What will you find?

There is always a plethora of photographic opportunities at our fingertips, everywhere we turn something beautiful is bound to be seen, especially in the natural world. John Muir once said: "When one tugs at something in nature he finds it connected to the rest of the world" I believe this statement to be pretty accurate. When I become an observer of nature, I am opening up to the channels of calming and spiritual benefits this earth has to offer (even if simply studying a flower) These channels are ones that we often can't tune into due to the busy schedules and chaos that is our modern condition. This image was made from a cluster flowers growing from what seemed to be a dead tree in our backyard. To isolate the flowers I underexposed them on a black background using window light. Being that it was a white subject, shooting in raw came in real handy when recovering harsh highlights: one of the reasons raw is absolutely essential at all times. It was nothing more than a wonderfully fragrant plant until I later discovered it to be a white lilac. Lilacs flower on old wood, and produce more flowers if unpruned. If pruned, the plant responds by producing fast-growing young vegetative growth with no flowers, in an attempt to restore the removed branches; a pruned lilac often produces few or no flowers for one to five or more years, before the new growth matures sufficiently to start flowering. A very interesting plant that is bisexual, with fertile stamens and stigma in each flower!. Symbolizing love and hardy character, this guy was unknown to me until I took a second to stop and open up my senses. So I challenge you to seek out something beautiful and learn more about it. Open your eyes, it's the greatest show on earth!