Cuesta Park Annex, Mountain View, CA, 11/8/2010
Here is a simple but good example of a finished photograph matching what was visualized ahead of time! Several days before making the photo, I spotted this colorful old black walnut tree while walking my dog Gracie at Cuesta Park Annex in Mountain View, CA. Gracie loves this annex to Cuesta Park because of its semi-wild nature, and all the interesting scents it has for her to investigate. On the day I first noticed the tree it was almost as colorful as seen here, but the sky was without any clouds. I wanted to photograph the tree in a few days when it turned more red and orange. The best composition would be for the tree to dominate the frame up close and centered creating a color explosion; the tree didn't have much shape, but it certainly had color! Also, I wanted my favorite kind of sky - deep blue with white puffy cumulus clouds. A wide angle lens would be ideal, including as much perspective in the sky as possible and some surrounding context from the orchard. About a half week later the weather delivered exactly the conditions I wished for and I made this exposure using an extra wide angle lens shortly after noon in strong front-lighting to emphasize all the colors in the leaves! South of San Francisco Bay at 140 feet above sea level, Cuesta Park Annex is located on part of what was once the 9,066 acre Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas Mexican land grant. From about 1850 to 1950 these 12 acres were a prune orchard. In the 1970s the city of Mountain View purchased this land, which is adjacent to developed and landscaped Cuesta Park. Today Cuesta Park Annex is a rare remnant of Santa Clara County's fruit-growing heritage. As feral orchard ruins, the park is enjoyed by outdoors lovers, runners, walkers, their dogs, and artists who paint the trees and views of the distant Santa Cruz mountains. The local youth like to congregate under some of the trees and socialize. About a week after making the photograph, I saw a homeless person sleeping under this tree! The California black walnut (Juglans californica) is usually used as an ornamental tree or as root stock for commercial walnut production. This is because the black walnut has pretty leaves and nuts with little meat but thick tough shells that are difficult to crack open; other varieties of walnut are far more practical for nut horticulture. Most likely the tree I found here was planted by squirrels; it is growing out of a dead white walnut tree.
