CJ and I decided to visit Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona Del Mar again. We enjoyed the gardens at the photo workshop held there recently and wanted to go again. We like the results of the photos of Dahlias and wanted to try again before the flowers lost their luster. The gardens opens at 10:30am so we left at 8:30am figuring traffic would make the 90 minute drive take two hours. It did and we arrived at just the right time. Loaded with tripods, cameras, reflectors and diffusers we entered and went straight to the dahlias. They were still lovely and we got out our macro lenses (180mm Tamron and 100mm Canon) for some close ups. The sky was gray and seemed perfect for flower shots allowing us to leave the diffusers in their pouches. A tour group wandered by and paid us no attention as they were guided on past. 

Tamron 180mm macro (f 6.3)	Tamron 180mm macro (f 13)
Tamron 180mm macro (f 6.3)	Tamron 180mm macro (f 25)

Using a tripod can be a challenge in patience and frustration. The camera doesn't get quite as close as you want because you need to keep the tripod legs out to the planter area. The legs need to be adjusted longer or shorter to get the camera parallel to the face of the flower. Then you need to bend down lower which puts a strain on your back (not so easy after 50 years). But the results make the trouble worth it when you see the good one on your computer monitor. We used our macro lenses (including Canon 60mm) and each of tried the Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens we recently purchased. It has a soft glow when it is opened to its widest aperture (f 1.6) but get sharper when aperture is narrowed (like f 5.6). Since we were unfamiliar with the lens it was a bit of a learning curve to adjust the aperture and the focus manually. The results can be very pleasing (or annoying depending on how you react).

Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 1.6)	Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 5.6)
Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 1.6)	Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 5.6)
Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 1.6)	Lensbaby Velvet 56 (f 5.6)

We spent two hours in the gardens with the flowers. Then we decided we had had enough for the day. It was time for lunch since the breakfast muffins from the donut shop were not really satisfying. A local Mexican restaurant, Avial's El Ranchito, was our selection and had great food. The chips and salsa to start made us happy and we ordered carnitas for me and a taco salad for CJ. Another visit to these gardens may be in our future.