Iris Garden

Photograph Story | Iris Garden

My parents have a large print of this photograph hanging in their sun room. I often joke about their home being my intimately shared photography gallery.

This is one of my favorite flower photographs from over the years. Naturally, the purple iris makes me happy (as do all things purple).

What I love most is the delicate softness and contrast. The bokeh of light pink, green and yellow behind a dark purple flower, still preparing to open for the season, commands my attention. When I look at this photograph, I can still imagine myself sitting on the ground, among flowers.

I fell in love with morning light while photographing this iris garden. I have always loved watching the sun rise, as the day starts and the earth wakes up. I once had a tendency to head home after the sun was above the horizon, missing some of the most beautiful light of the day. Arguably, my favorite light of the day.

The first few hours of daylight are soft and magical. I experienced this goodness because I wanted to beat the heat and the Arizona sun. I did both, and ended up discovering my favorite time of day to be outside with my camera.

You could say this iris garden motivated me to become a morning person, again.