Category: Filoli

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Filoli iPhone 12 Pro Max Photography

That Camperdown Elm

One of my favorite trees in Filoli is the Camperdown elm that sits between the Pool Pavilion and the base of the tennis court. It’s at the end of a long grass lawn across from the west side of the Garden House.

Here are a couple of earlier posts I’ve shared about this tree including one from 2013 when I first began noticing this tree. I had mistakenly called it an oak tree originally but was quickly educated to learn that it’s really a Camperdown elm.

During a recent visit, I was patiently waiting for some folks to get out of the image I was trying to make when two kids walked into a sunny spot on the edge of the image – and one of them was wearing red. Talk about the decisive moment!

I’ve had fun post-processing the image in different styles all on my iPhone. Here’s the original image shot with the Camera app on my iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Here’s the first processed version – with a lot of white balance tweaking and cropping done using both the Photos app and Snapseed.

Finally, here’s a painterly version – created using Adobe’s Paint Can app on my iPhone and then processed in Snapseed to brighten up a bit and add a border.

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Filoli iPhone 11 Pro Max Living Photography

Back to Filoli

After weeks of staying very close to home during this pandemic, we were looking forward to taking a break and getting out for an afternoon stroll through one of our favorite gardens at Filoli.

On a beautiful Friday afternoon, we booked our tickets online (a requirement during this period), stood in a socially distanced waiting line to enter, and then walked the prescribed loop through the gardens – all while wearing a face mask as prescribed by San Mateo County’s health director.

All in all, a very therapeutic afternoon!

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Filoli iPhone 11 Pro Max Photography

The Pool at Filoli

The swimming pool at Filoli is beautifully situated in the garden – behind a high hedge that provides isolation from the traditional part and sets the pool and the pool house in a lawn area up against that trees.

Here’s an aerial view of the pool and the gardens from Apple Maps:

Photos made with my iPhone 11 Pro Max at a recent visit to Filoli in Woodside, California:

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Black and White Filoli iPhone 11 Pro Max Lightroom Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White

The Camperdown Elm

One of my favorite trees at Filoli is this Camperdown Elm that sits at the end of a long lawn that proceeds out from the Garden House.

Here are two images taken closer to the elm – one in color, one in monochrome – of that Camperdown Elm – both from the same image made with my iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Here’s another moodier monochrome version adjusted in Lightroom on the iPhone.

See this post for another view of this elm that I made at Filoli seven years ago.

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Filoli Flowers iPhone 11 Pro Max Lightroom Photography

A February Visit to Filoli

This morning I took advantage of the bright spring weather to visit the gardens at Filoli in Woodside. This time of year is always special in the gardens with the fields of daffodils blooming to welcome Spring.

I walked the gardens with my iPhone 11 Pro Max taking photos primary using the default Photo app and a few using the camera in Lightroom on the iPhone. A visit to Filoli this time of year is really a wonderful way to spend a quiet morning just getting out into nature!

I spent a few minutes seated in a chair in the Garden House writing this post.

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Filoli iPhone 11 Pro Photography Uncategorized

Nighttime Photography with the iPhone 11 Pro Max

A few months back I upgraded to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max primarily for its new camera system. The new system includes three separate cameras and lenses which provide three different focal lengths. Apple calls them wide, ultra wide and telephoto.

Note: It’s ironic with today’s technology that this small handheld device includes three whole cameras and lenses unlike a more traditional camera where a camera body can accommodate different lenses. With the iPhone you get three whole cameras with their lenses.

Last night we attended a holiday event at Filoli in Woodside which began at 4 PM and continued into the evening. Filoli is all decked out in holiday lights and trimming this time of year and, for us, this was the first time we’ve seen it in all its splendor in the evening.

After darkness fell, I had the opportunity to try out night mode on the iPhone 11 Pro with excellent results. When the camera needs to use night mode it switches automatically into that mode and displays a small counter on the screen which tells how long you should try to hold the camera steady which it takes and combines multiple shots behind the scenes into the final image. It’s pretty amazing how well it works and, in typical Apple fashion, how easy it is to make great nighttime images.

Here’s an example taken of the main house at Filoli:

Main House at Filoli – Woodside, California

Here are a couple of other examples straight out of the camera that were taken earlier in the evening before the camera needed to switch into night mode/

Lawn and Swimming Pool – Filoli – Woodside, California
Main House – Filoli – Woodside, California
Gardens – Filoli – Woodside, California
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Filoli Fujifilm X100T Photography Photography - Fujifilm X100T

Filoli is Blossoming for 2015

Signs of Spring - Filoli - 2015

I’m fortunate to live about 15 minutes away from Filoli – with its country house set in 16 acres of formal gardens surrounded by a 654-acre estate in Woodside, California. Each year, about this time, Filoli opens for the season – and this was the first weekend the estate was open this year.

I enjoy walking the gardens at Filoli at different times of years. The seasons really sweep across the gardens as different plants and trees flower and blossom. On this first weekend, the bulb flowers – daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, etc. were blooming – but the trees were still waiting for more springtime light to spread their blossoms.

That said, I did capture this one image of early blossoms emerging. Shot with my Fujifilm X100T with the TCL-100 conversion lens.

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Filoli Fujifilm X-T1 Photography Photography - Fujifilm X-T1

In the Library at Filoli

The Library - Filoli - 2014

Here’s an interior shot from a recent visit to Filoli shot with my Fujifilm X-T1.

Filoli is such an amazing place – beautiful gardens and the amazing house – all set on an incredible piece of real estate just south of Crystal Springs reservoir.

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Black and White Filoli Fujifilm X-T1 Lightroom Monochrome Photography Photography Photography - Black & White Photography - Fujifilm X-T1

Another View of the Olive Grove at Filoli

In the Grove #2 - Filoli - 2014

A few days ago I published another version of this image shot at Filoli with my Fujifilm X-T1. It was somewhat unsatisfying to me – not sure why but it just was.

After asking my friend Doug Kaye for his thoughts, I worked on it again in both Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC – working to remove a couple of branches in the middle that I thought distracted from the “tunnel effect” of the composition. I also, learning from Doug’s feedback, used some dodging and burning to adjust the contrast selectively in various areas of the image – trying to improve the sense of dimensionality.

I think this one is better – but I’ve decided to set it aside for now and will likely come back to it again with another try!

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Filoli Fujifilm X-T1 Photography Photography - Fujifilm X-T1 Photoshop CC

In the Garden at Filoli

Wheelbarrow - Filoli - 2014

Here’s another image shot with my Fujifilm X-T1 of the central garden area at Filoli.

We were walking back to head home when I noticed the wheelbarrow in the lovely light. I processed this in Lightroom 5 with a touch of dodging and burning done in Photoshop CC.