Mike Powell

Last Thursday I visited Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. with my photography mentor Cindy Dyer to photograph the lotuses and waterlilies that we knew would be in bloom. This facility is the only national park site devoted to cultivated water-loving plants and features over 45 ponds filled with a variety of water lilies and lotuses, according to the Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens website. Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

The official website of the park describes it more poetically as a place “where water and wind dance.” “Deep within Kenilworth lies an oasis, hidden behind trees and cattails. It’s a place where beavers build their homes and turtles sleep on logs. Lotus blooms rise from the muck and lilies sit on the water. The wind dances with the dragonflies, rustling through the trees, carrying the song of the birds until it brushes across your face, fading to a whisper, saying “come join.” ”

One of the “stars” of the aquatic gardens is the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and I spent a good amount of time trying to capture images of these spectacular flowers. We arrived at the gardens relatively early, but it was still a challenge to photograph the flowers without getting harsh highlights. I particularly like the first photo in which I managed to capture both a flower and the showerhead-like seedpod that remains after the petals have fallen away.

In my final photo, I zoomed in to create a Georgia O’Keeffe-like vibe. My friend Cindy used a handheld diffuser to block some of the sunlight, which allowed me to capture the saturated color of this particular flower—most of the other flowers were a lighter pink, like the ones in the first and second photos.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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