Uplift
This is vibrant natural abstract art. It is a close-up of the orchid Dendrobium. I took it with the camera pointing into afternoon sunlight.
It illustrates the potential of high-magnification photography. All the light in the image has passed through the petals. That is why it is scarlet rather than crimson. I like the fact that the colours are muted but still positive. The lowest, sharpest, line is light coming through the edge of the main petal. Shadows cast by other petals define all the other shapes. We are looking through gaps. In the jargon, these are ’negative shapes’.
The image has a strong, positive, upward movement. I hope it is up-lifting. The spots of pollen slow down the motion. They stop the subject leaping out of the picture. Without them, the image would lose a lot of its life. I like the fact that there are three spots. One of them is much the larger. With just one spot it would have been too neat. The great teachers John Ruskin and Bernard Dunstan pleaded with artists not to deaden their work by making it too tidy.
Despite the strong movement, I think the image has balance. The composition is defined by two squares, one based on the right hand edge, the other on the left.
If you would like to see more of my images, please go to https://www.wild-haven.co.uk/top ten/ or to my galleries at https://www.wild-haven.co.uk/gallery/. There you should find other examples of vibrant natural abstract art.
I make all my images available as signed, high-quality, single-issue prints, mounted and framed to the highest standards. Please see https://www.wild-haven.co.uk/buy/.