Peony Season

Every year I pick peonies from my garden to photograph and every year I wonder if I will find ways to make better photos than in past years.

“The little boy nodded at the peony and the peony seemed to nod back. The little boy was neat, clean and pretty. The peony was unchaste, dishevelled as peonies must be, and at the height of its beauty.”
― Robertson Davies, What’s Bred in the Bone

And year after year I find that my skills and abilities make this a new challenge. As I grow and change as a photographer, my work changes as well.

This year I took time to study still life paintings and photographs of peonies and of flowers before I started making my photos and found myself wishing that I had some of the great props and beautiful pitchers that I saw in many still life studies.

I began looking at the vases and containers that I have and found several that I thought would make interesting photos. Then I began looking for backdrop, surface, and supporting materials. Again I used what I had instead of looking for something new. (I am working hard to decrease the number of possessions I own instead of increasing them.)

I spent most of yesterday afternoon in a haze of activity, one idea spurring another. I made a few shots, went to my office and downloaded them, then made minor alterations to my setup, made more shots, and so on.

I ended up making over 200 photographs of the bunch of peonies I picked. Most of them were necessary steps in my final creations.

Today I finished selecting my favorites and making my edits.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite photo in this post?

May you walk in beauty.