Nature photography is not my usual subject but when the mood strikes me right I do enjoy some simple landscapes or nature motives. I chose these two images because my wife likes them. They make for a nice pair and we have them hanging at home printed on aluminum next to each other. Interestingly both pictures represent our respective personalities. You can guess who is who.
Tulips. My wife’s most favorite flower. When she saw the image she immediately wanted it printed for the hallway. Even though these kinds of images do not tell a story or evoke many emotions for me they are very pleasant to look at. And maybe such a pleasant image has it’s place next to gritty black and white images about urban spaces like these. Besides tulips always remind of the big Tulip Mania, an investment frenzy that allegedly rivals the stock market crash of 1929, but in reality was way less exciting of course. Still the whole episode is a nice illustration of how value is created. It is neither about the production cost, the labor involved, the materials…value is determined by what buyers and sellers agree upon. Well turns out even a humble photo of tulips contains the seeds (or rather bulbs) of several stories.
Hard to believe that this image was taken on a November afternoon in Germany. There is still so much green around but it was a warm autumn and winter had not really arrived yet. Despite what modern review sites tell you lens flares are not a flaw but an artistic tool in my eyes. The sun rays were producing the last somewhat warm and pleasant day of the year with it’s golden light. Autumn is my favorite season after all. Both images fit nicely together. The bright greens and reds next to the subdued golds and browns.
Photographic Notes
The tulip photo was one of the first shots with an old Fujinon T 135mm F3.5 lens for M42 mount. I am honestly blown away by the sharpness, color rendering and background blur. It is already a favorite in my collection.