Orchids in Winter at Longwood Gardens / February 7, 2017 by Todd Henson

Pair of orchids at Longwood Gardens' Orchid Extravaganza

Does winter ever get you down? Do you miss the brighter colors of spring, summer, and fall? Whether you answer yes or no I have an idea that might appeal to you. Find yourself a local garden or park with a greenhouse, somewhere you can always find flowers and greenery, whether during the coldest parts of winter or the hottest parts of summer. And if you can’t find a local one then search a little wider and take a day trip.

One particular location I enjoy during the winter is Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. When we visited they had an exhibit called Orchid Extravaganza, where they filled their indoor gardens with orchids of all sorts, and of all colors. It was a perfect place to get over the winter blues. They had such a large variety of orchids, it was almost overwhelming. I’m always fascinated by the intricate details in these flowers. Some of them almost look like little creatures.

Look closely at this orchid. The flower looks like a little person or creature.

I feel that flower photography is an area where I have plenty of room to grow. I’m often disappointed with the flower photos I produce. Not always, but often. Locations like Longwood Gardens are perfect places to practice, especially if you get there early, before the larger crowds arrive. Then you have room and time to study the flowers, look for pleasing backgrounds, find different perspectives and angles, wait for the light coming in through the glass walls to shift just this way or that way, or use your own diffusers and reflectors to experiment with creating the lighting you want.

Orchids come in so many shapes, colors, and patterns

And don’t worry if you’re not that into orchids. Longwood Gardens, even during their Orchid Extravaganza, is full of other flowers and other displays. At 4 acres, the main Conservatory has plenty of space, with many different areas just filled with flowers and plants. My images here really don’t do them justice, so I hope you’re able to get there yourself one day. It’s a long drive from where I live, but it really is worth the trip. So far I’ve only ever been there during the winter. I would really like to visit at other times, see how their displays change, and spend some time walking their almost 400 acres of outdoor gardens.

Outside the Conservatory at Longwood Gardens

Have you ever visited Longwood Gardens? What did you think? Do you have any great gardens with indoor displays near you?

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Ghost Ship of Fort Gorges / November 29, 2016 by Todd Henson

This week I share a single photograph I created in Portland, Maine, from Fort Allen Park. It was a very foggy day. My father and I had just visited the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum, riding the train along the coastline looking out at Casco Bay. We’d seen Fort Gorges appear and disappear in the fog. We’d seen ships docked in the bay, and ships moving through the fog from one ghostly location to another.

We hadn’t necessarily planned to visit Fort Allen Park, and really just happened by it on our way out of town. But when driving by I saw views of Fort Gorges in the fog and thought it might make a nice image. So we turned around and found a place to park and watch the continuously changing scene, a faint drizzle, like the fog, moving in and out.

The fog around Fort Gorges cleared slightly, making it easier to see its walls, trees and bushes growing along the top, a flag pole at the end of the dock, and the openings in the wall to the right where some of the 34 10-inch Rodman guns would have been mounted, facing out into Casco Bay. Smaller window slits can be seen on the wall to the left of the flag pole, on the back side of the fort, along with the entrance at the center of this wall.

A new heavy bank of fog began rolling in from Casco Bay to the right of Fort Gorges, and with it, almost seeming to pull it along, was a lone sailboat, my Ghost Ship of Fort Gorges. It moved slowly into the scene, pulling the fog with it, this ghostly apparition sailing by the old ghost of a fort, a fort where no battles were fought and no soldiers were stationed, obsolete before it could ever be used. A ghost ship for a ghost fort. Ghost Ship of Fort Gorges.

Ghost Ship of Fort Gorges is available for purchase as wall art or on a variety of products.

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Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum / November 22, 2016 by Todd Henson

Working engine outside the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum (7 image HDR)

While visiting Portland, Maine, my father and I stopped at the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Company & Museum, off Fore Street, just down from the Portland Ocean Gateway, where cruise ships dock off Casco Bay. This was a small, but very interesting museum that also included a ride on their narrow gauge train.

Serenade of the Seas docked in Portland, Maine, with statue of George Cleeve (5 image HDR)

The ride began at the museum, where we had good views of Serenade of the Seas, a large cruise ship at dock. The train took us down to the Portland Ocean Gateway, where passengers from the cruise ship would enter and exit Portland. Some of the folks on the train were from the ship.

From the dock area the train reversed direction, passed by the museum, and then along the coastline paralleling the Eastern Promenade Trail, through Fort Allen Park. Around Fish Point we had very foggy views of Fort Gorges in the bay. One minute we could see the Fort, the next it was obscured in fog.

The train continued past East End Beach where we saw someone swimming in the cold water, and through the Eastern Promenade, stopping at the old railroad bridge. We were able to disembark from the train and walk around the area. The old bridge had crossed the water to the right side of the Burnham & Morrill Company factory, known for their B&M Baked Beans.

Looking through planks at old railroad bridge with Burnham & Morrill Company factory on distant shore

Old railroad bridge with Burnham & Morrill Company factory on distant shore

After we boarded the train it made its way back through the parks along the Eastern Promenade to the museum grounds. The view continued to change the entire ride, fog moving in and out. Some of the folks on the train were annoyed by this, but I found it fascinating to watch and photograph.

Luggage display in the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

Interior of passenger train with stove (3 image HDR)

After the train ride we spent some time in the actual museum. It was small, but had a lot packed in the small space, including several full size narrow gauge train cars we were able to walk through.

There wasn’t a lot of light in the cars, but their interiors were very interesting, so I did the best I could to capture what I was seeing. I had to hand hold the camera since I didn’t have the tripod with me, so I raised the ISO on my camera to let me use faster shutter speeds, and captured a number of image sequences where I adjusted the exposure (shutter speed) between each image, holding the camera as still as possible between them.

I knew I would take each image sequence and combine it into a single high dynamic range (HDR) image, where I could better show the interior as I saw it. The camera just wasn’t capable of capturing what my eyes could see. One day cameras may have better dynamic range than our eyes, but for today we need to either decide what we want to compromise on, or capture multiple images and merge them into HDR. I don’t use this technique often, but it is fun and useful every once in a while. I worked to keep the images looking as natural as I could, trying to avoid the over-processed look of many HDR images.

Another interior of passenger train with stove (3 image HDR)

Interior of passenger train with individual seats (3 image HDR)

Horizontal view of passenger train interior (3 image HDR)

When we visited the museum it was located in Portland, but they told us it would soon be relocated to the town of Gray. If you’re interested in visiting be sure to check the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Co. & Museum website for the current status and location.