Vincent van Gogh-esk

Prairie Dock

I recently read Van Gogh, The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.  It had a significant effect on me.  I have gravitated to more saturated colors.  I like complementary colors, when possible.  This shot was inspired by the book.

Prairie Dock

 I was exploring the light green background in this one.  It turned out to be what I consider an excellent representation of the flower parts.  What we might call the petals are really called rays.  The rays each have a floret at their base which is female.  The disk florets are bisexual with only the male portion fertile.  (This from Wikipedia on the Prairie Dock)  You can see both parts in this shot.  I have seen Steve McKee disassemble the entire thing to show the various parts.  These plants are in the aster family.

Prairie Dock

I have experimented with light modifiers while photographing these plants.  I feel that they need direct sun with the resultant harsh shadows to express what I feel.

Prairie Dock

 The day that I made the image of the inflorescence showing the florets, I also made a short video (2 min) titled A Morning Walk.  It is near the bottom of the page.  The video has a Monarch Caterpillar, the Prairie Dock inflorescence, tadpoles and sludge worms.  I hope you enjoy.

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