Cabbage flower (I think that's what it's called)

[Camellia]

(click to view larger)

Thanks for looking

R

[Rasbury]

#! and #3 are my favorites.Really like the detail in #3.Good work.

[Katy Noelle]

Raylee!!! I was just thinking about you, not, 20 minutes ago! I'm so glad to see you post!

I've never seen a flower like this. Very interesting and beautiful! They all look lovely to me but the last one is the one that "hit me". I really like it. (Now, Donald probably wouldn't like that one because it's too close up and that may be one of the very reasons that I do like it.) Anyway, the petals seem to be stacked in a haphazard way and I like that. Could the dof have been higher? Then, I have to say, the baby's breath in the first one is fascinating but I wish that the "rose" had a little more light (but, then, of course, I could be wrong about that.)

[Wirefox]

Raylee

I like the first shot out of the four. It is very....Miss Haversham. The only thing that distracts a little is the reflection(?) at top centre. A great use of black and white in all of them. The third image is the best of the close-ups I think. It flows and there is great contrast. In the fourth image the transition zone of the DoF is in the wrong place it need to be slightly higher in the image so that the edge of the second leaf back is just in focus.

You do these 'dark and moody' images so well. They remind me of your masterpiece 'Film Noir' for some reason

[wilgk]

Well just as katy has said - we have been thinking of you.... I was a little concerned you may have frozen up there in Canberra with the cold snap that has hit us early this year.
But clearly not - so that's very very good news

#1 and #3 of these appeal to me the most as well - # 3 especially it is very spooky and mysterious, I can imagine the leaves as an evil group of characters in a sci-fi movie surrounding their captive...
- sorry, must be something in my muesli!

[Camellia]

Thanks Ron, Katy, Steve and Kay. My favourite is #3 - I loved the pattern the leaves/petals created.

I went to a photography seminar at the National Gallery of Australia on Saturday. Steve - you would have loved it! I was sitting there wishing that you were with me. The topic was Tableaux Vivant: 1980s Photography and talks were given by curators, academics, writers and artists. I nearly collapsed when one of the artists started showing her photos from the 1980s. She (Robyn Beeche) was in London in the 80s and was the photographer of choice for all the trendy young things - including Steve Strange. She did a lot of Vivienne Westwood shows. Her images were the ones that influenced me so much at the time. I couldn't believe my luck. The other artist was Sydney based (Robyn Stacey) and she was part of the the local music scene etc. I was absolutely over the moon!

Anyway, they discussed some of their techniques in the pre-digital days. One of the things that fascinates me with art is the materials and techniques used to produce the work (eg I saw the Tutankhamun Exhibition recently and I wanted to know what everything was made of - I didn't really care about the historical significance of the items other than the fact that it's amazing that these things have survived.) In the pre-digital days, I learnt, that composite and creative images were made by sandwiching negatives together, photographing photocopies of photographs, making large prints of photos and then an artist putting makeup on them, taking photos from computer screens because the computer was the size of room and there was no way of taking the image off the computer in those days. Extremely innovative days!

The academics were interesting and I've come away with some new reading material to buy - The Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes and On Photography by Susan Sontag.

So that was my weekend. I feel somewhat reinvigorated by hearing the artists' perspectives of creativity.

R

[ucci]

If I might swim against the tide, I plug for number 2. It has an almost 'Venus fly trap ' fascination, the central, dark, deeply recessed 'face' drawing in the unsuspecting victim, only to be enclosed and trapped the closing of the outer leaves. Very gothic and sinister. Well set up shot which caught my imagination... You know, I might have to ask the cook what was put on my cornflakes this morning

[Camellia]

If I might swim against the tide, I plug for number 2. It has an almost 'Venus fly trap ' fascination, the central, dark, deeply recessed 'face' drawing in the unsuspecting victim, only to be enclosed and trapped the closing of the outer leaves. Very gothic and sinister. Well set up shot which caught my imagination... You know, I might have to ask the cook what was put on my cornflakes this morning

You've made my day Ken.

R

[Shambhala]

Mysterious and creative!! Stunning!

[Wirefox]

I was sitting there wishing that you were with me.

You will have people talking Raylee. I can already see the CiC net curtains twitching As you know that is my 'era' I can understand why you were so excited about it. The Robyn Beech fashion gallery is most interesting as are the Robyn Stacey "all the sounds of fear" and "Hot House". Australian artists are very much like Australian wine, it really shouldn't work but if you take the time to take a deep draft there is something uniquely refreshing the lingers on the palate. Great stuff.

[ktuli]

I have to cast my vote with Ken. #2 is my favorite as well. The repeating yet reducing pattern is fantastic - and when the pattern reverses from the white leaves with the dark markings to the dark leaves with the light markings, it just really sucks me in. Lovely work.

- Bill

[Camellia]

Thanks Shannon and Bill.

Steve - you are so cynical about us Aussies! I really enjoyed the seminar and many names were mentioned that I'd never heard of. I intend to explore contemporary photography further.

Kay - have you won any competitions lately? How do you find Photo Review magazine? I'm thinking of subscribing.

R

[Steve S]

Very interesting flower raylee, and a great use of b&w. I'll go with the masses on this one and vote for #2 as well.

If you happen to have a color shot, i'd be interested in seeing it.

[MVW22]

Agreed. #2 is my favorite composition or crop... Close enough to show the "cabage-y" feel, but far enough out to show the flowering shape. Very cool, I've never seen a flower like this...