Nature is defined as,
the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.
There is nothing more diverse and beautiful to me than the plants that are produced in nature. Flowers and trees can either be jewels that are extremely appealing to the eyes or they can look like they were transported to earth from another planet.
Over the years, I’ve photographed many plant specimens, both the buds and the flowers they produce. I will never be able to tell you the genus or species of these plants; they were photographed simply because of my instant connection with their aesthetic and because they appealed to the photographer in me.
My favorite camera position when photographing flowers is close-ups or macros. For trees, I try to capture the entirety of the tree or just the trunk if it has a really interesting shape. Below are some examples of the flowers and trees that I’ve captured over the years.
Here’s what continues to draw my attention to the plants created by nature:
- There are many textures (spiky, fuzzy, hairy, smooth, rough, etc.);
- They contain a color palate that cannot be replicated by anything man-made;
- Shapes abound (round, oval, triangular, pentagonal, etc.); and
- Trees, although not usually as eye catching as flowers, are simply majestic. For an example of this majesty read about the Angel Oak on John’s Island, SC or about the giant redwood tress in Muir Woods in Mill Valley, CA.
In trying to understand my fascination with plants I came across Michael Pollan’s, The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World. This book helped me to understand the why and the causes of my fascination with this particular branch of nature. Plants, like humans, have evolved to be symbiotic and appealing to each other; both of our basic existence depends on this simple fact. I highly recommend picking up a copy of this book if you enjoy this aspect of nature.
Savory Sweet Neat 