Archives
“From the compacted blanket of last year’s leaves, bright and beautiful wildflowers erupt, pushing aside the reminders of what was, and revealing was it to be.” – Ed Lehming Continuing the theme of this year’s early spring wildflowers, I present a beautiful pink cluster of early Hepatica. For this image, I got down low to the ground. My goal was to show the blossoms rising above the leaf litter and show some… Read More
“A garden provides much needed respite in a world of uncertainty. Beauty and familiarity are a much needed commodity.” – Ed Lehming A very brief post today. Simply a photo to bring some joy to our lives. Nikon D800 Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm 1/1000 sec, f/10.0, ISO 800
“Pink whispers softly of love” – Ed Lehming I realize that I have shifted my photographs from abstracts and forest paths but I’m finding that most of us are in desperate need of some brightness and what better way than flowers? With all the anxiety and bad news we are surrounded with, I’m hoping that by sharing some of my own blossoms that I can bring some joy to others. Today’s selection… Read More
“It’s often surprising that the seemingly delicate has unseen strength and resilience” – Ed Lehming Spring Beauties (Claytonia virginica) never cease to astound me. They are among the very first spring blossoms to open up, long before trilliums and other ephemerals. They bloom in even frosty conditions. I expect this has something to do with their diminutive size, which is not apparent in the photo, where I was trying to capture the… Read More
“Flowers will always try, and look their best, no matter what the season or reason.” ― Anthony T. Hincks Every spring I get to enjoy a gift from the past. My mother and I are both avid gardeners and sharing seeds connected us in a unique way by having some similar plants in our gardens. I live in Ontario and she lives in British Columbia, so our growing zones are quite different, so… Read More
“The beauty of that June day was almost staggering. After the wet spring, everything that could turn green had outdone itself in greenness and everything that could even dream of blooming or blossoming was in bloom and blossom. The sunlight was a benediction. The breezes were so caressingly soft and intimate on the skin as to be embarrassing.” ― Dan Simmons Here we are, freshly into summer. I have found myself longing to… Read More
“The truth is that everyday and everyone is different. We just like to think that they aren’t.” ― Anthony T. Hincks As promised, yesterday’s flower, with a light background. Keep in mind, this is the exact same shot, with the same settings and lighting. The only difference is that I removed the black velvet background that I use for my studio shots, revealing the white card-stock panel that holds it up in my… Read More
“Her blush was the color of a coral reef, but smooth.” ― Aimee Bender I simply love the many muted colours of spring. Understated blues, yellows, purples, and oranges, all make their appearance in the garden. Yet pink, as pale as a blush’s beginning appeals to me most. There is a natural softness to this colour, especially on these blossoms which move from a bright and warm yellow, through white and then terminate… Read More
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ― Anne Bradstreet As I mentioned in my previous post, the beginning of spring was more like an extended winter. It was the kind of year where you wonder if it will ever warm up, but it eventually does. But, spring proper, has been delayed. As I… Read More
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… Read More
“Saepe creat molles aspera spina rosas” – “Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses” ― Ovid This was a mystery plant to me, for a long time. On initial inspection, it looks like a wild rose, but the leaf is not right. It looks like a raspberry, but the flower is too big. So, what is it? Turns out, it’s a bit of both. It’s a flowering raspberry, and a member of the… Read More
“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ― Claude Monet I’ve seen these pretty clumps of pink flowers along the roadside before. Many times. I’ve just driven by, last year I saw some and turned the car around to make some photos, but they turned out to be quite disappointing, a bit out of focus, and not showing the characteristics of the flowers well. They are quite pretty and really stand out because… Read More
“Like all sweet dreams, it will be brief, but brevity makes sweetness, doesn’t it?” ― Stephen King Much of the conservation land surrounding my home, including parks and hiking trails, was, at some not too distant time, farmland. It’s difficult to visualize, as I walk through now forested areas. Every now and then though, evidence of former use makes itself known. On one particular site, many perennial sweet peas can be found… Read More
“Now a soft kiss – Aye, by that kiss, I vow an endless bliss.” ― John Keats What more can I say, I am enveloped in pink. It is the colour theme of the season, the transition from whites to pinks and purples. Our peonies, are redolent in pinks and magentas. The gardens, filled with pink ruffles, brilliant white ecstasy, and magenta glory. Nikon D800 Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro… Read More
“Everything passes. Joy. Pain. The moment of triumph; the sigh of despair. Nothing lasts forever – not even this.” ― Paul Stewart The ‘fancy’ pink peonies are blooming at last. The flowers this year are massive and I frankly have no idea how the weight of the blossoms is supported by some of the stalks. Were it not for surrounding vegetation and a fence, they would surely collapse under their own weight…. Read More
“The long roots of the peony strike deep into the past.” – Alice Coats Today I’m sharing a peony that I have many of and I don’t believe this is the first blossom either. Several blossoms opened a few days ago, so it’s hard to know. The plant itself came from abandoned (expropriated) farm near my home. The family who used to live there (Spangs) were close friends with my wife’s family… Read More
Pink and tiny, you sparkle from the forest floor. Sweet and delicate, you lead to summer’s warmth, from late spring rains and mist. – Ed Lehming This delicate pink flower, Herb Robert, is in fact, a native Geranium. While a far cry from the fancy hybridized varieties we see in gardens, this diminutive wildflower is still quite lovely. I made this image during my recent forest hike, just after the rain had stopped, so everything… Read More
“A garden should make you feel you’ve entered privileged space — a place not just set apart but reverberant — and it seems to me that, to achieve this, the gardener must put some kind of twist on the existing landscape, turn its prose into something nearer poetry.” ― Michael Pollan Many years ago, my mother brought me some columbine seed from her home in Vernon, BC. She referred to them as… Read More
“They say you start weaving clearer, sharper memories after you’ve been to a place at least twice. Because then the reflection is more of validation. Let the rush come to you and let your senses be flushed the first time. There will be time for reflection after you’ve had your fill.” ― Psyche Roxas-Mendoza For the past few days, I have been focussing my attention on the rhododendron in our backyard garden…. Read More
“Grace is neither gentleness nor fragility. Grace is treating yourself, others, and even inanimate objects with respect.” – Kamand Kojouri This is the image I was after when I made the image in my previous post. This is my first year planting rhododendrons and I’m not sure why I did not do it earlier. They are absolutely stunning to look at, and loaded with large beautiful blossoms, which seem to remain for… Read More
“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don’t they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.” ― Ray Bradbury I went out this morning to photograph my rhododendrons, which are now in full bloom and was greeted by a hungry bee, who was busy flying from blossom to blossom, completely laden with pollen. I’m usually a bit skittish around bees, yet having camera in… Read More
“I think I like wildflowers best,” I explain. “They just grow wherever they want. No one has to plant them. And then their seeds blow in the wind and they find a new place to grow.” ― Rebecca Donovan The first wave of pinks is on its way. Dame’s Rocket looks a lot like garden phlox. In fact, at one time I used to call it phlox. Around here it varies from… Read More
“If only these treasures were not so fragile as they are precious and beautiful.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe I got out for a quick walk at lunch today and came across these delicate blossoms. I’m not sure of the exact species, but it looks like some form of wild cherry, perhaps Pin Cherry. The light was just right to use my portable background to isolate the blossoms from the background, giving the… Read More
“Have you noticed how nobody ever looks up? Nobody looks at chimneys, or trees against the sky, or the tops of buildings. Everybody just looks down at the pavement or their shoes. The whole world could pass them by and most people wouldn’t notice.” ― Julie Andrews Edwards While not quite the ‘punchy’ neon of yesterday’s dahlia, this more subdued blossom is still a stunner. The thing I enjoy most about these… Read More
“Just keep hope within you and your path will be lit.” ― Isabella Poretsis It’s spring in the northern hemisphere and the flowers are blooming, or getting ready to bloom. So, flowers are constantly in my life. I certainly am not going to run out of subjects to photograph. This beautiful pink hyacinth reminds me of its presence through its marvelous aroma. It permeates the air with sweetness so unique to hyacinths…. Read More
“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” ― Henry David Thoreau The beauty of simplicity. I’ve been having fun with these tulips this past week, watching them slowly opening and shooting them from various angles, enjoying the way the light plays inside them, noticing the fine details and structures in the petals. And, I intend to keep enjoying them, till the next batch arrives and eventually my garden provides its… Read More
“Nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small it takes time – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” ― Georgia O’Keeffe These tulips are providing me with lots of interesting angles. As I’ve said so many times before, until you really take the time to ‘look’ at something, so much is missed. We’ve had tulips in our gardens since I… Read More
“I love tulips better than any other spring flower; they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace” ― Elizabeth von Arnim Spring is still playing hide and seek, but the local grocery store has a nice selection of spring blooms, including these lovely pink tulips. At first glance they appear to be such simple things until you get up close and notice all the beautiful structure. I also enjoyed the… Read More
“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… Read More
Ed Lehming Photography 
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