A Lily by Any Other Name Might Be More Accurate, Actually

Two flowers we love to call lilies are not part of the Lilium genus

Each flower has its charm, so I can’t say I dislike any of them. But I do have a few favorites I can never resist photographing.

The arum lily and the water lily are two I love to snap. Like the lily of the valley, they are lilies in name and not by family relation. I find real lilies difficult to capture. I like their pollen-heavy anthers set in a background of multicolored petals, but I can never get the angle right it seems.

However, these two faux lilies are beyond photogenic and have close friends with similar characteristics that I also like to shoot. The flamingo flower (like the arum) and the sacred lotus (like the water lily) are the friends in question, which I actually don’t shoot in the same way.

The Arum/Calla Lily — Zantedeschia genus

It’s not just the spadix that is overtly sensual on this flower — the thick, creamy folds of the spathe give a lot of tactile information to the eye. (If you are a leaf lover, you may be familiar with their cousin the montsera plant.)

I’m not so crazy about wide aperture closeups with its friend, the flamingo flower.

The Water Lily — Nymphaeaceae family

The flowers and accompanying famous lily pads are nothing short of elusive yet inviting. I really, really, really want to sit on one, but I don’t want to make it onto the “banned for life” list at any botanical garden. I typically like to photograph these in context of their environments, namely water.

Its friend, the lotus, where I prefer as tight a shot as possible.