The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video.

Since its founding in 1983, the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) has been devoted to collecting, conserving and exhibiting the entire spectrum of the photographic medium. The museum’s endeavors consistently address cultural, historical and social issues through its exhibitions and public programs.  Source: MoPA

In MoPA’s current exhibition, the work of one of the most well known, and respected photographers in the world—features an overview of Ansel Adams’ extraordinary life, by showcasing his photography of the Sierra Nevada’s and Yosemite Valley, his coverage of the Manzanar Japanese internment camp, his little-known commercial work and color prints, and his famous and iconic signature black and white masterpieces.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

As a professional photojournalist, I always try to emulate the process of “visualization” of taking a picture in my mind first, and seeing its end result before the shutter is snapped. Adams’ was perhaps one of the true genius’ of knowing what he wanted from a picture before he took it—and many of his iconic pieces will stand the test of time forever.

The Key to a Photograph from Ansel Adams from SilberStudios.Tv on Vimeo.

The rest of the current exhibit includes pictures from the Museum’s permanent collection– Picturing the Process–which provides a reality backdrop from which—and how– we gauge our current world.

The Photograph as Witness explores the ways photography has evolved as a powerful and poignant tool to document history, culture, and events.

The third component of the exhibit includes Jo Whaley’s beautifully layered and detailed photographs of insects, set against intricately constructed backdrops. Her large installations is multi-hued–with color as the background–drawing the viewer into the various pictures of insects that she photographed and juxtaposed between art, science, and an homage to style and substance.

MoPA’s Gift Shop and Membership Information

Not only do I highly recommend becoming a member of MoPA, I also am a huge fan of both their online and onsite unique Gift Shop. They have many interesting things to buy—from books, catalogs, and cards, to lectures, education programs, and curricula, to online prints and other merchandise.

I purchased a Mobile Satellite Photo Clip, which is a photo hanger that hangs from the ceiling. It actually caught my eye as it was literally being used in the Gift Store’s window.

Southern California is home to many of the world’s finest museums, institutions, and arts organizations. As I am Travelin’ Local, today’ story is yet another example of our area’s uniqueness– San Diego’s Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park, is truly one of the greatest museums dedicated to the Art of Photography and Photography as Art in the world.

I’ve always loved flowers, gardens, and the natural habitat of plants, so for me walking through the arboretum and seeing it inside was both enthralling and enchanting.

Before entering this magnificent homage to nature, first you have to pass a few fish along the way at La Laguna– the 43 feet wide by 195 feet long pond—which presages the entrance to the Botanical Building’s entrance.

I wasn’t the only one looking for fish:

And neither of us was disappointed:

Looking at it now, remembering that it was used as a swimming pool during World War I remains a distant remnant from what it resembles now.

From outside, the lath design looks unassuming; but from the inside, the brilliance of the design resonates and radiates its clearness.

Since I’m not a Horticulturist, I don’t know many of the plants names– either the common name or the botanical monikers.

However, if I ever saw a plant where the name fit the plant so well, this is it:

Meet “Medusa’s Head.”

It’s not often that a botanical garden gives visitors the chance to touch the exhibits, but here it’s encouraged:

For many years, the Botanical Garden’s sponsors have been criticized for hosting an enclosed garden in the middle of the City of San Diego’s already established tropical beauty–its climate is temperate so why ensconce a garden inside when they can flourish and grow outside?

Here’s why:

Because by just entering the Botanical Building and being able to walk down its short paths, looking up at its magnificent ceiling, seeing how the landscape architecture was delicately constructed, and being able to bask in the surroundings is priceless and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

San Diego’s Botanical Building is a great place while Travelin’ Local, to relax and just get away from it all, if only for a few minutes.

It’s one of the city’s and nation’s most beautiful and important parks, and a place for individuals, families, organizations, and friends to go and find an incredible and vast array of things to do and see; or to just relax at one of its hundreds of grassy parks, and variety of land uses.

Measuring approximately 1,200 acres, which equates to the size of about 909 football fields including the end zones, Balboa Park, which was “placed in reserve in 1835, is one of the oldest sites in the United States dedicated to public recreational usage.”

To get an idea of the size of Balboa Park in relation to the rest of the city, the Google Map below visually illustrates it:

View Balboa Park in a larger map

San Diego’s Balboa Park is fascinating, mesmerizing, and unbelievable in its beauty and scope. Walking down “El Prado,” the main street that traverses the Park–was and is a weekly and daily ritual for many of San Diego’s residents, and is considered a premier destination for world-wide visitors from across the state, nation, and world.

I literally walked past and into more museums in one day than I could in most cities in a week.

Pictured above is Casa del Prado, home for the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, the San Diego Junior Theatre, the San Diego Youth Symphony, the San Diego Botanical Foundation, and the San Diego Floral Association.

From its inception dating back to 1916–and several renovations later– the Casa del Prado stands as a testament to San Diego and its citizens working together to keep history vibrant, alive, and as the heart and soul of the city.

The Botanical Building

With construction beginning in August of 1913—almost a century ago–the Botanical Building is today, what it was back in the day– a garden of tropical plants to astonish visitors; and that it does. In front of the Lath House– as it’s popularly called–is La Laguna, a 250,000 gallon pond.

During World War I La Laguna was converted into a swimming pool so sailors at a Naval Training Station, then located in Balboa Park, could learn to swim. A cement liner was placed on the bottom. Source: The Highs and Lows of the Botanical Building in Balboa Park

The Museum of Man

With its Spanish colonial and mission style architecture, the Museum of Man, the only San Diego Museum dedicated to anthropology, the landmark building was originally constructed for the 1915–1916 Panama-California Exposition. Over the years, this building was also known as the California Building, and it has probably been mentioned more often than any other building in San Diego in studies of American architecture. Today, a key focus of the museum is “to create and display dynamic and educational anthropological exhibits about people and places throughout the Americas and around the world. Source: Balboa Park

The Organ Pavilion

Without the generous donation by John D. Spreckels, whose name the Organ and the Pavilion proudly bear, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion might never have been built. Dedicated on New Year’s Eve in 1914, every organ concert at the Pavilion is free, pursuant to John Spreckel’s bequeath.

The Organ was recessed behind the grand arch and into the pediments above. A twenty-foot plus attic between the organ chamber ceiling and the roof acted as an insulator against rapid temperature changes. Flexible cable connected the organ to a movable console. Besides acting as a giant sounding board for the organ, the central structure contained rooms for the organist, chorus and staff, including five bathrooms which soon became godsends for the many people who participated in events at the Pavilion. When the organ was not in use, attendants lowered a 20,000 pound plus corrugated steel curtain immediately behind the arch to conceal and protect the pipes. Source: The Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park

Because I was in San Diego on a Saturday, I couldn’t enjoy the Spreckels Organ Pavilion’s weekly Sunday afternoon concert, but as soon as possible, I’ll be heading back on a Sunday to hear the free concert.

Travelin’ Local is a colossal experience when you have the world in your backyard, and Balboa Park is a world within itself.