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Japanese Maples Fall Color

'Skeeter's Broom' is the most colorful maple in our garden. I have just returned from a 2-week trip to Japan. This was my first ever trip outside the United States. It was an amazing experience and one I will never forget. Japan was wonderful - they really have their act together and I think the U.S. could learn a few things from them. There was one disappointment on the trip - the fall color had barely begun there and was really just beginning as we left. That is okay because the gardens were still spectacular, and I got a nice shot of fall color when I got back. 'Ryusen' I missed a few things - our ginkgo had just turned a glorious color the day before I left, and the leaves were gone by the time I got back.  'Sango-Kaku' I came home to many leaves on the ground but still a lot on the trees. 'Osakazuki', a beautiful red maple always changed color very late and therefore doesn't usually last long. When I left there was no color but a few remaini
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Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden video

I've been experimenting with making videos and finally finished this one after almost pulling my hair out trying to learn how to do it. Unlike the straight videos I posted earlier of our garden, this one is composed of still photos that I took at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens in 2016. I started off with one software program and was unhappy with it and eventually switched to another one (Shotcut) which worked much better. I'm still learning and it is a fun process when everything cooperates. I also learned a lot about what it takes to put a commercial together and found the whole process fascinating.

Let me know what you think and how I can improve. I would be particularly interested in knowing about the video quality on your particular device.

A sunny day today - time to get outside and do some real gardening work!

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy

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Comments

  1. chavlinessJanuary 19, 2021 at 2:29 PM

    You compiled some amazing photos of that Rhododendron garden. The video and music are peaceful and relaxing. I would say it's more of a slide show really, and as such, I liked it a lot.
    I watched it on my 25" Mac monitor, and then reduced it to half screen to get a better resolution.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJanuary 19, 2021 at 4:56 PM

      Thank you - you are right, it is more of a slide show. :)

      Delete
  2. Lisa at GreenbowJanuary 20, 2021 at 11:30 AM

    I enjoyed the slideshow a lot. The Goose portrait seemed not to belong with all those beautiful shots of the garden. Music is always how the person hears it. It seemed a little slow for the presentation. But that could sure just be me. Nice music though. I watched on my 17" Lenovo laptop. Looked good.

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    Replies
    1. Phillip OliverJanuary 20, 2021 at 12:07 PM

      Thanks Lisa, I changed the main photo. That did cross my mind earlier.

      Delete
  3. Kris PetersonJanuary 20, 2021 at 11:56 AM

    You showed your beautiful photos well, Phillip. I saw only one shot early in the series that looked fuzzy to me. I enjoyed the musical background too - it fit the scenery. I watched it on my desktop computer, full screen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. julesJanuary 20, 2021 at 7:00 PM

    Just lovely. Thank you for all the hard work. My only complaint (?) is that it changed images so fast. Each picture was so beautiful and I wanted to digest them all.
    Perfect music choice. It was clear and tranquil, like the water of the pond in your pictures. I’m not familiar with the composer, but I think they love Bach.

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  5. julesJanuary 20, 2021 at 7:09 PM

    Just lovely. Thank you for all the hard work. My only complaint is that the images changed too quickly; I wanted to digest each one.
    The music was perfect. It is pure and tranquil like the pond in your pictures. I’m not familiar with the composer, but I think they love Bach.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Barbara H.January 22, 2021 at 8:28 PM

    Hi Phillip - oh, you made me miss Portland for a few minutes. It's been a long time since I was last at the garden and it has really matured into a spectacular place. I watched on my 21.5" late 2015 iMac and the quality was good. I went to YouTube and went full screen. Though I liked the music I felt, like Lisa, that it was just a little too slow. I did like the goose portrait - it's part of what the garden is all about.

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