so i’ve been scouring the neighborhood on my way to work, hoping to find hollyhocks, but more importantly, to find access in which i could photograph them. shouldn’t seem so tough. and it’s not, really. it’s just a matter of seeing. and timing. and light. after all, it’s a short season. and the days are getting noticeably shorter.
i was happy to find pretty ones in an alley in my neighborhood. so first thing after supper, i went for a walk with camera in hand.
i love these flowers. they are nostalgic for me. of a childhood spent making doll-like figures with the blooms for skirts and dresses. i always think of that when i see hollyhocks. and how we played with those stems, and pulled the petals off… now i just want to capture them on camera so i can study the layers of light. the shadows. the color, textures and holes in the leaves… for painting. watercolor. stitching.
and also to experiment with a fixed, 50mm prime lens for my canon camera t3i. i’ve had it since i purchased the camera, bought on excellent advice from a pro photographer friend to photograph my quilts… but haven’t really figured it out, because in order to do that i have to use it way more! so i’m changing that this summer season. i hope.
they are so graceful, don’t you think?
and, if you’d like to use these images … please do so. all i ask is that you let me know… and acknowledge where you got them if you do use them.
enJOY! have a great week.
xo
leslie
Comments 7
Thanks for review, it was excellent and very informative.
thank you 🙂
they are beautiful Leslie 🙂
I have the Canon T2i and love it – it just has a few lesser capabilities than yours. It wasn’t my dream camera but my hubby convinced it would be a good pick and of course, he was right! It was my transition camera from film to digital and it has been good to me so far. lol So now I am curious about this 50 mm fixed lense…..gonna go do some research, I think. Love your hollyhocks – I just can’t get enough of flower photos! And I can see why you would have used those blossoms for dresses and skirts – they are so ethereal and reminiscent of crinolines to me.
I can grow them, in fact they seeded in a few place around the yard so I transplanted them. I have dark burgundy in one corner and I'm really hoping the paler ones are by the gate. Lovely!
Twenty some years ago we lived in an old house that had hollyhocks growing there. I used to draw and paint them often. When we moved I took seeds with me but was never able to get them going.
I noticed just a few days ago that there is a house a couple streets from here that has them growing. I wondered about knocking on the door for some photos.
Yours are beautiful! Looks like you've got it figured out.
I love hollyhocks but they don't do well in my garden! They always get rust!
I love hollyhocks too… we attended a wedding this month and the church had a gorgeous garden lined with them. Just breathtaking!