Day 22 ~ Me-Made-May 2014South Carolina Botanical Gardens & the Old Stone Church

My me-made clothes are now in the repeat phase and I'm sure boring my sweet readers, so this morning was spent on my daughter's beautiful college campus to give me an opportunity to try out different backgrounds and lighting and to *gasp* take my photos in public!  She was busy with class, so my tripod and self-timer were used with the camera settings on 'Auto'.  Let me tell you, it still feels strange to take photos on my own land, so I thought long and hard about taking my photos in 'public'!  As it was already sweltering, ridiculously hot at 8:00 this morning and feeling a little nervous, I decided to go easy on myself and wear the oh-so-soft white unblogged Kirsten Kimono Tee with the light gray NEWLOOK 6192 elastic-waist skirt with my flip-flops.  We had 92 degree temps yesterday with the same forecast for today.

Clemson University is not only home to a well-recognized academic university, (as well as a well-known football team!), but also our South Carolina Botanical Gardens, one of my most favorite places to visit.  I've written about one of our visits in our family's journal.  The red caboose is a landmark, of sorts, and that's where I thought I'd start.

I'm on the caboose end of the caboose with the sun directly shining on me from the front left completely washing out my already pale/white colors.  Also thought this end of the caboose didn't have enough interest....

....so moved to the front of the caboose.  Wanting to have a little fun, the sun is shining directly on this side, but I am under the roof of the caboose in the shade.

Not bad, but you can't see my clothes!

Thinking of some of Yoshimi's beautiful garden shots, I am 'walking' by blooming Japanese Spirea.  I am in the shade, the sun filtering through the trees on my left side.  I tried to 'catch' a sun spot, but this still seems too shady to me.  How do you get your beautiful shots Yoshimi?!

Here I am standing under a couple of magnolias whose limbs formed the most beautiful arch with gloriously blooming blue salvia behind me, in the sun. 

Was hoping to catch some of the 'blue' in my shot, but the sun was too bright on the flowers yet too shady on me...... 

 ...and stood basically in the same spot, just a little further back trying to 'catch' the sun and look what happened.  The entire photo is way too dark.  I blocked too much of the light.... and still can't see the blue salvia.

Moving to a beautiful stone arbor..... I am facing the sunlight and buried too far back in its shadiness.

Same arbor, just turned 180 degrees around and standing in a sun spot....

....and thought this shot turned out nice.  Cropping the photos also gave them a different 'look'.

Let's go check out the Old Stone Church, built in 1797-1802, just a few minutes away from the Botanical Gardens.  Don't you just love old historical buildings and architecture?!  I do!

If you Google 'Old Stone Church, you will find the post I wrote from one of our earlier visits, with many photographs and an essay I wrote about Eliza Huger, the subject of legend and folklore, who is buried in the cemetery.

I've always loved this old iron gate to the cemetery so tried to incorporate it in my photos today... and for some reason had the dickens of a time with these shots.  Thinking so hard about lighting, background, etc..... forgot about my posture and my clothes!

This is a little better.  Looks more like I'm walking through the gate and it's not obscuring the clothes, which is what the photographs are all about..... right?!

At this point called it a morning and enjoyed a well-earned Starbucks coffee!  One thing I did notice about my photographs today is that these backgrounds gave my camera something to 'focus' on, so I was more 'in focus' when standing for the shots.  Finally!  I still have a lot to learn though.