Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Back Home
It could be that somewhere on our planet there is someone who is a bigger fan of calla lilies than my mother, but I wouldn’t bet on it. My Mom’s childhood was all about flowers. Her father owned a greenhouse where there were snap dragons and mums and pansies and just about every flower you can think of, but Mom remembers loving calla lilies best.
I just returned from a week in Ohio with Mom. As I look through the personal photos I shot on my trip, I see that many of the images have two common elements: Mom’s calla lily-inspired glassware collection, and some wonderful, made-for-photography morning light.
I don’t remember there being light like this when I was a kid living back home, but I guess at the time I was more interested in Boy Things -- bb guns and bicycles -- than light.
It feels now like a gift of great, good fortune that my passion for photography affords me a personal way of seeing and chronicling my mother’s lifelong love of flowers and the beauty of the natural world.