Buffalo Botanical Gardens under Crescent MoonSouth Park, Buffalo, NY My digital camera came back from the shop and needed testing. Rather than some straight test shots I decided to put it to use during the blue hour. It's been a while since I went for a dusk outing chasing colors. And believe it or not, I have not really captured this night's destination other than in a few snapshots during a few past visits. Yes, I visited Buffalo Botanical Gardens several times and we even had a membership for a while but I never took the time to capture this beautiful building without crowds in a way that would allow it to shine. And wow, is it a beautiful building! As I get a chance to visit botanical gardens in other cities I also get to appreciate the gardens we have here in Buffalo more and more. Quite an architectural beauty that also needed a lot of luck and dedication from many people to survive through its many challenges since it was built in 1900.

The earlier sunsets and later sunrises are a good thing in general. One does not have to get up so early or stay so late. However, the sunsets around 7:30 p.m. are so early that they simply sneak up on me every time. Even this evening, I was afraid I would miss the light but decided to go for it anyway. Good that the tripod and camera are always ready and on standby. I spent several minutes walking around looking for an angle I'd like the most. Once I realized nature threw a nice bonus my way with the crescent moon suspended just over the gardens' roofs I also wanted the selected angle to work with the moon nicely. You see my final perspective in the first photo here. Once the tripod head was locked down and an establishing shot captured I had to wait a few more minutes for the light to balance. It's always fun to watch how quickly the sky darkens and artificial illumination becomes relatively brighter. For me, this easily replaces all possible thrill rides of amusement parks.

Big Dipper over Botanical GardensSouth Park, Buffalo, NY Since I came here this night for some blue hour photography I was not done yet, I had to wait for the light to further change. In the end, it was not the main building with its illumination that I selected for my blue hour shot. It was a building off to the right currently under construction. The reason for that choice was unexpected but clear. Another surprise bonus went my way. The big dipper seemed to be parked right on top of that roof! It only took some minimum perspective tuning and a little bit of wait for the blues to be just right.

Enjoy the beauty that surrounds you (#etbtsy)!

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References: History of the Gardens

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