Flower Photos, Because Everyone Should Get a Flower Now and Then

I’m taking the easy way out for this newsletter issue. I’m not going to get all philosophical. I’m just going to post a few flower photos and write a few thoughts about living an ‘artistic’ life.

What is an artistic life, you may ask? There’s a lot of writing about it in art study books, but to me, because I like to simplify, I’d define it as living one's life immersed in a culture of intentional creation. It’s seeking meaning, beauty, and expression in life while expressing a perspective through art or photography, and grounding one's thoughts in the idea that life should be deeply examined. But more than that it’s being involved within a community, however you define that, of likeminded and supportive people, and continually learning and adjusting one’s self and one’s creations.

Bunchberry photo created by focus stacking 42 images, each image focused slightly further into the photo. By combining the 42 images, the image looks sharper in a way a single shot cannot.

That’s a lot of artistic jargon, so simply put, it’s living life devoted to creating in ways that might not seem practical in today’s world, but in a way that is spiritual and stirs your soul and any audience you may have, such as your family and friends. It’s using the act of creation to connect more deeply with the world and to express what you can’t express with words. From a cultural perspective, it fills a spiritual void created by the practicality of everything else in the today’s world. The artistic life adapts to fill the void created by demands of workaday life.

Anyway, I’m in the middle of my busy photo workshop season (speaking of, my 2025 Photography Workshops are open for registration), and I have been having a few health issues that I’m still trying to figure out. So, I’m punting this issue.

Blue-bead lily: I often carry a spray bottle of well water with me and use it to create raindrops on flowers. I may have gone a bit overboard on this flower, but I love it.

No need to worry, but as someone who values openness about my artistic life, I want to share this with you. The artistic life can be influenced by other parts of one's life. For me, this has been stressful, but I'm hopeful for a resolution soon.

When I was a kid, I remember the character of Ben Franklin appearing on Bewitched, a popular TV, and saying, “I'd rather be a pessimist because then I can only be pleasantly surprised.” In this case that’s how I’m treating it. So far, I’ve only been pleasantly surprised by test results, but there’s one more that needs scheduling, and due to the wonders of the American medical system, the insurance company has to approve the procedure after another medical facility actually acknowledges the order that my doctor sent to it. So, I’m in a pessimistic holding pattern. If I’m pleasantly surprised by the next test, then it’s sort of back to square one.

Harebell: I used a LED light panel, the same one I use for night sky photography, pointed up into the flower to create the internal ‘spiritual’ glow.

I know this might seem a bit hypocritical considering my last newsletter, but an artistic life allows one to realize, due to deeply examining your life and mind, that you likely hold two seemingly opposite ideas in mind simultaneously. There's no requirement for consistency in being human or living an artistic life. Right now, I'm feeling unmotivated to write about photography despite my passion for both photography and for writing and my previous premise that regardless of feeling or inspiration, you just do it. The stress from my health issues and navigating the medical system (thankfully my wife helps with the navigation part) has taken a toll. Yet, this duality—feeling both unmotivated and deeply connected to my photography—is part of living an artistic life.

Despite the stress and uncertainty, I've found that there's magic in photography. I was first captivated by photography while in the darkroom watching an image appear on paper as if by magic. When I'm out doing it, I always feel better. It’s always uplifting to me, like these flower photos—like getting an unexpected flower or gift from someone, it always surprises and uplifts my spirits. William Henry Fox Talbot, one of the pioneers of photography, once said, 'It's a little bit of magic realized: of natural magic. You make the powers of nature work for you, and no wonder that your work is well and quickly done.'

Single limited depth of field photo of Canada Mayflower. I used my LED light to add warm, golden light.

Photography, in its essence, embodies natural magic. Even during stressful times, the act of photographing brings a sense of calm and fulfillment. This duality—experiencing stress while finding solace in photography—is part of living an artistic life. It’s accepting that we can hold two contradictory feelings or ideas in our mind at the same time and that both feelings or ideas can be correct. It’s examining what’s stirring in our soul and trying to express it in a relatable way through our artistic creations.

Plus, now and then, we get a good flower photo. What a gift!

Until next time

That’s a wrap. This is a weird issue, but such is life. I thought I was going to write it quickly and be done with it, but it took two days. I hope you enjoyed it. I’ll see you again in two weeks!

Slime mold, which is a protist, that is an organism that isn’t an animal, plant, or fungus. I believe this is Honeycomb coral slime mold. It’s common in Minnesota but usually is only visible like this for a few days. It’s a focus stack of 82 total images.