You may have heard me talk about what goes into finding some of the subject matter I decide to photograph. I think a good way to describe it is, “listening with my eyes!”. Wait, what did I just say? Listening with my eyes? Yes, as awkward as it may sound it really is just a means of formulating a different sort of perspective with my photography. Let me explain!

If I am going to a botanical garden, or a grower, or garden center, I know in advance I am looking for subject matter that is going to help me tell a story later on. Upon arrival I really have no idea about what those stories are going to look or sound like. I guess another way to describe it would be to say I am looking for small excerpts to become something greater down the road. Those are the preconceived thoughts I have, the thoughts that have me on the lookout if you will, of something willing to share a story with me. Static thoughts that are with me all of the time.

However, once I am on location there is a very good chance that a story will unfold that I had no preconception about, little snippets of bigger stories that know I’m around, anxious to share potential stories with me. For this reason I like to walk around a venue and look at those things that are right in front of me, and then stand back a bit and look at other things off in the distance. Often my thoughts meet some place in the middle of those two vantage points and something will call over asking for a closer look. Believe it or not, I could be looking at a certain subject and someone will step into my field of view and then suddenly when the subject matter is in sight again I am seeing something I didn’t see before. Makes me feel like I have a rolodex of thoughts spinning around in my head and sometimes I have no idea what is going to turn up next, nor the kind of information that is going to be presented to me.

Such was the case with the photograph I am sharing here. I was in one of my favorite garden centers around Mother’s Day. I wasn’t actually looking in this direction, until someone bumped into me and I turned to say excuse me! I know, I wasn’t even the one doing the bumping! Lol However as I looked a couple rows over I caught a glimpse of this little gem. The lighting in the greenhouse on this day was rather subdued, it was cloudy and gray, but as you can imagine the light in a glass greenhouse can be pretty amazing even when the sun is behind the clouds.

I am thinking it may have been the fluorescent pink like leaf contrasting against green that may have caught my eye. I moved in closer and I couldn’t help but notice all of the different shading, textures and contours in such a small space. Even the shading of the shadows against the different grays on the bark had different tones to them. I thought I was looking at salt water taffy growing out of the ground! Yeah, wait for it, I was like a big kid in a candy store!

I love to plan ahead and come up with different story ideas and then think of places to go where the photographs I take will end up playing a major role in the story and how it unfolds. However, nothing can replace the excitement of being in the right place at the right time and watching a story unfold right before your eyes. The special moments you had no idea you would be a part of, they just happened!

Talk soon…

G