The Study of Light

I took a black and white photography class back in spring and as part of a homework assignment we were asked to focus on the lighting in our photographs. Of course I picked to study the light with my favorite subject: peonies. You can see a little behind the scenes in this Instagram photo.

In preparation of this shoot I bought the peonies a week prior which allowed them to fully bloom and open up; almost to the point of the petals beginning to turn into a darker color and dry up. For the background, I wanted to use something different from a traditional seamless white backdrop. I wanted to use something with a subtle texture to add another element the creation/movement of the lighting and settled on a cardboard box. I shot these both on black and white film and digital but wanted to share the digital versions.

I hope these peonies brighten up your Monday.