Belovèd, thou hast brought me many flowers
Plucked in the garden, all the summer through

These are the first two lines of the poem Sonnet 44 by the famous English poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I picked it, because it suits this new challenge so well.

Many of you share a plethora of wonderful shots about one of natures most precious gifts: flowers. Now, I think it's time to pay tribute to the flora which gives mother earth its color by challenging all you photographers and nature lovers alike the opportunity to give us a unique and original perspective of the flowers of the world!

A simple frontal portrait or stem macro will not do for this challenge, as we seek photographs which makes the viewer emotional, takes them to another plane of existence or gives us a peek into the world of flora never seen before...

Are you up for the challenge?

See you in the field... if you dare...

Mark

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Specifications of this challenge as previously dictated by our challenge master aster and edited by her minion: me!

1. The challenge ends on the last day of August 2012.
2. All photos are required to be 1024*1024 pixels at the most or under in dimensions and 250 KB in size if uploaded using the forum attachment feature. If you're linking your photo from an other gallery or website the size limitation does not apply.
3. You can submit as many photos as you like.
4. Please make sure you have a title for your photo to make listings easier during the polls. If the photos are not titled by the deadline of the challenge I will temporarily title them until you require a certain title of your own to make the necessary changes. I promise it will be a dull title

Mark,
Here is my feeble attempt at conveying a story, Juxtaposition in time.


[url][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsur/4751559448/][/url]
DSC16211 by BigSury, on Flickr[/url]
Daddy aren't I pretty?

My (then) 14 year old daughter, 10 minutes into Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada.




[url][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsur/4756185090/][/url]
DSC16421 by BigSury, on Flickr[/url]
"Enough already"

Well, after Daddy took about 300+ shots of flowers and faces, they are tired. My daughter ever the playful, makes face at me. She essentially
is saying "enough already". Let's go. Well, my son!!! If looks could make a camera disappear, I would not have my A900 today.

Will you accept leaves as flowers? Judi just wanted to mess around while I had a camera...
Ah well...... not a blossoming tree. Maybe I'll try again...

@sury: I overlooked your contribution, my apologies for not replying sooner!

@Tony: I'll permit it if the leaves are from flowers or blossoming trees.

To you both, and everyone who is thinking about joining this challenge: ask yourself if the images tell the story about flowers. In both your contributions, the flowers aren't the subject, the people are. Thé most difficult thing about photography, especially for this subject, is how one can make the image tell the story of the subject. That is what this challenge is about.

Thank you both for your contributions.

Mark

Mark,
You are right. I certainly went in a different direction than you intended. Let me post some more in-line with the challenge.

Sury

the fish was an unexpected intruder
I just thought that "the plant looks beautiful" and took the photo, I never seen the fish at the time , I was concentrating on focus. Later when I seen the fish on the computer, I then gave the thought to how important plants are to help sustain life on this planet

Dear Mark,

You have indeed started a challenging challenge!

It's hard to find anything related flowers in the concept that you have visualized....But we try.. : ))


My inspiration comes from an Athurium plant; Anthuriums have heart-shaped flowering parts that turn blood-red when in full bloom. My Anthurium, as can be seen in the photo, has only one side open and is waiting for the other side to open to become a Full Heart. : ) Well, at least that's how I interpreted what I witnessed.

"Waiting For The Other Half To Become A Whole Heart" is my title, in the lines of a human waiting for his/her better half to become "One". : )


My first go, it is. I hope I can find more appealing opportunities to process your theme. Thanks for the challenging challenge! : ))

Yildiz

Hi gio, what is the story behind your image?

Hi Yildiz, thát's what I'm talking about! This image, backed up by the story, portrays the story of the Anthurium. That's what I'm looking for. Well done!

This is my own entry. I wanted to do a timelapse of a blossoming flower, but my interval timer hasn't arrived yet and almost all flowers are out and about.

"Even at my hight, I'm not safe from invaders..."



Mark

hi mark, i have added an edit to the post, in fact it looks very similar to your thoughts judging by your photo

A great example gio! Your image and background story do tell the tale of the part this flower takes in the grant scheme of things. Thank you!

Mark

Here is Emma and Lilly out by the flower garden, Emma was taking pictures of me as I was taking them of her!



Dusty

Hi Dusty, could you elaborate what this image tells us about the flowers? The subject of this challenge is giving us a look in the world of a flower.

Thanks,

Mark

Emma and her older sisters had planted this garden, and she went out to help me weed and water it. As I was taking a few flower photos, she wanted the other camera to take some of me.

Actually, I'm just going for cute kid + flowers is a can't miss!

Dusty

A golden oldie shot in situ in my mum's garden with an A100/tamron 90mm. It is an anemone? I think.



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