Posted on by susurrus

Filling the Frame with Flowers and Leaves

Late summer bouquet of garden flowers
Late summer bouquet of garden flowers

We all have a style of photography, whether or not we recognise it ourselves. My interest in colours and patterns pre-dates my love of taking pictures and I like to look up close, probably because my long-distance vision leaves something to be desired.

Fern with contrasting colours of ornamental grasses
Fern with ornamental grasses

So Anne’s challenge – Filling the Frame – is a natural one for me, perhaps too much so. Over the years, a couple of people whose opinions I respect have suggested that my photography would improve if I stepped back a bit and showed more of the scene.

Green and white striped bromeliad with purple leaf tips
Striped bromeliad

Perhaps, but I’m not anticipating awards for photography. I take pictures to please myself, knowing I can share some of my favourites here with others who take photographs for the love of it and who will cut me some slack.

Coleus with piny-burgundy leaves edged in green
Coleus

In some pictures, I’m aiming towards a flat surface decoration effect, such as you might see on wallpapers or fabrics.

Dinnerplate dahlias with other flowers
Dinnerplate dahlias with other flowers

Often I’m trying to capture something charming that will otherwise slip away.

Everlasting flowers: dried flower heads of Helichrysum bracteatum
Dried flower heads of Helichrysum bracteatum

At flower shows, we are often being invited to admire details on new plants or old favourites.

Pelargonium 'Contrast' has fancy patterned green, red and purple leaved, edged with cream
Fancy-leaved Pelargonium ‘Contrast’

Variegated leaves…

Agapanthus
Agapanthus

subtle or startling colour combinations…

Aeonium 'Superbang' - variegated greed and red succulent
Aeonium ‘Superbang’

plants in tip-top condition with perfect leaves and flowers. It only seems right to get up close.

Posy of sweet peas on a red table
Posy of sweet peas

My eye can be drawn more to moods and harmonies in the colours than to the notional subject of the picture.

Leaf pile topped with daisies and sweet peas
Flower-strewn leaf pile
Fort Worth Botanic Garden: leaves and ornamental grasses backlit
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Monarda 'Berry Taffy' buds and flowers
Monarda ‘Berry Taffy’

My portrait of Monarda ‘Berry Taffy’ is unlike any other I’ve seen online – and I checked. (I google images of flowers before I post them under their names as I would rather not add to the misinformation online where I can easily avoid it.)

Here, the younger, pale green leaf bracts with their delicate red stripe and the mounded buds add their patterns to the open flowers and the darker, more mature leaves.

Flower bed with trophy at the Southport Flower Show
Flower bed with trophy

My instinct to fill the frame does come at a cost, mainly paid by the viewer. I remember seeing an iron bedstead covered with bedding plants at this year’s Southport Flower Show, but if I hadn’t mentioned that,  it’s not easy to make out from the crop.

I’ll leave you with a handful of roses, as they are the subject I most often return to:

Close up of Rosa 'Lady of Shalott'
Rosa ‘Lady of Shalott’
Close up of Rosa 'Belinda's Dream'
Rosa ‘Belinda’s Dream’
Rose in a flower bouquet
Rose in a flower bouquet

Shared for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge: Filling the Frame. Thanks for hosting, Anne!

67 Replies to “Filling the Frame with Flowers and Leaves”

  1. What a great selection of flowers (filling the frame), Susan. I love the rose close-ups and perhaps like you, my short-sightedness makes me love the fine details (shapes and colours) also.

    I also think that some photographers should make a point of photographing up close so viewers can see the details that attracted the photographer in the first place. Some photographers try to get too much of the whole scene in front of them and miss the fine art of seeing.

    1. Often when I try a landscape shot, I feel disappointed that the lens flattens or stretches what I see. You seem to need so much interest above and below what you were thinking of capturing – grey sky and an expanse of grass doesn’t satisfy. In contrast it’s good to be able to crop out distractions when you move in close. Experienced landscape photographers are often capturing striking weather as much as a scene.

  6. This challenge definitely is perfect for your style of photography and I couldn’t agree more, we all have our own style. The close ups of flower arrangements are beyond beautiful. You know what you’re doing and you’re doing it superbly.

    1. It’s very nice of you to say that. It’s such a treat to get a chance to enjoy the (sometimes over-the-top) floristry exhibits at the flower shows. I look forward to those as much as to the gardens or the new plants.

  7. You master this kind of photography superbly, Susan – and I guess this challenge was labeled “Susan”! I love every inch of this, and the striped bromelia is the queen.

    1. Thanks, Leya, for your kind words. I did feel very happy to see this topic. I’ve such a backlog of potential posts (most of them, very unseasonable) that I hardly know where to start. The right prompt can be a welcome nudge.

  8. I wouldn’t listen to that person who advised you to step back and show a wider picture, as you clearly have a talent for picking out the most interesting and photogenic details! I love the striped bromeliad shot, the fancy-leaved pelargonium and the roses 🙂

    1. Thanks for your encouragement, Sarah. The flowers were actually a distraction from the pelargonium foliage so I cropped them out. It’s not often that flowers seen to be side shows. I wonder if pollinators are confused by the leaves or whether the leaf patterns have coded messages we can’t understand.

  9. I agree with Sarah, and others who say…this defines you. So nice Susan, and a wonderful sunshiny wake up for me. The coleus was one, of many, hits for me.

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