Ecstacy © 2010 Bo Mackison
Our peony season in Madison has been over for a week, the victim of torrential downpours which soaked the flowers and sent them drooping onto the garden’s earth. So when we took a visit to Racine for a Frank Lloyd Wright Tour this weekend, I was happy to see peonies in full bloom. Lake effect. We were only a mile inland from Lake Michigan and spring was later in coming. The peonies were at their peak.
As we headed up a driveway to one of the homes on the tour, I noticed this peony plant. Each flower was pure white save for a tear-shaped streak of deep pink and a single petal with pink edging. I hadn’t planned on doing any macro photography – not on an architectural tour – but luckily my lenses were in the car. Sherpa was hurrying me more than usual, as the skies were graying and raindrops were splashing around us. But I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to capture this white peony with the unusual pink markings. So we went back to the car for the right equipment and I studied the peonies.
Fifty shots later, and we were back on the tour. But I’m glad I stopped to smell the roses…wait, wrong saying.
Glad I stopped to photograph the peony.
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I’m sure you smelled them as well. 🙂
I’m glad you stopped too. It’s beautiful.
I did get a whiff. Can’t take a photo of a flower without exploring it properly! 🙂
The graying skies and raindrops approaching made for beautiful light for photographing the peony. Beautiful! So delicate and graceful.
I’m always happy to see gray skies when I want to photograph flowers, but the torrential downpour that followed — not so much!
Very sensual. Very meaningful. Delicate and evocative. Glad you sent sherpa back for lenses. Glad he went.
Glad I had all my equipment in the car. It’s a flower I would have hated to walk by and not capture. I love its little bit of red in all that pure white.
And that is a terrific capture! I love photographing in that kind of weather anyway.
Thanks, montucky. Yep, cloudy skies are good for something…
Exquisite!! And – of course you had to stop to smell the roses. Isn’t that all a part of the fun???
I think photography is one of the ‘funnest’ things I know. So glad I picked up a camera a few years ago. Also glad I seldom put it down!
What a beautiful photo. I love it.
Thanks, Gandalf.
I love that dot of color amongst all the pale petals. Like it was raining drops of magenta paint or something. Very nice.