Yesterday I had the opportunity to photograph several beautiful floral arrangements for a local florist, 4 Seasons Creations. Suzy and her husband are two of the greatest people I have met. I love it when you walk into an establishment or someone’s home and instantly feel the abundance of positive energy, they had it in abundance.

 

During the time I was there I had the opportunity to watch Suzy make some of the arrangements. The one featured in this photograph was the first one I watched her put together. She was doing it so effortlessly that I asked her if she had made these one 100 times. She told me “No, it was the very first time”. I love this arrangement so much I was surprised it was a first. I asked her how she came up with it so easily. She answered, “When I am creating an arrangement, I put the flowers together based on my feelings.”

 

Don’t miss that point, she creates the arrangements based on her “Feelings”. To me, it explained why ALL of her arrangements touched me because each was an expression of her feelings. This is what I try to teach in my workshops and in my photography mentoring.

 

Yes, it’s important to know how to set your camera, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, white balance, lens choice, etc. But being technically good at taking a photograph for me is not enough. No matter what or whom I am photographing I always try to include my feelings. I think that is a big reason why my images are considered “intimate”.

 

I think Suzy’s arrangements are more intimate. There is certainly feeling in all that she creates. I think she has a beautiful soul and that is reflected in her art. In fact, if you are in her area, you should check out her store and experience first had her warmth and the beautiful floral arrangements she creates from her heart.

 

Here are the tech specs for the shot. 85mm f/1.2 L series lens shot at f/7.1, shutter 1/80, ISO-320. I mounted my flash on the camera and bounced it off their white ceiling. It was perfect!