Tackling a simple yet difficult subject, flowers with a Fuji X-T1 and Zeiss 50mm macro lens.

There is such a proliferation of flower images out there that in stock photography, at least, no one even wants to see one anymore. And yet...we photographers are constantly drawn to an image of a spring flower -- the promise of relief from winter, colors that bring a smile to our face, new life emerging from the dead landscape. I succumbed today to a vase full of fading tulips that have been in our home for several days. A simple project. Point the camera at the flower. Click. Done.

The light was right. My Fuji X-T1 was sitting nearby with the Zeiss 50mm f/2.8 macro lens on it. I went for it.

I was looking for something different but deep down knew that wouldn't happen with such an over-done subject. The flowers were past their prime. The glory of their color fading. Open petals. Dulling green leaves. But they still had a statuesque beauty.  I wanted to capture it before they faded into oblivion. Flowers teach us how to live.  Like people, they are not always at their best in their prime. Yet there is something noble in the fade.

It was a relief to me not to feel like I had to punch the color. No HDR. (I really hate the over-exagerated look of HDR). No over-saturating the image beyond what nature intended. A Fuji X-T1 set to Classic Chrome. Aperture open to its widest at f/2.8.  Less is more.