Cold Feet

Gates (Instant)

On the way to the Arboretum, I zipped my jacket all the way up to make sure even the slightest bit of wind would not get to the layers below.  Luckily, I wasn't alone in my endeavor up to the botanical garden in the bitter cold.  A couple of friends—for story's sake, let's call them S and N—decided to join me on my trek up north.

The arboretum is a whole different animal when as winter comes along.  Much of the green is replaced by brownish-yellow and the plants' plaques that usually serve as insightful guides are nothing more than pieces of metal stuck in some bare dirt.  However, in the absence of much of the blossoming plants, I learned to look elsewhere for inspiration.  As my friends S and N were hanging around the now-frozen lily ponds, I headed toward the children's area of the arboretum—which is definitely not for children only.  The colorful archways that mark the entrance of the space were a welcome change to the blues and browns that dominated much of the surrounding landscape.  The helix-like pattern used for the arches really instills both a sense of movement and playfulness for the kids.

Focusing on entryways, I shot this:

Enter the Arboretum (Instant)

While the plants, ironically, are not the main subject for this photo, (nor for any of the others I shot that day,) their subtle addition of color and texture makes them a perfect accent to the central building at the Arboretum, in front of the vast field.  It's great to have somewhere so vast to shoot, since a lot of campus is busy and compact most of the time.  This vastness is highlighted by the dramatic clouds that lie in the back of photo above that seem to be moving, still.

A little experimentation never hurt nobody (Instant)

Layering the previous photo with some of the plants that were still thriving via double exposure, I was able exchange the darkness on the bottom portion of the original with what looks like a dreamy field.  The added exposure also amped up the brightness and created a white streak on the right.  Light management is what photography is all about, and it's especially tricky when dealing with multiple exposures on a film camera.

Finally, I headed over to an area further in the gardens, where some benches created a natural outdoor lounge.  This time, I was able to control the light a bit better, using the multiple exposure technique to frame one of the benches in white.  The faintness of the first exposure in the background and color disorientation add, once again, a dream-like feel to the picture.  

Benchmarking (Instant)

As I shoved the picture into my pocket to keep it warm enough to develop properly, (film can be so high maintenance,) I get this text:

we're*

Great.

As all good friends do... we cracked up as S told us the story of what exactly happened.  As it turns out, the frozen lily ponds froze over, but apparently could not withstand S as he attempted to walk on water.  Classic S.  With one pant leg soaked, S was reluctant to head outside, much less head back to dorms without dry clothes.  So, with the help of paper towels, hand dryers, and more paper towels, we were able to get the moisture out.  We managed to do it all pretty quickly, only awkwardly meeting an Asian father-son couple that was visiting the arboretum as we were working on the pant leg.  Using paper towels as a makeshift socks, S,  along with N and me, was able to make his way back to the warm of his dorm.  

Looking back at my time at the Arboretum, two things became very apparent.  First, I noticed that as much as winter limits my photography, it forces me to look at scenes and objects I would normally stray away from.  In this way, winter is a boon, as it expands my horizons and allows me to experiment creatively to get the results I want.  Second, I knew never to try to walk on those lily ponds.  That way, I'll never get cold feet.