Why do I do what I do?

I thought that I would like to share with you why I take pictures of flowers. Are there enough flower pictures in the world already? That’s what I heard someone say. But those of you who grow flowers, and those of you who take pictures of flowers understand.

Flowers give me joy! 

Flowers are peaceful!

Flowers are full of wonder! Do you agree?

Take for example one particular morning. I like to get up before the sun comes up, if possible in what photographers called the blue hour. The light is different then; it has a blue cast. When you try to photograph a white sheet in the blue hour, it will always have a blue cast. So this particular morning, I wanted to take photographs of my pale pink peonies. They are in the shade of a great row of red twig dogwood. I hadn’t realized how blue it would make the peonies look. The word I would use for these is “peaceful“, or “restful“. Here is an example:

On another morning the sun was already up. There had been a gentle rain all night long. That’s very unusual for Utah. I went to photograph a row of newly blooming iris. As I got closer, every petal was rimmed with tiny little droplets. This is what I mean about “wonder” and “joy”.  It’s just so exciting to be able to capture so much beauty. And of course I give credit to the one who created that beauty. But, to be able to capture and share it, translate into something that you can hold in your hand and enjoy for a long, long, time; that is why I take pictures of flowers.

Hit the reply button and send me your favorite flower photo. I will randomly choose one from my email list and send the winner an 8x10 print of their photo. 

Keep growing where you are planted, friends!

Jeri Abel