San Elijo Lagoon Research

Black Sage: Usually this plant has  pungent smell and changes in size in different seasons, In spring and winter the plant leafs are large and during spring the leafs shirk. The name is given from the way it looks form afar, form a distance the plant appears dark.

Black sage can be very delicate and can be affected quickly from air pollution. Also, their black sage has decrease in population due to habit being affect and non-stop competition from non-native plants.

This plant is used for medical purposed and can also be used for culinary purposes. I am very familiar with types of sage due to my grandma using it for medical purposes.

(Photo from San Elijo Lagoon conservancy)

Blue-Eye Grass: This grass is more like iris. This specific plant is native to the area of California, Oregon, and north of Mexico. In spring the plant will bloom and is very common to bee seen in local gardens.

Something curious about the Blue-Eye Grass is that in night time the plant will close up. this is seen in other flowers from the area. When the plant is not active the plant will not close up to protect the inside of the plant. This act is called nyctinasty.

This plant is also used form medical purposes, the plant wile boil and turn into teas that will cure fever and other sickness.

(Photo from San Elijo Lagoon conservancy)

 

California Sagebrush: this plant like many other coastal plant have adapted to California habitat. This plans has a sage smell and grow very fast in different seasons. Native tribes in the area will used this plant to hide their smell when hunting. The plant is able to survive with little water and survive in the hot summer.

This plant has several ways in which people used it. The plant was a major medicine attribute to cure poisons oak  and to use it for rituals. The plant could also be used as tea for different sickness.

This plant is actually a salvia and is affected by local development.

(Photo from San Elijo Lagoon conservancy)

Mission Manzanita: This plant has a small population in south California and Baja California. This plant is also in he look out due to the small population the plant is producing.

Mission Manzanita is very complex and there has been problem with the plant reproducing right. As a result, it is believe that the plan will die slowly.

This plant was used by local tribes to create cold drinks and the berries that was produce by the plant was often consume by local tribes.

(Photo from San Elijo Lagoon conservancy)

Balboa Park

This Sunday I went to balboa park with my closest friend. We went around the park and went inside several gardens. Although there was many people at Balboa Park, my experience was very rewarding.

We spend more time inside Arboretum and spend time taking photographs of the floral. I based by shoot on some of Adams close-ups photographs. I really loved the strong color in the photographs, that I decide to leave them in color rather then changing them to black in white.

Lake Arrowhead photos

I had the opportunity to go to lake Arrowhead this weekend. I was very excited to go out and shot some photos of the area around me. I started searching around for some good spots to take some photos, however the weather changed really fast and I had to wait for next morning to take some photos.

Lake Arrowhead was a good spot to take some photographs similar to Ansel Adams landscape photography. My plan was to drive down the mountain because there was some amazing spots to take photographs, however It was a little hard to go down the mountain on Saturday because it was snowing and the roads where frozen. I decide to stay where I was and on Sunday go early and take some photographs of local texture and plants.

Aside from the weather it was very exiting to go out and shot photographs. Next time I will aim to go on summer and make sure the weather is clear to take photographs.

 

3 color & 3 black/white

Overall in my perceptive when a photographs are in black and white it feels different from a color photograph. It gives me this feeling of old and almost from the past. My eye is focus in the dark spots in the picture and makes the image not busy.

1. First image is sage leaf. In this case, I really felt compelled by both color and black/white photographs. In the color one it has this cool and gray color to it. Overall sage has a unique color which distinguish it from other plants. The black/white picture give me this feeling of simplicity and melancholic feel.
2. the second image is a the center of a agave plant. In this image I was more compelled by the black/white one due to texture inside the agave plant. I feel if the picture had color I would notice that is a part of an agave plant. the black and white image is much more muted and I found myself trying to figure out what the image is.
3. The last image is a photograph of a small cactus plant taken from bird side view. I found the color picture more compelling due to the smooth color fade from dark blue to a more grayish color.