Floral Artistry

On days when the weather is bad - i.e. cold and rainy, I like to create my own photographic opportunities indoors. One subject that is a favorite of mine is flowers. They are readily available at your local grocery store, home center, or florist, and cut flowers will usually last at least a week before wilting. The above image is one of many images I have been working on for the last couple of days while the rainy weather does it's thing outside. This is a still life of an Oriental Lily and ceramic vase, which I placed on a makeshift table. The table has a reflective board on top, which serves to reflect light back up on to the subject, while at the same time reflecting the object itself. To acheive an artistic impressionist look I used my "Lensbaby" lens, which has a sharp, in focus "Sweet spot" that you are able to move up, down, left, or right to math your own creative needs. I have found that using this lens can help get your creative juices flowing and I highly recommend it for that purpose.

- Chuck