One evening, I saw the most beautiful green spiral pattern in the center of a sunflower that was just beginning to open.
It was twilight and I wasn’t motivated to run inside and grab my camera. I believed the light would be better in the morning and I was tired.
The next morning, I was disappointed to find the ornate pattern had been replaced with a mass of fluffy pollen. I resolved in that moment to always shoot what inspired me immediately.
Much of what I conclude from my photos are the metaphors I see. I have a photo called “Hoppity” of a young rabbit who became special to us one summer, which is for me a metaphor of a mother’s love. Because, as you’ll see in all photos of Hoppity, his one ear was partially missing. We believe his mother nibbled it off to remove an infestation of ticks. She loved him and nibbling off the tip of his ear, which seems awful at first, was an act of love and care.
My experience with this sunflower was a metaphor of the need for acceptance. I accept that I missed the first opportunity. It didn’t make the sunflower any less beautiful. It did it’s job. I didn’t do mine. I accepted that and the next morning I took the photo you see here.