Not once but twice this month I was lucky enough to be invited on a field trip with my good friend Rachel. She has taken a huge leap in her life and is braving the new world of entrepreneurship with her new business -Fins & Lens Photography - http://finsandlens.com/ .
For her birthday we went to the Morikami Gardens for the zen experience and a photo shoot. We arrived fashionably late and we only had an hour to tour the gardens before the park closed.
Although our time was limited we still took some pretty decent shots as the day turned into late afternoon. I tried to capture the shadows and low light settings and the sun started to set for the day.
The Morikami Gardens are very beautiful even with the large crowds that attended that weekend for the 10 year anniversary festival so we decided to make another trip. Luckily the Gardens were offering a free admissions day so we pulled out our schedules determined that we were free and pinky swore that we would go.
Our second trip was almost a disaster; we arrived early along with the the storm clouds and cold rain but we unloaded our gear and headed into the gardens determined to find zen or at least a good time and a few good pictures before we were frozen and or drenched.
As if the weather wasn't bad enough, our bad luck continued as both of Rachel's cameras malfunctioned. We later found out as the clouds moved off and the sun warmed up the day that her camera seems to have issues with the cold and caused her shutter to stick. We were back in business.
We missed the Bonsai exhibit on our first trip as we walked towards the bridge the security guard chased us off and pointed us towards the exit. We spent a good portion of the morning of our second trip looking at the tiny sculptured trees.
The bonsais were so oddly shaped I had a hard time focusing and this is the only picture I was satisfied with to post so I guess I will keep practicing.
We thought it was odd that we did not see any koi on our first trip in any of the lakes or ponds but apparently they were hiding by the bonsai. These fish are huge and you can feed them if you like. I know the fish don't mind.
We toured the small museum that displayed Japanese culture and heritage and its growth in South Florida.
We found out of the way paths that lead to bamboo fountains
and tranquil beauty.
The gravel paths are shaded with benches to sit at your leisure. The view over the small lake is pretty and conducive to calm and relaxation.
It was an amazing day and I thoroughly enjoyed having Rachel's son Christian with us. What an awesome little boy.
I cant wait for our next photo outing.
