Through a child’s eyes
Gaura and Gulf Coast penstemon
As I bent over the purple coneflowers this drizzly afternoon to take some photos, my 7-year-old came out to join me, as she often does. She’s interested in the garden, knows the names of several plants, always wants to help me plant or mulch, and talks about what kind of garden she’ll have someday (bigger than mine with lots of flowers and room for horses).
This time she asked to take a few photos, and I handed her my camera, reminding her to hold it carefully so as not to drop it or touch the lens. She declared her intention to take a photo of every flower in the garden. In the interest of time and preserving my camera batteries, I suggested four instead, and she agreed. She looked around the front garden, edged close to four flowers that caught her eye, and snapped off these photos, which I post here with her permission.
‘Wonderful’ pomegranate in bloom
Mexican snapdragon vine
‘The Fairy’ rose in full bloom, weighed down by rain
She has a good eye for close-ups, I think. I cropped each of these, but she managed to get every photo in focus and well composed. That’s more than I can do most days.
She’s inherited the photography gene. You’re too modest – your photos are always beautiful. I first visited your blog for your ice storm photos of a few months ago, and keep coming back for the interesting plants (and bottle tree!).
Thank you, Entangled. I appreciate your visits and comments!
What I meant about my own photography was that I post only about one out of every ten photos I take. The rest I discard because they’re out of focus or poorly composed or just uninteresting. To take four shots and end up with four worth keeping was what impressed me—though I’ll admit to having a bias toward this particular young photographer. —Pam
She did a beautiful job! She has a great eye for photography. Maybe one day we’ll be visiting her garden blog admiring her beautiful garden and horses.
That’s an interesting thought, isn’t it? That would also attest to the longevity of garden blogging. —Pam
I love the gulf coast penstemon. I was looking through the Bluestone perennials catalog and they listed a bunch of different penstemons. I though we ordered too many other plants already and even though I marked several penstemons to buy I sadly didn’t. Now looking at your flower I regret doing that. Oh well, next year perhaps when our plant budget isn’t so tight. Lovely photos.
Too bad you don’t live closer, Ki, because the Gulf Coast penstemon ( P. tenuis) seeds out readily and I often have volunteers. The only other penstemon I have is rock penstemon ( P. baccharifolius), which prefers full sun and spare conditions. I’ll post photos of it when it starts blooming. —Pam
Well done! I love her flower choices. She’s an excellent photographer. Much better than I am most days. 🙂
And you are a terrific mother to encourage her interest and allow her to participate.
🙂
Dawn
Thanks, Dawn. —Pam
I think she might have her mother’s eye. A proud grandma june
And her grandmother’s interest in gardening. —Pam
Wow, very impressive! And imagine the head start she has in creating beautiful things around her having grown up amid your gorgeous gardens. Lucky her!
Thank you, Vive. —Pam
What I find interesting is not just your daughter’s talented eye, but what plants she photographed. She’s put together a nice mix of colors, with interesting leaves and complex flower forms, leaving out the simple daisy forms that adults use to decorate children’s clothing and toys.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I thought her choices were interesting too. Well, anybody’s choices would be. It’s always intriguing to know what catches other people’s eyes in one’s own garden. —Pam
A talented young lady I see and what lovely choices she made. Thanks for this view of your garden via your daughters eyes.
You’re welcome! She got a kick out of seeing her photos online and reading everyone’s kind comments. —Pam
My favorite is the Pomegranate with the white chair in the background. Nice composition with a subtle, rest a spell and enjoy the beauty thought.
Sure does make you think about your own picture taking. Like you Pam most of mine are never posted. Focus is challenging in light wind and with less than steady hands.
Yes, seeing a child’s (good) photos does make me think about my own. At first I thought, Well, it just goes to show that taking a decent garden shot isn’t that hard. And then I thought, No, it actually is hard, as I well know from all the photos that I delete from my files. Was my daughter’s success due to beginner’s luck, or a good eye, steady hands, and cooperative weather? Probably all of the above. —Pam
She has an artistic eye-and a talent to foster
Thanks, Nicole. Mostly I’m thrilled that she enjoys the garden too and wants to participate in it. —Pam