If I were a flower…

ss 1/60 f 5.6 iso 400

“If I were a flower.. I would be a sunflower.
To always follow the sun, Turn my back to darkness,
Stand proud, tall and straight even with my head full of seeds.” ~ Author Pam Stewart

Bashful

Peonies, in the Victorian Language of Flowers have several meanings.  Bashful being one of them.  To capture this delicate flower on a breezy morning just after a rain shower I used the following settings: SS 1/800 F 5.0 ISO 400.  As always, the shallow depth of field produced a magical and ethereal effect.

Red Tulips

Believe in Love Declared

“I love you, I’ve loved you for years and I’ll love you for years more. It’s not something I can fight, it’s not something I want to fight.” ― Somi Ekhasomhi, Always Yours

The red tulip means “Believe Me” and “Love Declared” in the Victorian Language of Flowers, thus the title of this image and the reason I selected it for Valentine’s Day.  I wish you all a day filled with love and joy.

Unfading Love II

Unfading Love II

Wishing you a heart full of unfading love throughout the Christmas season.

Mystery of Love

mystery of love

mystery of love in black and white

“Love leads us into mystery where no one can say what comes next, or how, or why.”

– Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg

The pink rose, depending on the color being dark or light, represents thankfulness, grace and joy in the Victorian Language of Flowers.  In words, the quote above does not correlate directly to the meaning of the pink rose, however, in my heart, I am thankful for the love I’ve experienced and the mystery of what it will bring in the future.

How about you?  Are you thankful for the love you’ve experienced? Do you find yourself wondering about the how and why and what might happen next?

With love, and all emotions, we as humans tend to rush into the future wondering and hoping for the next phase or the next event.  Instead of being mindful of the present moment and savoring the joy of it, we overwhelm ourselves with anticipation and perhaps fear.  This fact can often lead to shortcomings in relationships, a loss of joy, much anxiety, and overall hopelessness instead of the peace of love and an abundance of smiles.

It’s imperative to stop, cherish the moment, be mindful of the love in our lives, and just let life be.  This is not a simple task, but with patience and perseverance, we can all accomplish mindfulness and experience the joy of true love.

 Details for the image above: SS 1/60 f3.5  ISO 2000

Which do you prefer – color, or black and white?

Unfading Love

Unfading Love

The Coxcomb, in the Victorian Language of Flowers, represents unfading love.  I am wishing you all hearts full of peace and unfading love.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and followers in the U.S.!  I for one have much to be thankful for!

 

More to Me

 

More to Me

There is so much more

To me,

Than you can see.

♦

At first glance,

You see my color –

All shades of wonder.

♦

You assume

That all there is to know

Is what you see,

And that’s all I’ll be.

♦

But once you get close,

You soon discover,

I am so much more

Than the layers of color.

♦

Underneath,

There is a core,

That enables me

To stand tall,

And be more,

Than simply,

What you see.

copyright Robyn Graham

Sincere Generosity

Sincere Generosity

ss 1/320  f18  ISO 400  60mm macro

“To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.” Confucius

Galioli in the Victorian language of flowers means generosity and  I am sincere , thus the title of this image.

To capture this image, I used natural sunlight.  I put a black backdrop down on the grass and placed the flower upon it.  I used only the sun, no fill, and used manual exposure.  It was somewhat challenging because of the shadows and the significant contrast in light and shadow.  I did minimal post processing, just increased the blacks to darken the backdrop.  Light is such a magical thing.  When used correctly under the proper exposure we can create so much!

In addition, if you have a minute and are interested in black and white photography, stop by Monochromia to see my post for this week.  I posted two images of the same subject but using light in different perspectives.  More about light!

Have a great weekend!

The Past Forgotten

 

 

The Past Forgotten

 

As those of you who have been following for some time know, flowers are one of my favorite subjects and I love to work with the “Victorian Language of Flowers”.  In the “Victorian Language of Flowers”, the Lotus means: Estranged Love and Forgetful of the Past.

Chives

 

Chives

SS 1/80     f3.5     ISO400

Chives I

SS 1/100     f4.5     ISO 400

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”  – W.B. Yeats 

I thought the above quote fit nicely with the pictures of Chives from my garden.  The blooms are magical and the scent, very sharp – an awakening of the senses.

I’ve missed all of my virtual friends the past two weeks.  As indicated in my last post I was very busy putting together an exhibit that included 18 portraits that I framed and matted myself.  I am happy to report that the exhibit was a great success and I now have framing in my repertoire of offerings when I open my studio in September.  Yes, you read that correctly!  I am opening a photography studio!  It is such a leap of faith for my future as a photographer, but I am excited for the opportunity to have a space to call “home” for my fine art work as well as a beautiful facility to do portrait and product work, and teach workshops.  My senses are certainly aroused with the planning and preparations for the studio. I am frequenting thrift shops, consignment shops, antique shops and more to find the perfect, multi-functional props and decor, and enjoying every minute of it.  I promise to share pictures of the studio and the grand-opening festivities.

In addition to the aforementioned exhibit, I hung another exhibit today.  The Bank of Princeton in Lambertville, NJ has a gallery that they open to artists for month-long exhibits.  I hung 40+ prints today with the help of my husband and daughter.  The gallery looked beautiful!  Next up is two-person exhibit at The Red Filter Gallery in Lambertville, NJ.  I just placed my order for six large (16in x 24in), black and white prints to be framed, matted and then hung in the gallery from July 8th, 2014 to September 8th, 2014.  It is an honor to be able to show my work in such a fine establishment where many incredible photographers have shared their work.  I feel like I am walking in the footsteps of a dream.

Enough of my excuses for not blogging over the past two weeks!  I look forward to catching up on what I’ve missed from all of your wonderful blogs once the school year wraps up at the end of the week.  Soon enough my children and I will be all settled into the routine of summer and I’ll be able to sit outside with the laptop, linger over a cup of coffee, and catch up on what I’ve missed.

Blessings to all!