Sunflowers
I love sunflowers, just not as much as bees do.
Sunflowers are pretty. I’ve never been one to pat myself on the back for taking a picture of a flower. They are, in themselves, pretty. And as long as your camera settings are correct, it is difficult to get a bad picture of one. They stand still, are full of color, and project vibrant colors in any lighting.
That being said, it is equally difficult to take a picture of something so beautiful and not admire its beauty. Though it didn’t take a PhD in photography to acquire such an image, it still keeps me engaged and provokes me to share with others.
The detail in the petals and the design in the disc florets almost satisfies my OCD tendencies. The perfection of color transitions from a mute orange to bright yellow, the vague resemblance to a Fibonacci spiral in the center. But then again, there is nothing perfect in nature. There is something perfect about being imperfect.
The true irony lies in the fact that yellow is my least favorite color. I’d be the only photographer whose favorite flower is, in fact, the sunflower while having a distaste for its most common coloration. Sure, I’ve seen varieties of sunflowers in varying colors, but I mean seriously. What is so bad about yellow?
We all have our preferences. Mine are contradictory and fall out of the good graces of common sense. Regardless of personal tastes, I have here displayed the raw beauty that is the sunflower in several forms and stages of life. Enjoy the simple compositions of a stunningly beautiful flower.