Yesterday the temperature reached into the mid 40's so I headed to the Garden late in the afternoon for a long walk before sunset. I remember lamenting in a post at the end of Fall that there isn't much to photograph at the Garden during the winter months unless, of course, we have snow.  I take that statement back.  You just have to be willing to endure the cold to find the interesting landscapes or details of winter, and to be creative in finding interesting indoor shots. The greenhouses, of course, are lush with flowering plants right now and offer a wonderful place to warm up and explore when you need a respite from the cold. One of my new year's resolutions is try new types of photography, look for new venues to shoot in.  I'm a newbie to HDR photography and I have a long way to go before mastering it, but it's definitely on the list of techniques to practice and work on.  Yesterday, I had fun doing some HDR at sunset and dusk.  I took a long, vigorous walk all over the Garden and ended up in the Japanese Garden right before the sun went down.  It's a lovely peaceful place to watch the sunset.

The arid greenhouse is in full bloom right now.  It's a feast for the eyes when you walk in!  It was getting pretty dark in there but with the glow of sunset in the westward-facing window and using HDR, I was able to get this shot. 

The main lobby in the Regenstein Center is a great place to try an indoor shot with dusk lingering outside.

The Heritage Garden and Regenstein at dusk.

Oh, and P.S....the snowdrops are up at the Garden!  They are blooming beside the lakeside pathway leading to the bridge to Evening Island, below the Sensory Garden.  I couldn't believe my eyes!  I didn't get a photograph worthy of posting but will try to do so next time I'm there.  Snowdrop shoots are also popping up along the steps in the Waterfall Garden area.  The first sign that Spring is not too far off...I hope!