Front page My Photography View Photos Purchase Photos Contact David Butts

Botanical Portraits

There is no doubt that the inspiration for this project came from Imogen Cunningham. I first saw her work in the mid 70's and although it made an impression on me, this interest remained dormant until earlier this year when I saw an exhibition of her work in Oceanside, California. Her Botanicals were large silver gelatin prints and I was completely blown away by the images. It was quite an eye opener seeing the original prints, as compared to the prints in books I had seen so many years ago. There and then, I knew that I had to work on a similar project. I was aware that many photographers have found inspiration in botanicals, so I made a conscious decision to not look at any of their work. Instead, I tried to make this project my own.

I started by simply taking as many pictures of plants as I could, varying the lighting, camera position, and depth of field. I began to feel about my plants the way portrait photographers must feel about their subjects. I was not simply creating documentary images of plants, but was trying (literally and figuratively) to see them in a new light. My tripod became an integral part of the process. As I could not change the position of the plant I was working with, I had to adjust my own point of view! I tried to make these objects say or portray something to the viewer. Above all, I wanted to reveal the beauty of my botanicals, just as portrait photographers try to bring out the best in their subjects!

I chose to use a long focal length lens and to work with a shallow depth of focus to emphasize what I felt was important, and to throw the background out of focus. At times, this could make an abstract background become an integral part of the image. In the processing phase, I would sometimes deliberately push the development process beyond what would normally be condoned just to get the effect I wanted: a picture of flowers could look surreal, or movement could be implied. Finally, I had to be drastic in my editing so as to make the body of work as cohesive as possible.

This will obviously be a work in progress, as I am hooked on taking pictures of botanicals. Whether my interpretation will change with time remains to be seen.

Click on thumbnail images to view larger images

Click to view larger image
Mushrooms
Click to view larger image
Shooting Star
Click to view larger image
Day Lily
Click to view larger image
Calla Lily in Rain
Click to view larger image
Orchids, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Orchids, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Bird of Paradise, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Bird of Paradise, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Leaf with Veins in Rain
Click to view larger image
Lotus Flower
Click to view larger image
Crown of Thorns
Click to view larger image
Leaf Abstraction
Click to view larger image
Flowering Kale
Click to view larger image
Succulent, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Succulent, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Lilies
Click to view larger image
Wild Clematis, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Wild Clematis, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Hibiscus
Click to view larger image
Calla Lily Leaf
Click to view larger image
Plumeria Flower and Grass, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Plumeria Flower and Grass, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Bracken Fern
Click to view larger image
Fern Leaves
Click to view larger image
Fern Frond, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Fern Frond, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Proteas
Click to view larger image
Untitled Plant
Click to view larger image
Anthurium Lily, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Anthurium Lily, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Proteas #1
Click to view larger image
Proteas #2
Click to view larger image
Kangaroo Paws
Click to view larger image
Fern, Coiled Frond
Click to view larger image
Day Lily, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Day Lily, cool tone
Click to view larger image
Day Lilies
Click to view larger image
Sunflower
Click to view larger image
Leaf in Rain
Click to view larger image
Holly Berries
Click to view larger image
Canna Lily, warm tone
Click to view larger image
Canna Lily, cool tone
  

All 42 photographs © David Butts



Top of page
© 2016, Elegant Computing Productions