This week it's flowers for me. The joy of spring and the return of the daylight. Washington wears Spring very well, and I can hardly resist the bright colors and play of shadow that come from all the flowers. Because of this, the bloom is really the main event. This has some wiggle room though, since contrasting colors are easy to find this time of year.
Of course, with flowers come life. I feel so alive during spring, my energy is much better, and I try to show that through my photos. Maybe I climbed for the apple blossom, or rolled in the grass after crocuses to get just the right angle. The result is that some of the shots are a little odd, maybe a few of the petals are out of focus, but the main event isn't. Or maybe it was just that wall of color that appealed to frame a farther-off blossom.
Of course, the best light for flowers is sunlight. We got lucky and there were a few beautiful days this week. I took full advantage of them... and I may be a little sunburned. If I could reshoot them, I might have chosen different flowers. I love the ones I got, but they don't have quite as much bounce as I was hoping. Lesson learned!
My favorite thing about it is the contrast. The colors of the flowers lit from below simply takes my breath away. It's also beautifully composed. The pale path draws the eye through the photo and then loops around on the other side.
I think the exposure is interesting, because the photographer chose to emphasize the lights, rather than brighten the entire image with a longer exposure. I don't think this would work with most images, but this one does capture the feeling of the twilight garden surprisingly well.
I would say that my only criticism would be that it lacks a true 'center of interest' and rather spreads the focus along the garden walkway instead. Again, a bold choice, but one that was definitely a risk in any other situation.