An Ode to Ranunculus

A few days ago I purchase a bouquet of gorgeous ranunculus from the farmer’s market. They were hiding in the back and I asked if I could buy them. The man there said they were straight from the farm and not ready yet but that he would sell them to me anyway. I was so happy to get these beautiful flowers so early in the season. I truly felt so inspired to capture their beauty.

I spent a few hours photographing them in all kinds of ways. I finally settled on this lighting because I feel that it captures the elegant folds and details of the flowers. I also love the shadow play. That was fun to work with. These photos remind me of Irving Penn’s work, but are not directly inspired. In fact I only thought of his work after the shoot was over. I looked online at his flowers series, and while they are similar he mostly photographed flowers when they were decaying. In contrast, I enjoy photographing them when they are bright and living. I think this photo series might just be some of the best work I have done.