botanical garden, I ventured down a trail winding through the woods. It was more for extending my stay and increasing my steps but I found what I thought would be an interesting project. The trees had vines wrapping around them. I remembered seeing this when I was growing up. I used to live in the woods, and by that I mean I played there constantly. It was a different time I suppose, because I never let my kids play alone like I did.

Anyway, back to the project. I wanted to capture how the vines used the trees to climb toward the sky. I made a mental note that the project should be called “wrapped” (trying it out, not sure if I’ll keep it). I had the 105mm macro lens on the camera and proceeded to click away. When I uploaded the images and started my review I realized my mistake. I thought a narrow focus would be the way to go so I could keep the background blurred but it didn’t allow enough detail in the subject.

Cue my next visit…

Together Forever
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, 1/60s, f/11, ISO 1600

Hugs
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, 1/60s, f/9, ISO 900

Not Letting Go
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, 1/60s, f/9, ISO 1250

Wrapped
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S, 1/60s, f/9, ISO 1000

I even surprised myself and resisted the urge to process these as B&W images. I was about half way through the processing when I switched back to color images. I think it was for the best… at least that is what I’m telling myself… 🙂