Our columbine flowers arrived on the wind one summer. I was surprised and delighted when I found these delicate blooms. I had no idea what they were (my wife filled me in), but they begged to be remembered. I spent many hours, tripod low to the ground on splayed legs, crawling around on my hands and knees, photographing the ethereal beauty of the white columbines & the dark mystery of the purple. The two images below are the best in the series. Enjoy.
Ethereal popped into my head as the perfect adjective to describe this scene. I can imagine a story evolving from this image of the white columbines. I tried to picture what it might be like to enter the macro world and walk among the giant columbines in a green world of wonder.
Contrast this image of purple columbine with it’s air of dark mystery. Brooding? Looming? Then again, the image is more abstract and I have no desire to visit a forest of these dark flowers. What creatures could be lurking in the shadows?
I love the way both images stimulate my writer’s imagination. Beauty and mystery, huge rodents crashing through the underbrush, the shadows of monster birds passing overhead, spiders the size of mastiffs spinning rope like webs to capture the unwary tourist. Of course the technology that allows me to shrink to the size of an insect protects me with my Mark IX portable force field — when I remember to turn it on.
I am happy to discover your superb blog. Happy Macro Monday!
Lovely! The first is my favorite. I also loved reading your commentary expressing your imaginative thoughts. Gave me a whole new perspective to think about.
Excellent pics John, each detail has been captured to perfection. They do capture the imagination, one seems full of innocence and youth while the other quite menacing and sinister. Thanks for these gems
Beautiful flowers. You did a great job in shooting them to show off their color and form.
Hehehe… tripods. I should remember to get mine out more often! They make such a difference — especially in MACRO photography! Your shots of the columbine are stunning! Truly! Your efforts paid off well!
The first image is my favorite as well. I learned much from reading John Shaw’s excellent books on nature and macro photography. Always use a tripod. Mine seems a bit heavy for 35mm but heavier is better (unless you’re carrying it around all day).
I also use an incident light meter quite a bit. I have a good one and it doesn’t take batteries either.
Oh both of these are wonderful. I especially like the purple shot!! Stunning!! Sarah
Beautiful!
Wow, brooding indeed! I love the innocence of the pure white ones!