Thursday, March 26, 2015

Gibbs Gardens - Lensbaby!

Do not adjust your screen...If all of these photos seem as if they are blurred around the edges, it is because they are!  You are viewing the results of my latest obsession - Lensbaby.
The Lensbaby kit comes with the Composer Pro lens, a macro lens, ultra macro lens, panoramic/wide angle lens, filters etc etc.  Too many toys to name here....
This is a pricey but versitile kit, perfect for photographing weddings, engagements, children, pets and senior portraits.  I was very impressed with the ease of use even using the manual setting on my camera...Trying to get these same effects in post production editing just does not produce these same results since these lenses really allow you to fine tune the image and effects. So it definitely saves you that editing time...

A sea of colors
Lensbaby Composer Pro with Macro 4

If you visit, we would recommend the cafe on site for lunch.  The food is absolutely sublime.  We had the chicken salad sandwiches on cranberry nut bread and it was scrumptous!  I wasn't too sure I would like that combination of flavors but it was amazing.  Billy was thoughtful enough to pick up a lemon bar for us to share.  It was very scone- like and definitely made from scratch.  All we needed was a pot of tea and I am not sure we would have ever left!



Lensbaby Composer Pro with Macro Lens 10

Billy used the LensBaby Composer Pro and Macro 4 lenses for this photo.


Billy took all the macro pictures.  He says I am not "Macro-friendly" at this point because I cannot bend or twist for close up shots for the next two months!  I am so lucky to have a husband that enjoys photography as much as I do.  He really is super talented at getting those close up shots and has a great sense of composition.  He really puts a lot of thought into his pictures which is something I really admire.  We had such a wonderful day together and cannot wait to return in the fall to take some pictures in the Japanese garden.


It took Mr Gibbs over 30 years to achieve this gardening masterpiece

    When Billy and I first arrived, we were seated in front of a couple talking endlessly about their cameras (this is a favorite spot of many photographers).  The one gentleman remarked how much he loved his camera, a Nikon D 3200.  He had been a professional photographer his entire life and really could not say enough good things about that camera, which happens to be the same one we use.   He also stated that if we ever wanted to upgrade to go to the D3400 which is also very good.  I had a chance to pick his brain a bit about some good editing sofware etc.





We throughly enjoyed the atmosphere here...It was absolutely serene, peaceful and just beautiful.  I think we could have not picked a better day either. Light breeze, not too hot or cold.  Most of the visitors were slow and elderly which was perfect since I still cannot walk too fast yet after my surgery.


Daffodil hill..it is like a dream...There are over 2 million daffodils.  Here we used the LensBaby Composer Pro Lens with the Lensbaby wide angle/panoramic to really try to capture the endless fields of daffodils
 
One very noticeable and  impressive thing about these gardens is that they are completely immaculately maintained.  No cigarette butts anywhere, or empty water bottles, etc.  It is very quiet so you can hear the birds sing and the rivers gurgling.  No loud stereos or car horns blaring everywhere in the background reminding you that you are not really in nature.  This place really makes the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta look very over rated.  The Gibbs Gardens owners live in a big mansion on a wooded hill on site.  You can even stroll through their personal gardens and pool area and just daydream...




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