click photo to enlarge
There are 20 species of cyclamen that collectively flower during every month of the year. Combine this with the striking, colourful, five-petalled flowers, the beautifully figured leaves and the reason for their widespread popularity becomes obvious. I've photographed them on a couple of occasions and each time managed to secure an image that was different from my usual flower shots. One of the blog posts - of a plant that had gone a touch "leggy" due to too much warmth - was where I first used the Marc Chagall quote that I repeated the other day. The other was a semi-abstract image of a single flower head reflected in a mirror.We've had cyclamen as indoor pot plants for years, and we've valued the fact that they are not only long-flowering, but also provide winter colour for our window-sills in the cooler rooms of the house. However, there are species of cyclamen that will grow outdoors in the garden too, and a couple of years ago we planted some in our rockery. They are thriving, though whether through the activity of birds or due to weather and gravity, some of them have moved downhill and are flowering in the edge of a lawn.
The photograph above is a macro shot of some of our blooming indoor cyclamen. It was taken hand-held, rather speculatively, but turned out better than I expected. Reviewing the shot as it filled my computer screen the petals looked like turbulent waves on a pink sea. Reproduced on a small scale it has less impact, but still offers something I think.
photograph and text (c) T. Boughen
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 100mm
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
ISO: 2000
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
