“Kind words and tender affections will not save me from this lake of woe and misery, but they may be enough of a buoy to prevent my drowning.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich

I’ll call this a ‘rescue’ from a less than wonderful bouquet. To get subjects for my floral shots, I tend to stop by local shops and pick up a fresh bouquet every few weeks. Then, I pull the bouquet apart and photograph the individual blossoms. It’s a great way to be able to enjoy photography on dull, uninspiring, and icy days.

This practice, of disassembling bouquets, has been very satisfying, but every now and then, a bouquet that looked nice in the store, shows it’s true self under light and lens, or even before then. This one started dropping petals as soon as I unpacked it, leaving many bare stems. Most of the remaining blossoms were bruised or damaged and this was especially noticeable under the studio lights and using 90mm macro lens.

Despite this ‘disappointing’ bouquet, I was able to save a few blossoms, including this beautiful pink carnation, most of who’s companions showed significant damage and wilted fringes. I’m not sure if this damage was inflicted on the bouquet as whole or if the shop had assembled a ‘seconds’ bouquet for quick sale? I’m unlikely to return to that particular store for flowers in the near future.

However, despite this incident, I am really enjoying making these photos. I’m reminded of all the beauty around us, despite the current world events that we can hardly tune out. So, please accept this little gift of beauty. Hopefully, it will brighten your day for at least a few moments.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
2.0 sec, f/32.0, ISO 100

Hi Resolution image on 500px

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