I have not yet made it to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens this year, so I was especially happy to see that a dozen or so lotuses were in bloom last week at Green Spring Gardens. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. is a National Park Service site with several dozen ponds with a variety of water lilies and lotuses—it is the go-to place in my area to see this kind of aquatic vegetation.
However, I am pretty content with the smaller selection at Green Spring Gardens, which is only a couple of miles from my home. Every time that I see lotuses, I am faced with the dilemma of how to photograph them. Should I try to get a group shot or should I photograph a single flower? Should I try to capture an image of a whole flower or of some of its parts? When I am trying to photographic birds and insects, I usually do not have the luxury of thinking about all of these compositional considerations, so it feels a little strange to be so intentional when photographing flowers.
Here are three photos from my outing that day that represent several different ways that I approached my subject. The first image is a kind of traditional portrait of a lotus that I took when the sun had slipped behind the clouds and softened the harshness of the light. For the second shot, I moved in closer and focused on the center of a lotus, creating an image that simultaneously realistic and abstract. For the final photo, I moved even closer and tried to emphasize the texture of a lotus leaf and all of its interlocking veins.
It’s fun to play around with my camera and try some different creative approaches that I do not regularly use in photographing wildlife.
Have a wonderful weekend and consider trying a new approach to something you regularly do. It may not necessarily work, but it will undoubtedly be fun.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Beautiful photos!
Thanks.
Ohhhh Myyyy 😍. Just outstanding !!!
It’s a little different than my normal “stuff,” but it is all good. Your photography is quite varied, with your photos of historical buildings being quite a change from your normal subjects. I have heard a number of professional artists and photographers complain that they are forced to choose a niche in order to develop an individual style that is recognizable and marketable. Fortunately we, as amateurs, don’t have to make those kinds of choices.
For better or worse I have never fit in a box LOL. In general it worked out, having a job and boss not my style and I still retired years ago. OK, there is an exception to that ‘boss’ thing.
Gorgeous
Nice work, Mike and great experimentation. It is always fun to find a different angle or focus.
Thanks, Chris.
I love these, Mike. Lotuses are so beautiful and you have definitely captured that elegant beauty.
Very nice images Mike! Like the detail & colors!
Although I spend a lot of my time looking for wildlife, I love to photograph flowers too.
These are all elegant, Mike, and how wonderful to have this garden close to home! The detail and colors in your second image make quite a striking example of nature’s complexity. Good for you for stretching your ideas on this one and the final image.
I often have great ideas after I get home going through the images. Sometimes I remember them the next time out 🙃.
It’s hard to come up with creative ideas while out in the field, but I sometimes consciously ask myself how else I might photograph the subject. Of course, with most of my wildlife shots, my options and limited, as is the time for creative thinking. It is often a matter of instantaneous reactions to a fleeting opportunity.
Yes, and being able to working with what you find is creativity itself I think. And not being too quick to delete an image that is a bit “different.”
I totally agree with you, Ellen. I am amazed when I go back and review my photos a few days after I took them and discover some cool images that did not pop out during my initial review. As you probably have noticed, I am a big fan of “different” images. 🙂