More than enough

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More than enough

July 4, 2020 by Mike Powell

There were only a few lotuses in bloom on Thursday at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, but they were more than sufficient to sate my senses. How much beauty is “enough?”

Increasingly I am finding that I enjoy beauty in small doses. So many voices in our society try to convince us that we need “more,” when perhaps “less” is even better, especially when we slow down and take the time to explore and appreciate that beauty.

I love the layers of petals of the lotus flower; the details of the center of the lotus, revealed when the petals open up and begin to shrivel; and the promise of future beauty in the lotus bud on which the Slaty Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula incesta) had chosen to perch.

Sometimes when searching for beauty, it is more beneficial to search deeply, focusing on a few things, than to search widely, always looking for something newer and better.

Posted in Art, dragonfly, Flowers, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged beauty, Canon 50D, Libellula incesta, lotus, lotus bud, lotus flower, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Slaty Skimmer, Slaty Skimmer dragonfly, Tamron 180mm, Vienna VA | 12 Comments

12 Responses

on July 4, 2020 at 9:06 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Beautiful images Mike! Always enjoy seeing your images!
on July 4, 2020 at 9:56 am | Reply kenneturner

You have outdone yourself — beautiful compositions.
- on July 4, 2020 at 10:37 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, kenne. I was consciously thinking of composition when I took these shots, considering a couple of different angles of view before actually pressing the shutter button.
on July 4, 2020 at 3:06 pm | Reply Steve Gingold

They are all lovely shots, Mike. Just a wild guess…the third might be your favorite? 🙂
- on July 4, 2020 at 4:37 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  It is not good for my image as a dragonfly lover to say this, but the final image is my least favorite of the three. It is really cool to catch a dragonfly perching like that, but emotionally I react to the bright colors and details of the first two images. 🙂
  - on July 4, 2020 at 5:14 pm Steve Gingold
    
    I can understand that. I am more of a flower guy so would probably feel the same. 🙂
on July 4, 2020 at 4:38 pm | Reply Molly Lin Dutina

Gorgeous! Just gorgeous!
- on July 4, 2020 at 4:40 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Molly. Happy 4th of July.
on July 4, 2020 at 5:02 pm | Reply krikitarts

Happy 4th, Mike. I particularly like your second, intimate portrait.
- on July 4, 2020 at 5:53 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. We all know that when it comes to beauty, it is what is on the inside that really matters. Happy Independence Day to you.
on July 4, 2020 at 10:36 pm | Reply Eliza Waters

Ethereal beauty!
- on July 5, 2020 at 6:55 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Eliza