Saving Spring

This past Friday and Saturday in Maine it felt like spring was finally springing. Bright green sprigs of new growth were peeking through the brown and tan decaying leaves. Most noticeably the daffodils were starting to come out. For me, daffodils are literally the trumpets of spring. With my new resolution to shoot everyday, I got to work. My intention was to document the coming out of these happy yellow flowers from pod to bloom. As my husband saw me lying on the ground happily shooting away, he told me that they probably wouldn’t make it through the night and come to full bloom. We were heading back into below freezing temps that night. We would most likely have daffodil popsicles by morning. Blast! (Insert visual of me shaking my fist at the sky) Some of them were just starting to bloom but not many. So we cut them. For some reason, it felt odd to intervene. I usually leave flowers alone to bloom, wilt and let nature take its course. However, if they weren’t going to get the chance to bloom anyway, then why not? We cut around fifty stems, put them in mason jars and brought them inside. I am happy to report that they all bloomed and are currently gracing our dining room table. I have been obsessively photographing them since. Until spring truly comes to Maine, these will have to do. 

Hope Springs Eternal

Sunday was the first day of spring, although here in the northeast you wouldn't know it. While things are certainly starting to thaw out, the visual offering is variations of brown and tan with tinges of green here and there. The remains of last summer's Queen Anne's lace and hydrangeas blow in the mid-March breeze outside my window. Although I find something hauntingly beautiful in the skeletons of summer’s past, today I needed a little color for my soul.  I have also been in somewhat of a creative rut for a bit. I have been creating images, but not really anything that I felt was worth sharing. I have been marinating about what drew me to photography in the first place. What subject matter was I most passionate about? Botanicals! So I hauled out the only plant in my house that had blossoms on it; my good ole’ cyclamen. Like my creative flow, this cyclamen plant has been to brink of death but has been revived with a little attention (plus some water). I took about a 100 images of this tiny flower and narrowed it down to this one. I tried some different textures when I edited it. I am pleased with final image and feel a renewed sense of inspiration. Happy Spring everyone!