The power of flowers is one that soothes and calms.
Whether it’s at a nature trail lined with wildflowers, a backyard garden, cut flowers in a vase at home or the garden section of a home improvement store, flowers have the ability to add serenity and beauty to our lives. Capturing that beauty was the task of the latest Readers Photo Challenge.
Seventeen readers sent in 81 photos. Here are the top picks.
While on a trip to Seattle, Washington, Cynthia Barker of Stockton visited the conservatory at Volunteer Park Seattle.
In a collection of balloon cacti or parodia magnifica she spotted a single bloom. With an Apple iPhone 14 she got close to the pale yellow flower.
The soft, gentle light coming through the greenhouse’s windows helps to emphasize the bloom’s subtle pastel colors. The feathery spines on the ridges of the remaining plants in the background look like starburst from a fireworks showing add graceful visual movement to the composition.
Carolyn Silva of Jackson did little out-of-the-box thinking for her photo. While visiting Columbia State Historic Park in the Mother Lode.
She spotted yellow iris growing next to one of the old buildings of the Gold Rush-era village. But instead of turning her Nikon D7500 DSLR camera directly, she faced away from the blooms and photographed their reflection in the window of a neighboring building. Lace curtains on the inside of the window add an overall texture as the yellow irises add bright color to the scene.
Bettina Engelman of Stockton has a large lavender plant in her backyard that attracts bees year-round.
She used a Sony A7 II digital mirrorless camera equipped with a 90mm macro lens to get in close to a single bee on a stalk of the plant. Engelman captures the angle of the stalk to create a diagonal composition. The deep purple of the flowers come through nicely as does the intricate detail of it and the bee.
Bret Parker of Stockton photographed a single rose in yard on Nottingham Drive in Stockton.
With a Google Pixel 6a smartphone, the subtle hues of the flower are seen under shady conditions. The gentle folds of the petals creates a nice circular composition with a single water drop rating a nice little accent.
Joan Erreca of Stockton walked through her neighborhood to find her flowers.
With a Canon Powershot 3100 IS digital point-and-shoot camera she captured the subtleness of the white petals of a rockrose in a neighbor’s yard.
Barker receives a 16×20 print from UlmerPhoto and a gift card to a local restaurant for first place. Second place goes to Silva who gets an 11×14 print. Engelman is awarded with an 8×10 print for third.
All of the entries can be seen in an online photo gallery at recordnet.com. A new challenge will be issue on April 14.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Readers’ flower photos show the power of nature’s beauty
Reporting by Clifford Oto, The Stockton Record / The Record
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