avatarAnne Bonfert

Summary

The website content is a personal essay by Anne Bonfert on the beauty and transient nature of poppy flowers, captured through her photography.

Abstract

Anne Bonfert reflects on the fleeting beauty of poppy flowers, which she photographed during a brief period before they faded. Despite the challenging weather, she found joy in the images she took, showcasing the various stages of the poppy's bloom. Bonfert experimented with different photographic techniques, including zooming in to blur the background and converting images to black and white to highlight the petals' texture and shape. She shares her journey of capturing the vibrant red of the poppies, which initially proved too intense for her lens, and her ultimate satisfaction with the resulting photographs. The essay concludes with a quote from Henri Matisse and invites readers to explore more of Bonfert's work through her email list or a Medium membership.

Opinions

  • The author expresses that the beauty of poppies is not just in their petals but in the entire process of flowering, from bud to fade.
  • Bonfert suggests that the joy and happiness of the poppy flowers are shared with anyone who passes by, indicating a belief in the communal nature of beauty.
  • She conveys a personal challenge in capturing the intense red of the blossoms, which initially did not translate well in her photographs.
  • The author's appreciation for the intricate details of the flowers is evident, as she enjoys the contrasting shapes and folds of the petals that become visible in black and white photography.
  • Bonfert's essay reflects a philosophical view on the importance of perspective and attention, as seen in the Matisse quote she includes, emphasizing that beauty is available to those who seek it.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

The Poppy Opens Her Scarlet Purse of Dreams

When a flower reveals the real beauty of love and pure joy

Credit: Anne Bonfert

As the wind is howling around the trailer and raindrops are falling onto the roof I’m nurturing my state of happiness through these photographs of poppy flowers I took yesterday.

Somehow poppies have a very short-lived beauty if you count the hours a single blossom will bloom. But there is more behind the joy of a flower than just its petals. The entire process of forming a bud, coloring the whole thing up to fading again. It is all part of the flowering.

And I happened to look up from the path the other day when these large poppy flowers jumped into my eyes. Our neighbor mowed the lawn and I wondered if these flowers were there before already.

They must have been but most probably they weren’t blooming and so I didn’t notice them.

Now, I did and now I had to turn back to grab my camera for a picture. Or two.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

I zoomed in to blur out the background.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

I captured the various stages of a poppy blossom.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

And focused on the overwhelming red of the blossoms. But the color was too intense for my lens. The red was shining but hiding all contours and shapes. I wasn’t happy with my capture.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

I changed the settings.

And removed the color of this beauty. The poppy surely isn’t the same in black and white but not bad after all, don’t you think?

I love how the folds of the petals come to vision.

The contrasting shapes surely stand out.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Then I moved behind the flowering bush and captured the red shining beauties with our trailer in the background.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

Not just the blossom itself but the leaves do look interesting as well. With spiky hairs decorating the edges of each leaf.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

And this was it. My documentation of this flower blooming in a romantic red sharing joy and happiness with anyone walking past.

I even saw a woman stopping the other day. She walked back a few steps and bent down over the bush of poppy flowers. She touched one of them. Maybe she wanted to feel if they were real.

Credit: Anne Bonfert

“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.” — Henri Matisse

More about floral beauty:

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Flowers
Nature
Photography
Inspiration
Happiness
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