I’m an enormous fan of Mara Hoffman, and her summer 2012 swim campaign is one of my all time favorites. For this shoot she drew inspiration from Cuban and Caribbean environments, creating a lush jungle of cymbidiums, croton, palms, philodendrons and other tropicals for her model to romp in. The use of colored light to illuminate these scenes creates a sense of sinister voodoo, as if just off-camera there is a tribe of head hunters or a grove of man-eating vines waiting to attack. My question is, who arranges all this? Is “plant stylist” a career choice and, if so, how do I apply?
Christoffer Relander’s “We Are Nature” Series
Jan 6 2013
Christoffer Relander is a Finnish photographer whose series “We Are Nature” might not have the most creative name ever – but who needs titles when your photographs are this breathtaking? These shots are simple, beautiful and conceptual in a way that I really connect with. Each was double-exposed in-camera using a Nikon D700. My favorites are the second and third images here. Be sure to leave yours in the comments!
Kari Herer’s Beautiful Botanical Photographs
Jan 3 2013
Kari Herer is a photographer and fine artist who draws inspiration from nature when creating her thoughtful compositions. Herer uses ranunculus, peonies and magnolias together with leucadendron, eucalyptus and other natural found items, alone or alongside lovingly detailed, hand-drawn illustrations. These images seem like something out of the pages of a biology textbook come to life (and not surprising, since her father was a seventh grade biology teacher).
Christian Thompson’s Australian Graffiti
Nov 27 2012
Despite my feelings on kangaroo paws, I have always loved Australian plants. They are some of the strangest, most beautifully bizarre specimens I’ve ever seen. What’s more, because of their native climate, almost all of them are well adapted to growing in arid environments, including Southern California and Arizona. In fact, eucalyptus is now the most widely-planted tree in California. That being said, I am especially fond of Australian artist Christian Thompson’s 2008 photo series, ‘Australian Graffiti’, which imagines various native flora – including eucalyptus, banksia and kangaroo paw – as whimsical accessories. At least, that’s my interpretation. Plus, aren’t those sweaters great?
Jon Shireman’s Broken Flowers
Nov 12 2012
Photographer Jon Shireman’s breathtaking 2010 series “Broken Flowers” is a stunning, if inadvertent, exploration of floral form, function and fragility (in addition to being just plain awesome). To capture these amazing photos, Shireman dipped the blooms in liquid nitrogen to freeze them and then, using a homemade spring-loaded device, smashed them at high speed against a porcelain surface. The results, below.
