Normally I aim for extreme realism when taking photos. Sometimes, however, I like to try an “artsy” approach, like in this image of a flower (a zinnia, I believe) from this past weekend at Meadlowlark Botanical Gardens.
In this case, I deliberately tried to distort perceptions and make it look like the grass and the sky had switched places. In reality, the blue is not from the sky, but is a gravel path.
I like to try to vary the angle at which I am shooting and the results can often be fun and different. I never know when I will find myself sprawled on the ground or standing in the mud, so I tend to wear clothes that are rugged and often ragged.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
The hot colours really pop out when set against the blue-grey background… very cool!
Thanks, Liz. You know well of my struggle to let my inner artist out and this was one situation in which I let him run free. 🙂
The inner artist is doing a very fine job! 🙂
That’s a great image, Mike.
so lovely!!
That is a zinnia. Nice shot!
Thanks for the confirmation–I just don’t know my flowers very well.
Very, Very Nice Mike! Also like the soft background, really makes the Zinnia stand out! Well Done!
Beautiful!!
The blurred background makes the flower stand out more.
Photographers often try to get a blurred background when shooting portraits, so I figured I’d use the same approach for a portrait of a flower.
Also used to great effect in movies.