Friday, May 16, 2008

I (Almost) Never Shoot Flowers

I'm not very interested in nature photography. People and their creations have a stronger pull on me; I'm a city boy. Occasionally, though, something tugs me in the opposite direction. The photographer and teacher Bryan Peterson urges his students to get down on the ground on their bellies, use a wide angle lens, see what's coming out of the earth and what surrounds it. This is a bed of tulips and other flowers at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The photo has a shallow depth of field, out - in - out of focus. I got my shirt a little dirty, according to instructions.

TOMORROW: Arthritis

6 comments:

ft. lauderdale daily photo said...

Following the instructions produced a wonderful photo.

Olivier said...

j'aime bien cette perspective, on pourrait se prendre pour un petit chat se promenant dans les fleurs

I like this perspective, it might take for a small cat walking through the flowers

ananda.tashie said...

A jungle of tulips - I like it. The vibrant color + blend of clarity and blur really capture quite a mood. :)

Jane Hards Photography said...

Beautiful. Such vivid colours.

Anonymous said...

Well for someone who (almost) never shoots flowers, you've got a fantastic result here! What a gorgeous photo!

Anonymous said...

I also like this technique. I've never taken a nature photography course, but I like taking flower pictures.

I'd always read that you should get at a child's level when you are shooting them, so I've often done the same with flowers. I like the effect.

With kids, I love sitting the camera right on the table when they are doing artwork or eating, or just sitting in a restaurant. Same type of thing.