Thematic Photographic: Floral

I have many, many flower photographs in my files. Most of them, to be honest, don't excite me very much. I've been thinking about it all week and realised that it is probably because it's hard to improve on a flower.

I can take a photograph of a detail of a dilapidated building, and feel that I've made a silk purse out of a sow's ear. With flowers, I'm more likely to feel I've made a sow's ear out of a silk purse.

I keep trying, of course. Maybe if I capture the light shining through and making it translucent, or zoom right in for a spectacular close up ...?

The first two shots are not particularly special, but they are recent. Spring has definitely arrived (although a cold polar blast is on it's way). The centres of rhododendrons particularly intrigue me. Apparently those patterns of little dots and splashes help guide the bees to the centre of the flower.






The third photo is one that does continue to excite me - a rather spectacular flower as photographed in the courtyard of St John's Hospital, Bath.



And the last two also continue to appeal to me, even though the flowers captured here are less than perfect. I like to think they show that age can also be beautiful.



Sunflower, Avebury Manor, England



Unknown flower, Inverness.


For more flower photos, visit Carmi here