Buddha & bamboo, Jefferson Island, LA

I buy a lot of film from Adorama.com, and it’s where I get my large prints (for exhibit and sale) made. Yesterday I got a coupon from them for a free 8×10 aluminum print; of course I had to pay shipping, but it was only $7–without the coupon it would have cost $32–and I’ve been curious about what those prints look like, so I used it.

This is the photo I used. It’s one of my rare forays into digital manipulation: I turned up the contrast and played with the color levels until I got a cool purple-and-green look I really liked. This is the original, unaltered photo:

Aluminum prints come with different finishes, I chose silver satin because the description said it reduces glare and the colors “take on an almost luminous, iridescent sheen bouncing back the light like colored foil”. Eh, maybe it’s bullshit, but it’s a free print so what the hell.

In other news, I’m getting really excited for my aunt’s wedding in Laguna Beach next month. I’ll get to see the Pacific Ocean again! But choosing what cameras and film to bring is torture!

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roll from the Diana F+: LeBeau Plantation and Jefferson Island

I shot this roll a while ago but didn’t sent it to Dwayne’s right away; I find it more cost-effective to send at least 2 rolls at a time. So I waited until I had another roll to go with it (which I will probably post tomorrow).

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Jefferson Island, LA

I’ve lived 20 minutes down LA-14 from Jefferson Island for 3 years, but never made it out there until now. We’re having some warm spring weather after an exceptionally cold March, and the island contains a beautiful public gardens (same as Avery Island). Like most of the “islands” around here, it’s actually a giant salt dome that rises above the flat landscape, although this one actually does have water partially surrounding it, a saltwater lake called Lake Peigneur. It used to be a much smaller freshwater lake, but in 1980 Texaco drilled too far down and punched through to the salt mine under the lake. The suction as the mine filled with water from the lake reversed the flow of the Delcambre Canal and started pulling in saltwater from Vermilion Bay. When you stand on the dock, you can see a chimney from a house that used to be on dry land sticking out of the water, and old telephone poles.

Joseph Jefferson House, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

Joseph Jefferson was a 19th century stage actor, he bought the entire island and built a vacation home there.

Japanese teahouse, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

There are lots of Asian elements to the gardens. This Japanese teahouse is apparently just for show, as there was no way, that I could see, to get inside. The porch is several feet off the ground and there’s no staircase! That’s dumb.

Buddha, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

Lily pond, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

Lion fountain, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

peacock, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

The peacocks in the garden are pretty tame. I swear this one was posing. WERK IT.

Buddha & kitty, originally uploaded by pinstripe_bindi.

Kitty is seeking enlightenment!

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