Bok Tower and Gardens

[Second Hand Pat]

My dad turned 85 this past weekend and my sisters are visiting to help him celebrate his birthday and be with mom on Mother's Day. Yesterday we found ourselves at a place we have not been too since childhood...Bok Tower (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bok_Tower_Gardens). The tower itself marks are highest natural location in Florida.

It is not easy getting a picture of the tower. If you go back to far it gets lost in the trees.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7701/26335450863_dcfc3c3140_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/G8b52D)DSC_1091 (https://flic.kr/p/G8b52D) [/url]

One of the doorways.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/26334452724_754ca50f2e_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1100 (https://flic.kr/p/G85Xjm)

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[Second Hand Pat]

The stonework was gorgeous.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/26872270521_bbe234baf0_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GWBpNZ)DSC_1106 (https://flic.kr/p/GWBpNZ) [/url]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/26845992922_7ddeeb9c0e_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1078 (https://flic.kr/p/GUhJoW) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[Second Hand Pat]

Compositely this is a more pleasing photo of the tower.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7604/26906919996_5a1a328acc_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GZEZTJ)DSC_1093-2 (https://flic.kr/p/GZEZTJ)

[rickztahone]

What a beautiful place Pat! The brick work really is impressive. How is the family doing? Did they have a good time?

[Second Hand Pat]

What a beautiful place Pat! The brick work really is impressive. How is the family doing? Did they have a good time?

The brickwork is to die for Ricardo and yes, all had a great time. There is an historic house on the property and I have some inside photos of it. Hope some of those came out. All the photos were taken in manual mode so got lots of practice. :D
Pat

[brewmaster15]

That building definitely has character! Im sure there were alot of great shots there! Sounds like a nice get together too Pat. Looking forward to historic house pics.

Al

[Second Hand Pat]

That building definitely has character! Im sure there were alot of great shots there! Sounds like a nice get together too Pat. Looking forward to historic house pics.

Al

Thanks Al, I will try and get some up tonight. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

The historic house at Bok Tower is called Pinewood Estate. This is the only exterior shot of the house I took.

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Nestled in the heart of seven and one-half lush acres at Bok Tower Gardens is Pinewood Estate, the enchanting 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion. Originally named “El Retiro,” meaning “retreat” in Spanish, the Estate was built in the early 1930s for Charles Austin Buck, a Bethlehem Steel vice president


Pinewood Estate History

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. had designed Edward Bok’s Gardens and several private gardens inside Mountain Lake Estates, a neighboring private community. Charles Austin Buck engaged Olmsted’s firm to design the landscape of his winter estate. In 1929, landscape architect William Lyman Phillips of the Olmsted Brothers firm began to design the gardens and the placement of the house. In 1930, architect Charles Wait was hired to design the house that has become one of the finest examples of Mediterranean-style architecture in the state of Florida. The Estate was the result of the collaborative inspiration of Buck, Wait and Phillips.

Because Buck was a lover of nature and an amateur horticulturist, the gardens were designed first and the house was positioned later to provide a natural flow from garden to house. The estate’s external landscape and ornamental touches were designed by Phillips, who later designed the world-famous Fairchild Tropical Garden in Coral Gables (Miami).

Phillips’ contributions to the Estate include several wonderful elements: a formal Mediterranean-style garden with a Spanish frog fountain that leads guests into an enchanting stone grotto at the front of the house; an Oriental moon gate fountain off the dining room porch; and an English-style country garden with a rolling lawn and a pond that reflects the afternoon sunsets.

Buck was a great admirer of the Latin lifestyle and architecture, and he wanted “El Retiro” to be reminiscent of it. Wait designed the 12,900 square foot Mediterranean-style home with many characteristics of an antique villa, complete with a barrel-tile roof, thick walls, substantial carved doors and woodwork, and intricately detailed wrought iron.

Wait also included a series of three large porches to provide Buck and his guests with uninterrupted views of the sweeping vistas and a wonderful view of the Tower. The team worked to situate the entire house so that fantastic views from the house were framed by the surrounding tall pine and live oak trees.

In an effort led by Nellie Lee Holt Bok, daughter-in-law of Gardens’ founder Edward W. Bok, Pinewood Estate was acquired in 1970 and “El Retiro” was renamed “Pinewood Estate.” Famed restoration landscape architect, Rudy Favretti, was engaged along with a corps of volunteers to restore the manor to its original glory so visitors could enjoy it.

https://boktowergardens.org/tower-gardens/pinewood-estate/

[Second Hand Pat]

Looking up the staircase from the foyer. The house had a lot of the tile you see on the staircase thru-out the house.

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[Second Hand Pat]

Taking usable photos in the house was really hard with the low light and various light sources. I did my best.

Kitchen area.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7367/26849640682_bf5db04fb5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GUBqKm)DSC_0989 (https://flic.kr/p/GUBqKm) [/url]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7762/26875752651_420b3081b3_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_0992 (https://flic.kr/p/GWVfVH)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7659/26910262446_59c9c89f03_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_0991 (https://flic.kr/p/GZY8ub) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[Second Hand Pat]

Dining room and dining room fireplace

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7337/26849543962_be5560b496_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GUAVZL)DSC_0996 (https://flic.kr/p/GUAVZL) [/url]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7032/26849494672_502d709b91_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1000 (https://flic.kr/p/GUAFkW) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[Second Hand Pat]

Looking back to the front entrance from the hallway off the dining room.

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[Second Hand Pat]

Buck's Office (one of three). Note how the wall is angled into the window. The walls were between 18 to 24 inches thick.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/26670338330_33ae1327f2_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/GCLspu)DSC_1003 (https://flic.kr/p/GCLspu) [/url]

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[SMB2]

Nice shots Pat.
Did you try to correct the leaning tower in LR, Lens Correction slider for vertical?

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Stan and you are right, the tower is leaning :o...so tried the vertical button and got this which really distorts the tower.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7773/26918860851_d8308f87e5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/H1Jcux)DSC_1093-3 (https://flic.kr/p/H1Jcux) [/url]



So went back to the crop tool and changed the angle. I think this is a better result with hopefully an upright tower.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7417/26918832961_4b8715a438_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1093-4 (https://flic.kr/p/H1J4cF) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[Second Hand Pat]

I find processing these interior shots interesting and a bit challenging. It is a delicate balance getting the right looking whites between various and different light sources. This room is the Loggia which basically translates into family room. The photos are showing the room from left to right.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/26954510506_4ed995eb93_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/H4SUTL)DSC_1007-2 (https://flic.kr/p/H4SUTL) [/url]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/26987809215_88c1c674de_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1006 (https://flic.kr/p/H7Pzrr)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/26919258701_e03699d646_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1009 (https://flic.kr/p/H1LeL2)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/26382341224_2f6b1a0ac0_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1008 (https://flic.kr/p/GcjoU9) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[SMB2]

I think you have the interior lighting just fine. You can play with the highlights and exposure of the windows a bit. That is a perfect place for a "soft" HDR.

The Tower is tough because of a front to back lean as well as side to side. I would level the original RAW image and then crop. This why people who shoot architecture use a tilt shift lens. I had one once but didn't use it much and sold it. Expensive lens for just occasional shots.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/545664-USA/Nikon_2168_Wide_Angle_PC_E_Nikkor.html

[Second Hand Pat]

Stan, found the manual setting under the Lens Correction panel in LR. Hopefully this is a little better.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/26390450914_a4f545d536_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Gd2XCo)DSC_1093-6 (https://flic.kr/p/Gd2XCo)

[Discus-n00b]

Some of these, especially some of the interior shots look HDRish. It's nice! Great photos!

[Second Hand Pat]

Some of these, especially some of the interior shots look HDRish. It's nice! Great photos!

Thanks Matt, taking interior pictures is still a weak point for me and definitely a work in progress. There was no flash used in the interior photos.
Pat

[Altum Nut]

Your photos are great Pat...but may I say that furniture and interior woodwork is to die for.

...Ralph


I find processing these interior shots interesting and a bit challenging. It is a delicate balance getting the right looking whites between various and different light sources. This room is the Loggia which basically translates into family room. The photos are showing the room from left to right.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7308/26954510506_4ed995eb93_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/H4SUTL)DSC_1007-2 (https://flic.kr/p/H4SUTL) [/url]

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/26987809215_88c1c674de_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1006 (https://flic.kr/p/H7Pzrr)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/26919258701_e03699d646_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1009 (https://flic.kr/p/H1LeL2) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[SMB2]

Pat I think that is going to be as good as you will get with that lens. It looks straight but to my eye does lean back a bit, still I think it is fine.

[Second Hand Pat]

Your photos are great Pat...but may I say that furniture and interior woodwork is to die for.

...Ralph

Thanks Ralph, most of the pieces you see in the pictures are original to the house and mostly hand carved. The interior doors were also. I do have some detailed photos of some of the pieces I will post later.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat I think that is going to be as good as you will get with that lens. It looks straight but to my eye does lean back a bit, still I think it is fine.

I may take another wack at it Stan. :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Took another wack at it Stan. Maybe a wee bit better.

Before

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7001/26390450914_a4f545d536_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Gd2XCo)DSC_1093-6 (https://flic.kr/p/Gd2XCo) [/url]

After

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7651/26753933800_8c1e671ee0_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/)DSC_1093-7 (https://flic.kr/p/GL9UqG) [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/129594174@N08/]

[rickztahone]

Looks better Pat. I will mention this. I noticed in your before shot that your foreground was a bit overexposed. I was glad to see that you fixed it, however, it also affected the tower in a way. My suggestion was actually to place an exposure gradient from bottom to top so that it only affects the lower part of the picture. Either that or selective editing but the gradient is just easier and it transitions much smoother than man made ones.

[SMB2]

Closer and closer.