Nature Photography and Landscape Photos Available For Purchase

I did not discover my artistic abilities until my twenties when I started doodling during boring college classes. Eventually, I found I could sketch photographs and live subjects fairly well in pen and pencil.  Unfortunately, I never took drawing classes. That will happen eventually.

I took one black and white photography class at GVSU back in the day. Loved it!  Exposure to photography opened my eyes to a world of art to which I was not previously atuned. It gave me another artistic outlet and introduced me to artists like Ansel Adams. His work is truly inspirational as I am sure most of you are aware. Before this, my exposure to photography was simple family pictures, such as those seen on most lowly livingroom or hallway walls. Nothing fancy. Just point-and-shoot.

With the advent of my own family, artistic pursuits fell by the wayside. I continued working in landscaping, and took up pen and pensil to render designs, and sketch. But photography was limited by available funds and time. (35 mm cameras and film was an expensive habit to support).

Recently, I took up photography again using my new Rebel. Digital is a blessing. Because of my many years in landscaping, and my love of the outdoors, including rock climbing, biking, hiking and running, I have begun by focusing on landscape and nature photography. I am interested in art portraits, but that pursuit will wait.

Delphinium and Waxflower Still Life
Boat Shack on Thornapple River in Cascade, MI

Boat Shack on Thornapple River in Cascade, MI 

 

 Thornapple River Shore Cascade, MI

 

 Shot on Reeds Lake Boulevard 

Shot on Reeds Lake Boulevard  

 East Grand Rapids High School Crew Team's Reeds Lake Dock in December Early Evening

 

Manhattan Park: Winter Woodland Stream

Nature photography assists me in studying natural formations (rocks, cliffs, hills, valleys, and mountains, streams, lakes, ponds and shores), as well as growth habits of plants and plant communities.  These natural habits and patterns help inform my landscape design.  My goal in photography and landscape design is to identify and artistically interpret what I see in an aesthetically pleasing way.

As I continue to add to my collection, I will post on my blog and make my work available for purchase.  If you are interested in purchasing a digital copy or print of any of these photos, let me know and I will make the arrangements.  All works seen on my site are copyrighted and all rights reserved.

Meanwhile, enjoy my work.

If you would like me to capture your gardens or property in photos, feel free to contact me via my blog or at (616) 328-3258.

Brent Langley

Brussel Block Outdoor Kitchen and Entry

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to wrap up two hardscape projects this past December thanks to the incredible weather here in Michigan.  The first project was for the Costantinos in Caledonia.  The second was a collaboration effort with Shawn Kenyon, owner of Precision Remodeling of Rockford, Michigan. 
I was called in to install the hardscape for the new outdoor kitchen and front entry for the Hughes in Cascade. 

This outdoor kitchen includes a grill, sitting walls, counters, a built in firewood box, and a single 24" pillar.  This spring, I installed a Forno Bravo Casa2g-90 pizza oven, encasing it and the stand in a  brick and stucco facade, with a number unique tiles inset on the stucco chimney and stand.  This oven is now ready to bake delicious pizzas, breads, and any number of other dishes.  Temperatures inside reach 1,000 degrees and can hold its temperatures for long periods of time thanks to the three inches of insulation wrapped around the exterior of the oven.

Home Made Bread baked in the new pizza oven

I used an 8-10 inch chips n dust base for this Brussel Block Dimensional wall system, as well as landscape fabric for extra stability, because the subsoil was softer than most of my previous installations.  Compaction using a plate compactor ensures this wall won't shift during Michigan's generally harsh winters' freeze and thaw cycles. 

I used Rosetta Stone for the counter tops in this outdoor kitchen.  These were cut to size using a concrete saw.  Capstones for the sitting walls are Brussel Block Dimensional coping.  A paver saw was used to trim wall blocks as needed, followed by hand-trimming using hammer and chisels to blend the cut blocks with the uncut tumbled wall blocks.

Narrow gardens will be installed around the base of the walls to help soften the edges.  The lawn will also be reseeded early in the spring for optimal establishment.

The front entry was built using Brussel Block Dimensional wall stones and Brussel Block pavers.  The old wooden steps and deck have been replaced with wide curved steps, a deeper paver patio and sitting wall.  I love these steps; seven feet wide, six inches high.  These are easy to clear and easy to climb.  No slipping or loosing your footing.  The wall running on the outside curve of the wall makes a beautiful handhold.

This short wall to the left of the entry was also relaid and a new complementary capstone installed.

Polymeric Sand: Controlling Weeds Between Pavers

Over the last fifteen years or so, I have installed numerous brick and stone patios, walkways and driveways. Here in Michigan, most paving is dry-laid, that is, there is no concrete or mortar involved in the installation process. Because concrete and mortar tend to break up over time due to the freeze thaw cycles in this cold climate, it makes sense to use a flexible base and joint filler. Until a few years ago, I used either baby sand, which tends to washed out too easily, or rough-graded sand to fill between concrete or clay pavers. I used chips n dust or stone dust or slag sand to fill between natural flagstone. Rough sand and the fillers I used between flagstones worked fairly well for keeping the joints filled and the pavers from shifting. (Of course aluminum or plastic edging is necessary to keep the edges of each project from shifting outward, but that is another subject). The real downside of these joint-filling materials is that they don't keep weeds down. And yes, there is some washout over time.

Then, a few years ago, I started using a fairly new product: polymeric sand. This type of sand can be purchased pre-mixed for small projects, or added to dry sand and thoroughly mixed for larger projects. Polymeric sand creates flexible, porous joints. The polymer binders in the mixture keep the sand particle continuously adhered one another. Though this product is significantly more expensive than straight sand or stone products like those purchased at sand/gravel pits, there are two major benefits. First, polymeric sand remains where it is placed. There is no washout of this product. Second, polymeric sand creates a barrier to burrowing insects that tend to loosen and expel sand from between joints, and weeds that would otherwise germinate and grow between joints. It is most efficient to use polymeric sand between joints when initially installing a brick or stone paving project. However, it is also possible to replace other joint-filling products with polymeric sand if your product is already in place. "Simply" sweep, blow, scrap, or power wash the sand or stone from between the joints of your pavers. Remove the old sand/ stone. If you have used water to clean out the joints, make sure the pavers have dried completely before putting down polymeric sand. Most of these products tend to stain surrounding pavers if they come in contact water. For this reason, it is necessary to sweep or blow off excess sand before moving on to the next step. Once the final paver compaction is completed, finely mist the entire paved area. This will moisten the top layer of the polymeric sand, thus adhering those grains to each other. Subsequent rain or irrigation will filter down into the joints further joining the particles to each other, ensuring proper adhesion. The joints will look like they have been mortared if they are fairly wide. To the touch, they will even feel mortared. However, scraping or otherwise manually agitating the polymeric sand would loosen it without damage. Once wetted again, the sand will settle back into place and adhere as before. No more weeds or washout.

Warning!  Not all polymeric sands are made equal.  Though I have not used all types, I have kept up on professional forum and have found complaints of hazing from Alliance polymeric sand, excessive splashing from Envirobond polymeric sand which is a very fine powder, and blowouts from Techniseal/Unilock polymeric sand.  I will be doing some investigating and comparisons and talking to other professionals and further fill you in on these issues.  Ultimately, you need to closely follow manufacturers recommendations.  Best practices seem to be to ensure proper compaction of pavers when they are dry; sweep sand into joints; sweep off and blow all excess sand from paver surface; mist the pavers lightly to settle the sand; wait an hour; mist again; wait another hour and mist a final time.

Need some help with project or other paving/hardscape project design, installation or maintenance?
Give Brent a Call @ 616 328-3258.

Landscape Design: Harmony

Harmony in the landscape refers to the way in which various elements in the landscape are organized to create a sense of unity or continuity within individual garden areas as well as between areas within the overall landscape. There are many elements that can be used to create harmony within a landscape. Each element adds a different dimension of unity and can be used in combination with the other elements to create an overall sense of harmony within the garden and landscape. Among these harmonizing elements, I would like to emphasis the following: Color Schemes, Repeated Hardscapes elements, Repeated Forms, and Green Spaces. Let’s look at some of these various elements in detail.
Color Schemes are probably the most easily identified harmonizing element in a landscape, and therefore the most habitually emphasized of these elements. Color Schemes usually rely on specific color combinations that can make or break a garden. For this reason color schemes must be chosen with care. However, the most exciting combinations are not always planned. Feel free to experiment with new partnerships. Choose an individual color or several contrasting or complimenting colors to be used throughout the landscape (see the color wheel).
Color partnerships can be separated into two categories: contrasting colors and complimentary colors. When contrasting colors are combined, they tend to draw attention to themselves through explosive relationship. Tension is created, heightening our senses and drawing our eyes to this place. By standing out, these dissonant color combinations further emphasis the more harmonic color combinations. Seizing our attention, these contrasting color combinations can highlight transition between two areas in the landscape. Beware: too many dissonant color combinations can destroy a garden. Our goal should then be to limit these contrasting color combinations in order to emphasis the overall unity of the garden or landscape.
It is easy to focus exclusively on flower color. However, flowers come and go. They blossom and fade with the seasons’ change. Foliage, however, is longer lasting and thus, perhaps, the more important producer of color choices in the landscape. I would, therefore, encourage you to try basing your color scheme on the foliage of one or more specimen plants. You may even consider the color found in other elements such boulders, tree and shrub bark, a garden sculpture or paver brick.
Hardscape elements repeated in the landscape can also draw together a disparate landscape. Thus, when you are dealing with various themes such as formal and informal areas or perennial and annual gardens, Consider using common hardscape elements such as stone or brick. Both of these can be used in a number of applications. For instance, granite can be used to create a very appealing patio or walkway as well as retaining walls. Perhaps you could use granite to create a unique water feature such as a fountain surrounded by granite pebbles.
Repeating a particular plant such as a Rhododendron or weeping Japanese Maple could also add another unifying element.
Try using Redwood or Cedar in both your fencing as well as your decking application. Match the brick in your front walkway to the brick on your house. It may be difficult to match the paving brick exactly, especially if your home is more than a couple of years old. However, there is almost always another brick that will coordinate with the existing house brick