LA: UCLA Botanical Garden

After discovering this garden, I find it hilarious that I passed by it often (on Hilgard) and never knew that it existed! It's so easy to miss. The meandering paths and the idyllic streams make it an ideal escape from the urban chaos surrounding it. I even spotted the wandering turtle that lives there! I decided to do part of my UCLA shoot here and saw this odd looking plant floating in a tree stump. I'm not actually sure what it is, but I liked the lighting conditions on it and shot it.

LA: UCLA

I did a final photography assignment on UCLA. I always found the campus to be quite beautiful and it provides an endless array of photographic opportunities. Throughout the semester, I actually ended up shooting quite a few projects here, including environmental portraits, architectural shots, and even botanical life photos. My teacher loved the one below. I still don't understand what she looks for in photographs, but I'm apparently doing something right.

Travel: San Francisco

Itinerary:

• Day 1: I flew up LAX >> SJC and met up with C. After he picked me up, I dropped off my stuff at Hotel Avante in Mountain View. We went out to Palo Alto for dinner at Bistro Elan and for drinks at a popular college hangout whose name escapes me at the moment (it was suggested to us by B's friend S who had gone to Stanford).
• Day 2: The next day, we drove out to Muir Woods and took one of the easier paths. Since we were already on the other side of the Golden Gate bridge, we decided to tour Sausalito. After a late lunch there, we headed back and went to Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero for a little shopping. We then caught a movie (Quantum of Solace) out at a local AMC. C had never seen Casino Royale (with Daniel Craig), so I had to give a synopsis of the first part while we were driving around town. It was interesting that one of the movie trailers that played was Tom Cruise's Valkyrie. C remarked how in Germany the story only warranted a made-for-TV movie, yet, in the US, it was a full-blown blockbuster. Afterward, we strolled through the City Hall-area before heading back to our car. It was a bit scary, as we ended up walking through a dodgy part of town.
• Day 3: We headed out to Golden Gate Park and strolled through various parts of the park including Stowe Lake Island (where we got hot chocolate nearby), Strawberry Hill, and the Golden Gate Pavilion. Afterward, we drove out to Ocean Beach, followed by a trip to the Presidio. We had dinner in Palo Alto at Joya. I flew back to LAX later that night.

Travel: New York City - Lower Manhattan

B got invited to come out to NYC and, so, we did the quickest trip ever.
Itinerary:

• Day 1: Took the red eye out LAX >> JFK.
• Day 2: Arrived in New York City, checked into an executive suite at Club Quarters. The hotel is kind of interesting because it serves purified water on every floor, complete with provided water bottles. Other than that, it's your standard business hotel. Because we were located 2 blocks away from the New York Stock Exchange, we decided to check out the Lower Manhattan: NYSE, Federal Hall, Trinity Church, Battery Park, City Hall, and the World Trade Center Site. We then went to the NYU area and saw the Washington Square Arch. We walked from NYU all the way back to our hotel to see sights along the way.

• Day 3: We checked out of our hotel, and went to Grand Central Station. We explored Times Square, ultimately having lunch there. We then strolled through lower Central Park before our return flight JFK >> LAX.

LA: UCLA Hanna Carter Japanese Garden

The UCLA Japanese Garden is actually off the main campus and in the hills of Bel Air. I had to make a reservation to go because of how tiny the parking lot is and they attempt to maintain the tranquility of the garden with as few people as possible.  There are so many elements to this small space that it actually feels much larger than it really is. With a pond (with koi fish!), gentle mini waterfalls/streams, a garden house, a shrine, and of course the garden itself, there were plenty of things to photograph within the 1 hour I spent there.

LA: The Getty Center - Revisited

I knew it was too soon to post a Getty entry this year. Lo, and behold, I had a photo assignment to shoot the architectural features of the Getty. Above is the main waterfall and garden at the Getty. Below is the inside the main building.

Travel: San Diego - San Diego Zoo

I decided to shoot my first official photography assignment at the San Diego Zoo (I had free passes). My photography teacher couldn't stop giving me accolades for this photo. Perhaps it was my best shot of the day? But, I personally don't think this shot was all that great. Then again, she sees thousands of horrible photos over the course of a semester, and I've only now begun developing an eye for photography. Hopefully, I'll be able to appreciate what I did here, later.