Taking photos of flowers is something I like doing from time to time. While I tend to take images of architecture, the urban environment and landscapes, I sometimes find myself drawn to flowers. Sometimes it’s their colour; sometimes it’s their geometry.
Recently, a friend of mine gave me some cut flowers, which included a couple of sunflowers. I haven’t photographed sunflowers very often – the last time was when I was at the Botanical Gardens in Oxford and took some photos of some sunflowers late in the season when they seemed to be turning orange.
While the sunflowers my friend gave me were still in their prime, I started taking photos of them – and played around with using the flash to see what results I would get. I really liked the photos where the flash was used as the flash make the sunflower stand out more against a darkened background.
I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic difference between the images that were flashed and the ones that weren’t. Experimenting is something I enjoy when photographing – regardless of whether I am shooting on film or with a digital camera. While film is often the more expensive option, for me understanding both mediums – as they both respond in their own ways to the subject matter – is paramount.
Some shots don’t turn out – others do. Sometimes it’s the ones I think that haven’t turned out that actually are the photographic gem.
While I don’t photograph flowers very often, I often think of Gaudi since my visit to Barcelona a few years ago. He took inspiration from the natural world for his architecture. Perhaps I am drawn to nature's geometry as he was.