This image, again one of my first, taken many years ago (seems to be a theme lately) is also one of my favorites. I photographed these Lillies at Longwood Gardens, which is a Dupont family legacy, now a fantastic garden and conservatory estate located just outside of Kennett Square, Pa, nearby to where I live. A link to them: http://longwoodgardens.org/
It is very easy to make wonderful photographs here for the impressive displays they continually have on hand of the most exotic and beautiful floral landscapes one can imagine. The real challenge is to be selective enough to narrow your vision to the things that truly capture your attention. I have been there many times and I suspect will never tire of walking through the greenhouses or vast estate grounds and as many times that I have made photographs here, there will always be more than I can find I am sure.
This particular shot was one of a large indoor, springtime 'field' of flowers in their spring display. I remember trying hard to capture the nuances of the petals and other internal parts of individual flowers, then moving on to the relationship of the whole flower to it's environment, all the while trying to avoid the cultivated nature of this display. Eventually though, I widened my view to the larger landscape and made this image. I always liked it, but never understood why. Years later, when showing some of my work to my new friend, Ernst Haas, he really enjoyed it and asked me to make him a print. He pointed out that within the scope of the view for him, it led his eye around and around the image, always showing him something new, keeping it fresh. Until then, I never considered it that way and it inspired me to look for more 'randomness' in my vision from there on.
I guess sometimes we focus too often on the details, whether it be in a photograph or within problems of life we are facing, rather than looking at the solution and beauty that might be there in the whole. Even though I still tend to look for the small things that seem to capture me again and again, sometimes I just might need to step back to see a broader view.
Oddly, in this new format for the blog, you must click on the image to receive the larger view!
