Sunday, April 06, 2008

Predisposed to like flower photos


I am a closet flower photographer. There I have said it - do I still have to do the 12 step program? What if I really don't want to quit?
I think that as visual creatures we humans are predisposed to enjoy seeing flowers. We use a floral motif on almost any material we can. Think about it. Wallpaper, cloth, dishes, printed material of all types, jewelery, hair ornament, and art. Georgia O'Keeffe said 'I hate flowers but I paint them because they are cheaper than a model and don't move'. I suspect she was a closet flower lover as well. We are looked down on by our peers in the world of art unless we have already achieved our fame and can then be in our blue or red or whatever floral phase.
Flowers exist to draw insects for pollination. Often the actual flower is very small and the plant creates showy vegetation to bring attention to its reproductive parts and its reproductive state. A do me, do me, on a much less emotive level.
But a good macro of a flower still draws me. I may never achieve fame as a photographer (I am actually betting that I don't - it keeps me going to work after all) but I will be a flower photographer out of the closet from here on. I just can't help myself! I am powerless against my addiction.

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