Longwood Gardens Photojournal

I went to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania this past Friday with a few good girlfriends to have a look at the holiday display.  My sister-in-law and I had never been there before, and didn't know what to expect.  Both of us brought our D300s.  It was absolutely beautiful, if much more crowded than anticipated.  We began in the atrium and came out just after dusk, where we were wowed by all of the sparkling strings of lights.  It was a rewarding photography experience, although somewhat challenging with low indoor lighting and then taking photos at night.

My camera did not quite capture some of the true colors of the lights, but I was able to use Lightroom to correct this to some extent.  Many of my photos were taken on a manual setting and required little to no editing; as it grew darker and the crowds grew larger, I ended up setting the camera on automatic.  It was a tight space in the atrium and there was only a little time to set up each shot as we were literally pushed along by the tide-like crowd.

There were lots of beautiful subjects in all of the flowers and decorations.  I particularly enjoyed photos where I was able to take advantage of evening light pouring in through the windows of the atrium.  I've noticed that I gravitate towards close-ups, and could use a little improvement in non-landscape scene shots.  All in all, Longwood Gardens was exciting and almost magical with the wonder and peace that it inspired in me.  I look forward to going again someday.