roses

The beauty of decay

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

Do you think that beauty is exclusively the preserve of youth and vitality? CONTINUE READING BELOW

Tap/click first image to see gallery

I always have fresh flowers in the house and recently bought a lovely spray of roses. Of course cut flowers fade sooner or later and are discarded, to be replaced with a new arrangement.

But this time I held on to the roses as they began to wither away. Fellow blogger and Australian photographer Lee Cleland suggested drying some blooms and capturing them – an excellent idea.

The vibrancy of flowers fresh from the florist is replaced by a darker mood and the sense of impending death.

But the beauty isn’t diminished by degradation. In fact I think the creative rewards and interest are enhanced. How about you?

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Beautiful remembrance

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

Life’s very sad occasions are marked with beautiful floral tributes.

Instead of leaving them behind, I brought these flowers back to my home. They were fresh, vibrant and reflected a life of enormous personal significance.

Keeping them was an act of remembrance. Photographing them was a pleasure and source of comfort.

Click first image to see the gallery

Essex in bloom

/ mikeosbornphoto / 15 Comments

It was time to take a break from London and see my mother who lives in Essex, a two-hour jaunt east from my part of the city.

This turned into two glorious days spent in her garden, newly landscaped with gravel, paving stones and raised beds of flowers fashioned from reclaimed railway sleepers. It’s bursting with roses, dahlias, marigolds, lavender and a host of garden favourites.

My trusty camera came with me, and working in the garden was restful and a pleasure, punctuated with numerous breaks from the strong summer sunshine. I found abstract, floral and architectural shots in this well-structured space – rich, rewarding and relaxing in equal measure.

Click first image to launch the gallery

This way to the gallery

And to finish off, a candid photograph of this garden’s proud owner, my Mum, resting in her swing seat, probably enjoying a crossword puzzle or reading her Kindle. The fruits you deserve to savour at a mature stage in life…

A moment of rest

Anatomy of a rose

/ mikeosbornphoto / 3 Comments

Cut flowers do not last long. I like to take photographs of them so that they survive beyond their limited life. This was a pristine bunch of white roses, which I have detailed in a series of nine different shots, with rows of colour, monochrome and sepia.

Enjoy the composite effect and scroll through the gallery by clicking on the first frame.

 

You might enjoy these other floral posts:  Summer survivors    Flora in the frame

Flora in the frame

/ mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

If you’re lucky enough to receive a gift of flowers – or know someone who has – the urge to photograph them is hard to resist. It’s an opportunity to try out some macro shots and capture a frame filled with colour.

The downside of this photographic urge is to create something that is engaging and avoids the twee and the slightly nauseating. Here are a few of my own efforts, thanks to an extravagant bouquet my mother received for her birthday and a thoroughly romantic gift (red roses) from my partner Dermot.

At least when the blooms have long withered and died, you have a permanent memory of them. Do you find the compulsion to capture your flowers impossible to resist?

Are there simply too many floral photographs?…