Trillium grandiflorum

Geranium maculatum

Geranium maculatum

Liatris spicata

The Blazing Star, or Liatris spicata, is a prairie flower and, as such, grows mainly in the Midwest. But it does grow in one Western Pennsylvania location.

Millions of years ago a prairie was cut near Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, by a receeding glacier. That location is now called Jennings Environmental Center and in late July and early August each year the Blazing Stars can be found in full bloom. I visit Jennings to photograph the flowers each year. There are a multitude of Blazing Stars and they are mixed in with many other prairie flowers, so the challenge is to find a way to isolate them from each other and from the morass of background plants.

As can be seen in the photograph, the plant blooms from one end to the other and there are never fresh open blooms along the entire stalk at once.

Cornus florida species

I found these beautiful pink dogwood blossoms right along the roadside in Ohio's Cuyahoga National Park. I pre-visualized a photograph of a grouping of three flowers with only one of them in sharp focus. It took a good deal of time to find an appropriate grouping where three flowers were unobstructed and at the appropriate distances apart so that only one would be rendered sharply.

Chrysanthemum species

Cyclamen

An abstract close-up view of the flowing pink petals of a cyclamen.

Cyclamen species

Tulipa species

Lotus species.

Muscari species

What is commonly known as the grape hyacinth is actually not a hyacinth at all. It is a member of the genus Muscari.

Zantedeschia aethiopica

Native to Africa, the Canna Lily is in reality neither a lily nor a Canna species plant. Years after the name was given, it became apparent to botanists that its relationship to Canna was more distant than initially thought. However, its common name stuck and has never changed.

Though the flower of the Canna Lily is certainly beautiful, here I was drawn to the pattern and graceful shape of its unfurling leaf. One of the challenges as a photographer is to work through the obvious (yes, I also took a photo of the flower), but not to simply stop there. Once the obvious has been dealt with, I try to spend time exploring my subject more deeply.

Helianthus species

Gerbera species

Helianthus species

Helianthus species

Gerebera species

Tulipa species

Backlighting provides one of the most dramatic types of light, particularly when it streams through a translucent object. When I saw this tulip being backlit by the sun, I decided to put the point of focus on the area where the stem turns into flower and let the rest of the bloom simply explode into a blur of yellow flames.

Echinacea purpurea

Tulipa species

For me, the leaves in this photograph seem to play as important a role as the flower itself.

Gerbera species

Tulipa species

Why the title "Windows" for this image? To me, the shadow of the flowers pistil looked like the shadow of a person seen through a translucent white window shade. It felt like a voyeuristic look into someone's 'private space'.

Colocasia Species

The Elephant Ear Plant is native to Southeast Asia and Polynesia. The leaves are large and attractive. However, they really come into their own when backlit. Here, I was attracted to the abstract shapes that were visible in the leaf and the supporting veins when the light passed through it in just the right way.

Anthurium crenatum

Beauty in a single leaf. This image is from a project I did making a series of photographs from just a single leaf. I include two from the series here.

Anthurium crenatum

Beauty in a single leaf. This image is from a project I did making a series of photographs from just a single leaf. I include two from the series here.

This beautiful ‘pitcher plant’ is carnivorous. It’s beautiful, but if you are an insect you definitely don’t want to look too closely.

Craspedia globosa

Pseuderanthemum alatum

Setaria glauca

Trillium erectum

I wanted to bring out the delicate structure of these daisies by giving them a translucent, or even slightly surreal, appearance.

Hypericum perforatum

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image. This photograph is actually of one single flower.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image. This photograph is actually of just three flowers.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This image is one from my ‘experimental series’ where I combine 25-35 photos, all taken of the same subject but from slightly different angles, into one final image.

This multiple-exposure photograph was chosen by the PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont to be exhibited as part of their show entitled Botanicals.

Helianthus species.

Campanula medium, commonly known as Canterbury Bells.

Tulipa species

This abstract appearing image of a sunflower field was made by zooming the lens of the camera while the shutter was open. It was meant to transmit the feeling of being surrounded by these beautiful flowers

There were hundreds of these wild irises growing in a pond. I tried to express what it felt like being there surrounded by them.