Lockdown carnations

May 8, 2020June 24, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

The lockdown is apparently making us creative. Loaves are being baked and music is being made online.

But I’ve been sticking to what I know and finding new ways to do it because my camera is staying indoors.

I bought two hefty sprays of carnations, a sturdy flower known for funeral tributes and old school wedding buttonholes.

Instead of just doing some freehand macro photography, I set up my tripod, created some surfaces from what I could find and made the most of natural backdrops in my apartment.

It was an enjoyable session and my models were well-behaved. And these beautiful, underrated, long-lasting flowers are still sitting in their vase.

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Spring fall

April 15, 2015 / mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

Click images to enlarge

A photo session on my very own doorstep. These are the few weeks when the trees on this west London street bulge deliciously under the weight of their own heady blossom. No sooner does it arrive, it starts to cascade from the branches, leaving a carpet of fragile petals all around – including by the front door. This was the moment to capture them before they wither under the sun or are washed away by a tide of April rain.

Blooming surprise

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015 / mikeosbornphoto / 19 Comments

I have a houseplant which has been part of the furniture for years now. My Dracaena has been doing little aside from growing quietly taller – until now. It’s produced a magnificent, unexpected flower stem packed with sweet-smelling blossom and oozing with nectar. Click here to see the plant in its full glory.

It can’t expect any pollination action at the beginning of January, so looks likely to be very short-lived. But now it has been captured for posterity…

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Golden oldies

May 28, 2014 / mikeosbornphoto / 10 Comments

The British crawl into summer is a tentative one as usual, with Atlantic weather systems bringing heavy cloud and rain sweeping across our island.

But there has been – and will be – sunshine and long days. With it comes carpets of wild flowers, golden favourites that are humble, plentiful and beautiful.

Cascades of buttercups, plump pillows of dandelions lead the pack. Can they really tell if you’re a fan of butter? Do they make you wet the bed? I doubt it. But well worth lying in the grass to photograph.

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Urban wisteria

May 18, 2014March 16, 2020 / mikeosbornphoto / 4 Comments

A brief joy of the late Spring is when these regal mauve and white flowers put on a stunning display. You expect to see them in English country towns, clinging to honey-coloured stone and around the doorways of grand homes.

But wisteria also makes its way into the city and less fanciful locations. I spotted a terraced house in Shepherd’s Bush here in west London, bursting with flowers. This is an area with its fair share of urban grit, so this was a sobering sight.

The house was being renovated, so I slid up the pathway to catch these shots. One of them is drained of its yellow and purple hues – it just has to be done, really…