I spotted this tiny red tulip yesterday morning in the garden of my dear friend and photography mentor Cindy Dyer, my first tulip sighting of the year. One of Cindy’s passions is gardening and she deliberately plants a lot of flowers that she believes will be photogenic.
Last fall she planted bulbs for some large, frilly, multi-colored tulips that she hopes will bloom later this year. (See my posting from last spring entitled Fire-breathing dragon to see an example of one of those crazy-looking parrot tulips.) I will be looking for those exotic flowers, but I have to say that am often drawn more to the simple, spare elegance of a single bloom, like today’s tulip.
When I first started to get serious about my photography almost ten years ago, I imitated the type of photographs that Cindy was taking, with a lot of emphasis on macro shots of flowers. Cindy taught me a lot about photography during those early days, lessons that have stuck with me as I have ventured into other areas of photography.
One of those lessons was about the value of a well-composed, graphic image, like today’s simple shot. Anyone, in theory, could have taken this shot, but they would have had to be willing to get on their hands and knees in the dirt to do so, another one of Cindy’s lessons. (If you want to see more of Cindy’s tips, check out her article How to Grow Your Garden Photography Skills that was featured several years ago on the NikonUSA.com website.)
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Oh wow. We are several weeks away from tulips blooming, but this is beautiful. We did see snowdrops this week though!
Yay. Snowdrops are a good start. If I judge by what we have already seen, you should be seeing daffodils and crocuses soon. 🙂
That’s beautiful, Mike. I saw the first sprout of some bulbs I planted last fall. I don’t even know what it might be (if the critters let it bloom before eating it).
So beautiful! Love the droplets on the petals. We have very few signs of anything spouting here in NH but our snow is just about gone so we are making progress. Thank you for sharing Cindy’s garden photography tips. I have extensive flower and vegetable gardens so appreciate and will enjoy exploring them this growing season.
Stunning!!
Your beautiful photo and delightful commentary are the perfect burst of sunshine on this very rainy day! A memory returned as I read the words ‘willing to get on their hands and knees in the dirt’. One of the quotes that I taught to Benjamin, during that virtual school year, to encourage perseverance : “Every flower must grow through dirt.” – Laurie Jean Sennott. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
The simple shots rarely are.
I love all of this post Mike! ~have shared a link on twitter 🙂
Thanks, Liz.
Beautiful capture, Mike, the water drops are bonus. It well worth being in the dirt.
The drops were a nice plus for this flower. I tend to crouch, kneel, and even sprawl out in the dirt. Eventually I will reach a point, Ellen, when I am too old to do so safely, but I am not there yet. 🙂
I do that sometimes, too, after scanning for unsafe critters (snakes, gators….). And, yes, even though I might be a year or two behind you being able to get back up is crucial. All kidding aside, continuing to do it makes it possible to continue to do it 😁, at least for now.
I definitely have an advantage in not having to worry about alligators, especially when looking for dragonflies. I think we all like the same kind of mucky terrain.
😁
I planted tulips last year here at our new house. The leaves are up but no blooms yet. Looking forward to seeing them. You learned well from Cindy!
Thanks, Molly. I love to take photos of flowers, which are a nice change from my more typical wildlife shots.