I never throw out a  flower when shooting close up (macro) shots in my studio. Why, you might ask! Well, that’s the story of this blog.

A typical floral shoot starts just about anywhere I see a flower that looks interesting; gardens, parks, grocery stores – wherever there is beauty and beauty is all around us, all the time, just waiting to be noticed and appreciated – but rarely, the ‘Senior Flowers.’

So, I get this flower (usually only one, as it takes me hours to shoot one flower) and I place it in a bud vase on my blackout table in my studio (a folding table with black sheet hung on wire with clothes hanger – fancy! I ‘dance’ with this flower. See macro floral portfolio for a demo of ‘the Dance.’ And when I’m done, I leave that tired flower to rest.

Over the next few months, I’ll stop and look at that flower from time to time, to see how it’s aging and if it’s ready to give up some of it’s magic. Most of the time – not so ready! But, on occasion, when I fire up the lights and crawl around with my camera, every now and then I am shown amazing beauty, a totally different, more refined, more relaxed and utterly spectacular form and vibrant color…

It’s seems so sad that all of this beauty and grace is wasted when we throw them out in their prime. Then again, it’s as if my senior flowers have this secret that is shared with other senior flowers – a club of sorts with a secret handshake – ‘knowing’ that it really doesn’t matter if anyone notices their beauty – they do

I’ve attached a few of my ‘Senior’ flowers to visit with. If you like them, please share with your friends. Somewhere ‘out there’ is just  the right person that could launch my career. Thanks You for your help.