Pools and Streams

The tiny pools of water seem to float like islands atop the streams of rain running over the petunia leaf.

As is often my preference when finding lines and form, I chose to take out the colour in processing, opting for a black and white image instead of the brilliant pink. To show texture and lines, grey-scale usually works best for me and this shot was no exception. Using my trusty 60 mm macro lens, I was able to get much closer than any of my other lenses would allow. The detail of the fibers of the petal at the upper right corner, the glass-like bubbles and the veining of the flower all pop without the distraction of colour.

That's One Fuzzy Petunia Plant!

Ballroom Dancer

Though quite an ordinary garden flower, the petunia is graceful and full of beautiful movement. The flow of her petals is elegant and similar to that of a ballroom dancer whose skirt billows and falls as she dances. The veining in the petals create beautiful lines and form, much like the dancer's arms and legs, allowing for extension of melody as each moment reaches for more.

I am captivated by the ordinary.

I used a zoom lens and my tripod for this shot. The zoom created distance between the bloom and background, giving adequate blur to the noisy distractions behind the petunia. A windy day resulted in an image that is not tack-sharp in all areas, which lent itself well to the feeling of movement I was trying to capture. There are enough sharp areas remaining to show the detail necessary to the petunia's story.

Bringing the image into photoshop I enhanced the mood of the image with a texture that I blurred before application for added softness.

Pretty Petunia

The blurred petunias in the background seem fluid. Heavy from the night's storm, the petals droop and let the rain continue its decent to the earth.

Choosing a shallow depth of field blurred the close surroundings sufficiently, allowing for the sense of water all around, though pink. The morning light breaking through the clouds was bright enough to allow for adequate exposure without camera shake, giving the petunia's fibers a crisp sharp texture.

The contrast between sharp and soft, fluid and still makes for an interesting composition.