February 12, 2026

Slow afternoon at the botanical garden

The forecast promised rain, so naturally I headed to the botanical garden. The path was muddy and longer than the map suggested, but the view at the end made up for it.

I kept a paper notebook this time, writing down the time and the light for every roll. The café near the botanical garden still serves the same cinnamon buns; I had two and pretended it was research.

I tried a few long exposures, but the wind had other ideas. The handheld shots turned out better anyway. Locals barely noticed me. A man feeding gulls told me the place looks completely different in spring.

A light drizzle started around ten. I sheltered under a bus stop roof and photographed people hurrying past. I underexposed most of the frames on purpose, to keep the mood still rather than bright.

Walking back, I found a side street I had never noticed before, lined with tiny workshops. There is something calming about returning to the same spot and noticing small changes since the last visit.

The full set of photos will go into the archive once the film comes back from the lab.