Inspiration can be found everywhere if you look. As a photographer and digital artist, we are constantly evolving. It’s up to us to push ourselves outside of our comfort zone and to try new things to keep life interesting. There is nothing more stagnant, more certain to bore you quickly than photographing the same subject day after day.

I love life, I love our world. Beauty can be found everywhere we look. Nature continues to show its boundless majesty, and flowers are one of the best expressions of nature that graces our planet. Two women photographers I admire are Denise Ippolito and Kathleen Clemons. Both are known for their creative captures of flowers and in particular Dahlias.

As Dahlias aren’t readily available in Maryland, wanting to photograph them involved me purchasing said Dahlia bulbs and growing them in my garden. Alas, the green thumb I used to be is long gone and the poor bulbs were neglected most of this hot summer. Despite the neglect, a few managed to show their strength and have brought a few incredible blossoms to grace my day.

And so the art can begin. Reaching for the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and Canon 5D Mark IV, I set the flower on my driveway where we have reddish toned brick. A few captures from different angles, and suddenly a little bug appeared. Reaching out for the next petal as if he was climbing Mount Everest. When we think our world is big, then try to see it from a bug’s perspective.

Bringing the image into Lightroom for basic edits, I then added the Dahlia Petal texture from Kathleen Clemons Petal Texture Collection.

Original image with Lightroom edits below.