Flowers in Transitions
FLOWERS IN TRANSITION BY MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER SUSAN MICHAL.
THE COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS THE LIFE CYCLE THAT FLOWERS TRANSITION THROUGH IN AN EXPLOSION OF COLOR, TEXTURE AND DETAIL. THE IMAGES BEAUTIFULLY SHOWCASE THE DELICATE AND OFTEN MISSED NUANCES OF EACH BLOOM AND ARE SO LIFE LIKE THAT YOU CAN ALMOST SMELL THE FLOWER AS YOU VIEW THE IMAGES. ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF ONE OF GOD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL GIFTS TO THE EARTH, THE FLOWER, AS YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE, THROUGH THE EYES OF SUSAN MICHAL.
I have always loved the amazing and complex beauty of flowers.They speak to me! I can literally spend hours photographing a flower and not know where the time has gone. I especially love the transition a flower goes through during itʼs life. Daily I find myself dropping everything to photograph a flower when I see it change into an interesting
state because I know that ten minutes later it may look completely different.Recognizing that small window of opportunity and having the discipline to act on it, has been key to the success of the flower images.
I am very aware of the short life that flowers have, and have been very interested in photographing them as they transition through the stages of bud to full bloom and
death. As flowers transition through different stages colors change drastically and the textures become intense. Many of my favorite images are of blooms well past their
prime.
In the beginning of this project I was more interested in finding unique flowers to photograph, but very quickly I began to experiment with more common flowers and realized that every flower was an incredibly interesting subject to photograph. Some of my favorite images are of flowers I found along the roadside blooming wild, or in my studio garden.
When you look at a flower through the camera lens you see things that you may never have noticed when viewing them with the naked eye. I love the complex textures the intense colors and the unexpected shapes. Some are soft and gentle in their beauty,
some are bold, many are funny and some are just strange, proving that God has an intense sense of humor and a strong imagination.
Why Every Photographer Should Compete
I have always felt like entering my photography into competitions would help me grow as an artist. There are many different competitions available to photographers that can help get their art noticed.
One of the most important ones for photographers is Professional Photographers of America’s International Photographic Competition. As a long time member of PPA I have always been a supporter of this competition. Having your work judged by your peers is perhaps one of the best ways for a photographer to learn and grow.
Choosing the right images to enter into any competition can be a daunting task! While PPA’s membership is primarily wedding and portrait photographers, the competition actually reflects all of the many facets of PPA’s members. There will be landscapes, commercial and food photography along with portraits, weddings and many other types of photographic art.
Photography has gone through so many changes over the last ten years and PPA members continue to be at the forefront of these changes and always pushing the boundaries.
I received my Master Photography degree from PPA in 2001. I have continued to enter this competition over the last 15 years. I recently received my Imaging Excellence Award. This is awarded to a photographer achieving 13 print merits over the needed merits for their Masters Degree. It’s that time again and I have been working to choose images for this years competition. Every photographer that enters hope for the holy grail of a ”perfect case”. This would be four merits and four loan prints, resulting in a Diamond Photographer of the year award. This is no easy feat! As with any competition, you can never predict what will do well. Opinions differ and what the Judges think will vary based on the make up of the panel.
Having the courage to enter competition can really help you grow as an artist. Developing a tough skin is a must for any artist. To see a sample of some of the images entered in to PPA’s competition go to www.ppa.com or find PPA’s loan collection and showcase books on Amazon.
Meeting your Mentors
For years I have admired the beautiful wildlife photography of George Lepp and Art Wolfe. They are two of the most well known photographers in their field. Many of you would be surprised to know that I LOVE wildlife photography and my biggest dream trip would be to Africa. I’ll make it there one day. Last night I had the pleasure of dining with these two gentlemen along with Kathy, George’s wife, Greg, the founder of Moab paper and Canon rep Barbara Eden. It was a lovely evening. Tonight I will attend a seminar by Art Wolfe during which he will receive the Life Time Achievement Award.
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