Those who know me know that I am very hard on myself. I am always more critical of my own work, whatever it may be, than I am of anyone else’s.
In photography, I sometimes think of taking pictures of flowers as cheating a bit because they are already so beautiful. A nice close-up of a bloom and BAM instant photo.
Now, I know there is so much more to it than that. And major props, kudos, and respect to photographers who produce gorgeous, unique, so beautiful I want to live in the flower, images. It takes real skill to get the lighting just right, pay attention to the background so there is just the right amount of texture (or none at all), get the camera to focus on the right bloom when that stupid leaf keeps bobbing in the way and catching its attention. Some of my favorite images, both my own work and others, are of flowers.
So, keeping this in mind, when it is cold and raining, I don’t want to leave my house, and I am taking pictures of this orchid for the fourth week in a row, I really challenge myself to play around. I try different angles. I try different backdrops. I start playing with saturation and vibrancy and contrast. And I start producing very different images even in the same conditions. I hope you enjoy the results.
-Robin
