I'm continuing with my break from writing about the photo challenge this week. The theme for the week was things that are shaped like letters. It's a fun idea, and I got some results, but there is not a lot to write about there. So, I decided that since it is Spring (or at least spring-ish), that I would highlight some of my favorite flower pictures.

I really enjoy shooting flowers. I'm sure I don't need to tell you why. You know how beautiful they are. They are made that way right from the beginning. "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." ~Matthew 6:28-29 It doesn't matter if it is an entire field, a single rose or a close-up of a single petal - they are amazing. It's also amazing to me that the closer you inspect them the more amazing they are. Really, find a sunflower and look at it with a magnifying glass. You have no idea how much stuff is in there (and according to my wife, all that stuff has a purpose). Keep on reading to see a macro shot of one so you can see what I mean.

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers." ~Claude Monet

I feel that way about this photo. I took this shot during my first photography project. I called it "30 Days of Beauty," and the challenge was to photograph something beautiful each day and share the results. Starting that project is what made me realize I wanted photography to be more than a hobby. The first picture I took in that project was a butterfly on some flowers. The picture below was day 12 of the project and one that made me see that I could actually create something beautiful (or at least an appealing capture of something beautiful). This image is what I use for my business cards.

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"Pansies in soft April rains fill their stalks with honeyed sap drawn from Earth's prolific lap." ~Bayard Taylor

This is in a bed at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden that is changed out regularly. We were there on a very sunny day, and the color on this area was just amazing. It helps that the flowers look like they go on forever (which they actually end abruptly right outside of the frame of this shot).

“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” ~William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

This is one of my favorites. I had just gotten a new macro lens (used for taking extreme close-up pictures). This was on another trip to the botanic garden. Usually a photo should be extremely sharp (perfectly in-focus), but I think the softness of this one really makes the shot.

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“The sunflower is mine, in a way.” ~Vincent van Gogh

This shot was from another 30 day project I did last year. The theme for that day was "Something Close Up." I'd say this one qualified. I actually took this in my backyard, if you can believe it. You don't have to go far to find something beautiful. One of my daughters planted this in a flower pot outside of her bedroom window (they grew to about 10 feet high). I had to do some twisting of the flower and hold it still with one hand while I took the picture (the slightest wind makes macro shots out-of-focus), but as soon as I snapped it I knew that it was the one to use. Once I got it on the computer I could not believe how amazing it looked that big. I had no idea all those shapes and patterns were in there.

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"A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books." ~Walt Whitman

This was another backyard shot. I had never really paid attention to how these look as they begin to bloom (even though we have them almost every year). I was pretty amazed to see this star shape. The petals also have a shine to them like they are covered in glitter.
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"Bring me home some flowers from your trip." ~Mrs. Jones

Many years ago, I went on a mountain climbing trip, and my wife was not invited (sorry, it was a guy trip). She wanted to go but since she couldn't she told me that I had to bring her back a picture of some flowers (we were going to Wyoming). It became a tradition that I take pictures of flowers on any trip when she doesn't get to go. Of course I take them when she is there, but I find something just for her when she isn't there. The shot below wasn't on a trip, and she was actually with me, but it is one of her favorites. We were at a wedding, and I had to escape during the reception. I found this out in a field at the Dallas Arboretum where the wedding and reception were held.

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I did "pick" this one for her for Valentine's Day this year.

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Thanks for making it this far. I really do appreciate the support you all have given me in my photographic endeavor. If you are interested in seeing more I have a whole album of flowers.

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