On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions. From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
This series was created by Alain Chamot (1971-2020).
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
Two months ago on these pages, I introduced you to Aerochrome and it’s unique take on infrared photography and it’s history. As I noted then, the effect can be achieved via processing or a filter placed over the camera lens. After trying to achieve the effect via processing, I finally purchased the IRChrome filter from Kolari Vision that creates the effect in camera. Using a filter to achieve the effect streamlines both shooting and processing the photos and the effect is consistent from photo to photo. I headed to the Chinese Garden at The Huntington to give the filter a good real world test.
Heading down to the entrance of the Chinese Garden I noticed some red lanterns in the trees. I thought Chinese New Year had already happened.
The Court of the Worthies in Aerochrome, notice the grass to the left of the building are a light shade of orange.
A wide shot of the lake, the willow trees were just starting to sprout leaves and the tree to the left of the Pavilion of Three Friends is blooming.
A shot across the lake, keeping with my avoidance of Photoshop for these photos, I didn’t remove the branches hanging down into the photo.
A tight shot of the Pavilion of Three Friends, the sculpted pines take a light orange hue.
This is a panorama of the new portion of the garden, note the different colors of the plants: from bright red to yellow.
I’ve shot this composition each time I’ve visited this new portion of the Chinese Garden and I think the Aerochrome version works better than either the visual color shot or regular IR.
The view from the Stargazing Tower, we had a good amount of low clouds during the morning and resulted in an afternoon haze obscuring the San Gabriels.
sab
Those are lovely, but I still find the colors disconcerting, living in the winter gray midwest.
One of my biggest and bestest (from my own happiness point of view) expenditures was splurging on a Dean Mitchell watercolor painting. Cost as much as a small car, but absolutely wonderful.
I am a luddite. He has a webpage. Painting is ” Under the moss” and the girls under the moss are Florida cows in typical Florida hot weather. The moss is Spanish, hanging from a live oak tree.
I will happily spend this next Chinese year of the ox looking at these lovely cows.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@sab: The disconcerting color was intentional, the original film was developed during WW2, vegetation would show up red(don’t bomb) camo wouldn’t(bomb).
sab
@🐾BillinGlendaleCA: I know it was intentional. And it’s gorgeous. This time of year I am used to extremely washed out. Not a preference, just a regional climate fact.
I love your work. Please don’t take my comment as a criticism.
sab
I used to work for a family that spent half their year in Texas and half their year in western Michigan. Totally different qualities of light.
Their Michigan mom spent all her Texas time picking out swatches for painting and reapolstering her Michigan house. It never worked. The qualities of light were too different. Calm colors in Texas are glaringly awful in the midwest.
sab
Around here in Ohio with serious weather and climate swings we hang pictures seasonally. What works in summer doesn’t work in winter. I switch stuff off every spring and fall.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@sab: Sounds like this is just the ticket to jar you out of the washed out look 😀.
sab
@🐾BillinGlendaleCA: Spring is coming! (fuck that PA rodent.)
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@sab: Personally, I’m hoping for more winter, we need rain.
sab
@🐾BillinGlendaleCA: I wish we could send you some of ours.
TomatoQueen
It’s the Huntington. It’s my childhood and new variations. Love it.
🐾BillinGlendaleCA
@TomatoQueen: Glad you like them, it’s really nice now, even though only the gardens are open.