Buddha Reflection
Here is an image of two of the Buddhas at the Garden of 1,000 Buddhas in Arlee, Montana. If you have read my previous post, you will know that the Garden has 1,000 Buddhas laid out in spokes around inside a circle.
This focus of this image is the detail in the front and back of each Buddha’s head. If you have the time, there are lots of great detail shots to be had in the Garden. Because this was a drive-by stop for us on our way to Glacier National Park, I did not get to spend as much time here as I would have liked.
If you are in the Missoula area, the Garden is definitely worth a detour whether you are a photographer or not.
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A line of Buddhas from the Garden of 1,000 Buddhas, Arlee Montana (click to enlarge)
Here is an image I captured at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee Montana. When driving from Missoula to Glacier National Park, the Garden is half a mile or so off HWY 93. As you can see from the Google Earth image below, the Garden is arranged in a series of eight spokes inside a circle. Each of these spokes consists of a double row of Buddha statues. The circle around the spokes consists of spires which also make for a good image of the repeating subject type.
The image above was taken from the center of the circle looking outwards along one of the spokes. The original image has a lot of background clutter that causes the eye to wander aimlessly. During processing I painted over the background with black to focus the eye on the line of repeating Buddhas. When looking at the image my eyes want to start at the foreground Buddha on the left, slide down the Buddha line to the far right, and then slide back to the foreground, and then repeat this pattern again and again and again…
This eye movement reminds me of following the ball at a tennis match.
Google Earth Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
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Saint Mary Lake Panorama, Glacier National Park (click to enlarge)
After capturing sunrise at the Wild Goose Island overlook, head over to the Glacier Park Boat Company. On the Saint Mary Lake tour you can either walk the short distance to Baring Falls or take the ranger-guided tour to Saint Mary Falls. While on the tour boat enroute to the falls, you will have great panoramic views of the terrain surrounding the water. The boat operators are very knowledgeable about the area and point out the many flora, fauna, and geological highlights.
The tour boat passes right next to Wild Goose Island (the island was abeam the tour boat when I took this image). With more time, I would have gone back to the Wild Goose Island overlook and tried capturing the tour boat close to the island. I think capturing the first tour boat of the day near Wold Goose Island in calm waters would add a nice element to the composition.
We were a bit time limited so we opted for the quick hike to Baring Falls. The falls were not overly photogenic, but worth the walk.
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