As I was driving to work the other day, I noticed something new. On my right hand side, a field of purple flowers had appeared. I’ve driven past the same spot litterally thousands of times and never noticed anything like it. Now, I have a weakness for purple flowers. All the flowers I ever buy are purple, and I have long dreamed of shooting a purple field or meadow with my camera. Here was my chance.
So last night after dinner, I grabbed my camera bag and walked over to the area, which I have actually visited many times before. I’ve just never seen any purple flowers there. I was actually proud of myself for going out with a clear plan in mind. Unfortunately, my preparations had not included changing from shorts to long pants, so before I reached my target, I had to walk through waist high grass and weeds, including some nasty nettles. But you have to suffer for your art, so I endured the pain and reached my destination.
My first impression was that it was exactly what I’d imagined. A couple of acres of the most beautiful purple tansies and the setting sun coming in from a great angle. So I went straight to work and started shooting, fully expecting to bring home several masterpieces. However, it soon became clear that, while the scene was beautful and good pictures were to be had, it didn’t quite live up to what I have seen in the best purple flower photography. The great compositions never quite materialized.
Coming to this unfortunate realization, I instead turned my attention to the bees. The field was buzzing with bee activity, and surely I could capture great closeups of these little wonder creatures at work. Well, out of almost 100 pictures of bees, there were maybe 10 where the bees are in focus and 5 that show them in a way that makes for a good image. They are just too fast, and the camera’s continous focus just can’t keep up in the chaotic environment.
My ankles hurting from nettle stings, I eventually headed for home where I took one of the best pictures of the evening: the midsummer sun setting between two buildings.
