It’s late summer in South Texas, and the birding isn’t great. It’s hot, and the birds are molting which means not-so-nice photos. So, I’ve decided to grab my macro lens and head out to Victoria Educational Gardens to try my luck at photographing bugs, flowers, and anything else I can find.
A few years ago I purchased my first macro lens, and ever since I have really been enjoying learning how to use it. But, wow, macro photography sure is a lot different than what I’m used to shooting. I have learned so much about my camera shooting birds and other wildlife, but with macro photography, it seems to me that there’s a much stronger artistic element to it. When I’m shooting a close up of a plant or critter, I’ve discovered that I need to be much more aware about where my subject is, how the background looks, and other factors that I might not normally think about quite as much when shooting birds.
Victoria Educational Gardens is a wonderful location to practice. In addition to lots of bees flying around, there are bugs and lizards, a wonderful butterfly garden, and of course, lots and lots of beautiful flowers. I was particularly struck by the amazing and ethereal beauty of the passion flowers. I couldn’t help but find it rather ironic that I had never heard of or seen one of these beauties until my visit to this garden, particularly when you consider how much I’m out in nature. It just goes to show you that until you start looking, you’ll never know what you might discover. In addition to the flowers and the butterflies in the butterfly garden, I also enjoyed photographing some caterpillars having an afternoon meal. To me, the most amazing thing about macro photography is the detail. I love how the camera can get so close and see so many things that you can’t see with the naked eye. While chasing some grasshoppers around the plants, I noticed some green anole lizards. We have two different ones in our area, green and brown, and these green ones put on quite a show for me, especially this little fellow. I have to be honest; my first reaction was to feel sorry for the butterfly but not so sorry that I didn’t snap several dozen photos.
Victoria Educational Gardens is located on the campus of Victoria Regional Airport and is a beautifully designed and maintained project of the Victoria Master Gardeners. The garden is open daily from dawn to dusk and is available for school and adult programs. Admission is free. Photography, for me, has been a continual exercise in discovering things and places I never knew about. With my foray into bird and wildlife photography, I discovered the stunning beauty of our state parks and Gulf Coast, and now, with macro photography, I’m discovering places much closer to home. I have to admit, I’ve known about this garden for years, but until I became interested in macro photography, I had never found my way over for a visit, but now that I know about it, you can be sure I’ll be back on a regular basis.
This article is dedicated to Jim Feig who hosted many outings to Victoria Educational Gardens, sharing his love of photography as he taught his students how to capture the world with their lens. We miss you, Jim!
Some of my photos from Victoria Educational Gardens
Cheryl wears many hats: she’s a business owner, photographer, and author; but more importantly, she’s a wife, mother, sister, and friend. During the day she runs a boutique advertising agency; in the evenings she puts on her wife and momma hat, enjoying life with her husband, two daughters, and their dog; on the weekends she can often be found with camera in hand, exploring the wilds of nature; and in between all this craziness, she squeezes in some time to sit at her computer to write and design books for children and adults.
“I believe very strongly that you need to follow your passions,” she says. “Everything I’ve ever done, I’ve been very passionate about, although, often, completely unprepared for. My degree is in Religious Studies, yet I ended up in a career in advertising. One day I picked up a camera and decided to take wildlife photos. Several years later, my pictures are winning awards and (shockingly) selling. In 2019 I decided to try my hand at writing a children’s book. The result, ‘My Backyard Bird Book’ was picked up by a publisher and has gone on to sell thousands of copies. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learn on this crazy journey called ‘Life’ is that you can’t be afraid to take chances. Certainly, I’ve failed at many things over the course of my life and career, but I’ve also succeeded at many things, and because I’ve always followed paths that bring me joy, whether I’ve succeeded or failed, I’ve always had the best time!”
Cheryl Johnson
Cheryl Johnson
P.O. Box 3926 Victoria, Texas 77903
If you would like to see my books or art, please stop by my offices Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm Outburst Advertising 5003 John Stockbauer, Suite J Victoria, Texas 77904
These beautiful books by writer and photographer Cheryl Johnson, are designed to not only engage your child but to encourage their imagination, exploration, and discovery of the world around us.
