Lily of the Valley – Part 4

They’re really coming into a beautiful phase right now.  The leaves are almost fully unfurled and are still delicate and pale in color.  VERY photogenic.  When I shot this last session I was struck by how like a stage it all seemed and thus the titles.

Stagefright (OM 90mm alone)

Understudy (OM 90mm alone)

That one just cried out for black and white.  I use Lightroom for all my post processing and managed the sliders very carefully for this one.  I didn’t want it too harsh, but had to have enough drama to make it compelling.  The shallow depth of field lends itself to the softness, but the shapes themselves hold the drama.  I like.

For this next one I wanted to show how that once the bud is released from it’s papery wrapper it turns downwards in preparation for blooming.

In the Wings (OM 90mm alone)

Overall I like how this series is going and how much I’ve learned about a plant I’ve spent so much time with, but hardly knew.  I will probably head out again today since they’ve changed some more.