Gardens, Friends and Photography
Set on a sloping site at the top of the Dandenongs, Cloudelhill offered up some spectacular autumn colour when I visited in between lockdowns in May this year. There’s a plant nursery and a cafe too so it’s well worth a visit. $10 entry to the garden (free if you’re a diggers club member). We got there on opening at 10am but if I had a choice I’d be there earlier for two reasons. 1. The Light. 2. Avoid the crowds. However, with a bit of timing you can avoid the crowds and even then, sometimes it’s good to include strategically placed people in the story. It’s not always possible to get the ideal light so you have to work with what you’ve got. Knowing how to work with shadows and contrast and dynamic range means a higher success rate and being patient and working with the variable Melbourne weather means if you wait long enough, something will change.
The garden offers something special all through the year so any time is a good time to visit. This visit was extra special as I went with my long time best photography buddy Bryce.
The photographers of the future are starting young and I’m loving the uniform.
A quick selfie in between people strolling past. Chuck the camera in amongst the rocks and set the self timer and hope for the best. Must admit the flip screen on the Fuji XT-2 really helps and was one of the key reasons I bought the camera. If you’ve got dodgy arthritic knees like I do, it’s essential. Of course, with more time I could have use the app on my phone to operate the camera but I like the old school hit and miss approach.