A soul mate’s purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life, then introduce you to your spiritual master…” 
― Elizabeth Gilbert

I gazed at this Queen Anne’s Lace flower in amazement. I had never noticed the pink frill. As I observed other, it became apparent that this was unique to one small patch, all the others were plain white.

What made this one particularly special was the slight heart shape, or am I imagining this?

The shape caused me to drift into the realm of emotion and life. My wife simply loves Queen Anne’s Lace and has made several lovely photos of the blossoms. That makes my photography expeditions so much nicer; having someone who also appreciates nature and photography, and is so incredibly supportive and encouraging of my journey into this art. This, of course, means infinite patience on drives, as I pull over to capture some roadside image, though she may not see it as I do. It means helping me overcome my self-doubt about my abilities, as she challenges me to be better than I believe I can be. As in the quote above from Eat, Pray, Love, she pushes me to be more, and for this, I am eternally grateful.

I truly believe that if it were not for her I would still be taking snapshots, suitable only for the family album, and nothing more. Instead, she has opened me up to sense the life and energy around me, by being a part of it. Thus enabling me to focus on the essence of what I am photographing.

Which brings me back to the image of the Queen Anne’s Lace blossoms, with its unusual pink frills, encircling an incredibly complex cluster of sub-blossoms. Each of the ‘pinks’ are small flower clusters as are the component bundles they surround.

Be sure you have a close look at this lovely blossom, go deep, and enjoy this moment captured on a recent summer morning. From the heart.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/320 sec, f/16.0 ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my Facebook page:
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or my website (some images available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com