More tickseed flowers, more abstract photography! I was very pleased with the amount of material I got from the one potplant (who I’d named Ruby-Anne). Coreopsis grandiflora blossoms, in particular the red and yellow variety I had, are very photogenic. It’s not just the colour (which is gorgeous, by the way). It’s the poses. The way they move in the breeze. How they hold the last glow of sunlight before dusk.
It’s definitely a species worth recruiting as photography assistants.
I took this shot by defocusing my lens. I enjoy working with a DSLR because of the creative freedom it gives me. As much as I love my mobile phone, it couldn’t take a picture like this because it’s programmed to think that blurry = bad.
her palm
at the window
water moon
I created this bokeh tree in Canva today by overlaying multiple bokeh images. The idea for bokeh trees (abstract-style images of trees with their leaves represented by bokeh) has been stirring in my mind for quite some time. It was originally a photography idea. I got some black canvas and sequins in preparation for the shoot…which hasn’t happened yet due to time.
Today’s outpouring of creativity has made me realise that there is more than one way of bringing my vision for bokeh trees to life. In addition to using my camera, I’d like to create bokeh trees in Procreate too. Every medium is different, and I’m excited to discover how my idea looks with each.
As a side note – I’m not sure if bokeh trees have already been invented. My mind dreamed it up while I was in a creative photography haze, but it’s possible that someone else thought of it independently. If it hasn’t been invented, though…then I invented it *winks*
I used to hate flash photography. I thought to myself: who wants yucky artificial light when you could have beautiful natural light? I tend towards nature photography, and indoor lighting was a no-go for me. Flash became a dirty word.
That was back in 2017, during my first dance with photography. This time around, I’m changing my perspective on many things. I’ve discovered that flash can be used to unlock creative opportunities. I no longer think of it as a bandaid for bad lighting situations. It’s a creative tool.
The eureka moment came while I was shooting sunflower buds in the garden. It was evening, and getting darker by the minute. Eventually it came to the point where I thought “Gross. I’m going to have to use flash or wait till tomorrow”. I picked the gross flash.
The photos I got surprised me. They didn’t look tacky or artificial. The flash actually created a gentle illumination effect, outlining the tiny sepals in soft golden light. The inside of the sunflower bud remained dark, creating a mood that vibed with me. I took the below shot, and liked it enough to keep it.
That was my turning point. Flash wasn’t just a way of dumping light on your subject? It could be harnessed as a creative tool? Who knew.
Later on, I took the same sunflower plant (who I’d named Steve) inside, draped it with gold tinsel, and raised my flash again. I got some interesting shots.
I’ve only grazed the tip of the iceberg, but at least I know there is an iceberg now. I’m going to explore more with flash. Who knows what else I’ll discover?
