Natural Beauty, summer solstice

This series explores flowers in their simple natural beauty. When I first began taking pictures of flowers and plants, I thought I was doing them an injustice by not taking my photos in color. Aren't flowers known to have beautiful colors? So, I did. But then I decided to experiment with black and white, and I discovered yet another layer of innate beauty. I consider these photographs to be more portraits than pictures of flowers. Each one possesses its own dignity, beauty, personality. Some are sensual in their shape (as I find most flowers to be). There is great appeal in the way one petal rests against another, the way a raindrop falls onto a stem, the delicacy of many little flower heads pointed in unison, together as an army. Some are childish and innocent in their delicacy and gesture. Taking these in black and white allows the viewer to see innate beauty in its rawest form.