About the Image(s)

This spring I had the opportunity to visit the Vedanta Society grounds in the Sacramento area of Carmichael. I had heard about the beautiful "Garden of the Saints" that this group of spiritual seekers has nurtured and cultivated for decades. The highlight for me was a visit to the Lotus Pond, where these extraordinary flowers were in full bloom. I zeroed in on this particular blossom, framed perfectly with late morning light and a deep shadow in the background.

My set up for this day was my Canon EOS Rebel T7, paired with a Canon 75--300 zoom. No polarizer, just a UV filter. Image shot handheld at 170 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 sec. Profile: camera matching landscape. Camera Raw adjustments: exposure +.70, contrast -7, highlights -67, shadows 0, white point -11, black point -17, white balance 5050 (as shot), tint +21, vibrance +11, saturation 0, texture +37, clarity +29. In all my adjustments I make a point to not clip either side of the histogram while seeking a richer balance of colors in the image. Finally, I cropped this image square to emphasize the exquisite symmetry in the lotus flower.

I think part of the reason we all enjoy this type of photography so much is it connects us with nature in a visceral way. For me, it is a spiritual practice to find scenes like this and record the beauty I see. My gratitude goes out to the people who tend to this lovely little Shangri-La that few people see. To learn more, visit https://www.vedantasacto.org/the-society/our-story/.