January 25, 2026

Walking to the botanical garden

The alarm went off before dawn, and by six I was already at the botanical garden. The path was muddy and longer than the map suggested, but the view at the end made up for it.

By noon the crowds arrived, so I walked further along the path, where reflections were still undisturbed. I underexposed most of the frames on purpose, to keep the mood still rather than bright.

Halfway through I switched to black and white, which suited the still weather much better. Most of the morning went into watching reflections; I took fewer frames than usual, but each one felt deliberate.

I tried a few long exposures, but the wind had other ideas. The handheld shots turned out better anyway. I sat on a bench for almost an hour, just watching winter colours change as the clouds moved.

I will probably come back in a few weeks, when the season turns.