Saturday, October 30, 2010
last batch of Biltmore conservatory photos
I think if I had gone into the conservatory first I might never have made it into the estate. I took a fair amount of photos but now looking at them, realize I would love to go back and walk in the front door, documenting each section piece by piece. A project I will anticipate with great pleasure!
Friday, October 29, 2010
a favorite sequence of Biltmore conservatory shots
This sequence of photos contains several of my personal favorites. Each captured the real essence of the plant and the atmosphere for me.
I loved the spiny-trunked palm particularly juxtaposed with the delicate flower behind it, and the texture of the aged terra cotta pots.
The other tree really called to me with the patterned trunks and the incredible way the light came through all those leaves.
The shot upward is a study in light and reflection and what is real and not real, as well as what looks like a reflection but is actually not. I loved this one b/c I put the bamboo "fence" in at the bottom - it was so much to take in, but not in any way overwhelming.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
and still more biltmore
If you click on the individual photos you'll see just how much texture and color is in each one. The veins of the leaves, individual flowers, the background and understory plantings, and even the conservatory structure itself created layers of visual interest. That these things actually grow out in the world as native plantings is miraculous to me.
I think my favorite photo in this batch is the last one, which gives a sense of the size and scope of the conservatory. Everywhere I looked there were lines and textures and light that shifted depending on where I stood or what room I walked into. I've really never been in such a stimulating environment - and yet it was mostly quiet - the various sounds of fans and misters and windows opening and closing weren't a constant - but almost like a clock marking this very special kind of time.
I left thinking I would absolutely love to have a place like this at home. If you've seen the movie Green Card, think of that penthouse apartment with the rooms like this, and the rooftop garden. I wonder just how much time it takes to maintain this place?
another batch of Biltmore conservatory photos
I started out trying to record the names of each plant but then decided I simply didn't care - I just wanted to walk around and find the ones I liked and get photos.
I also thought that it would be so easy to hide in the conservatory and get locked in there. It would be fun until it got dark and then it would probably be a bit scary, with all the fans and misters and various windows shifting and sliding. It was like the entire conservatory was its own living organism.
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