I have a giant love for flowers, which we all know by now, and though I started photographing flowers in a studio I loved the joy of getting to let it flow from in the studio, (abstract photography, dried flowers) and out into nature, and back to the studio again. I would spend most of my days outdoors if it were a real option, hiking out in nature, discovering great beauties all around us like wildflowers in the spring or the stunning beauty of our National Parks. So, I don’t know when to say I started working on the series A Garden Variety but it began from really feeling who I am deep down inside when I am out in the middle of nature. I think that is what we are all searching for, right, that feeling of knowing I am in the right place.

Never knowing what types of flowers you will find while out exploring is yet another reason why I have enjoyed this series. All sorts of different flowers are found in different states and getting to capture a type of flower that doesn’t grow near you is an amazing opportunity!

I LOVE photographing flowers outdoors and thinking about the experiences that came with those photographs. For example, last year I got to go for a hike with my cousin, a friend, and my family to see Showy Lady Slippers in Minnesota. These flowers are the state flower, and cannot be picked, so the only place to photograph them is right where they are. My cousin and friend knew right where to go and were delighted in getting to show the kids and me these spectacular flowers tucked just far enough away that if you didn’t know where they were you would go right past them! That trip and seeing those flowers is something that is a memory I love to revisit not only in my mind but looking back at the photos as well!