Poppy

I’m of the opinion that an image isn’t finished until I’m decently happy with the printed version.

This poppy started out yellow and ended up black and white because the colors simply wouldn’t print well. I finally gave up and realized black and white gave me just what I wanted to show – the paper-thin petals and wildly curving stem.

By the way, the base of the stem was upright in a vase when I photographed it. The image shows its natural horizontal bend. I didn’t touch it!

I backlit this poppy in my living room window. Seeing sun stream through translucent petals is among my favorite things in life. If it didn’t sound so old-fashioned, I’d say it makes me swoon.