Artist takes dramatic darkroom flower photos

December 21, 2010

Thomas Brain of Rockford, Illinois has developed a distinctive darkroom technique to capture deeply dramatic shots of flowers.

The photographer shops for the perfect flower and then proceeds to take it with him into his home studio darkroom. Brain then sets up his Nikon D80 on a tripod at the largest depth of field setting with the slowest shutter speed possible, giving a lengthy camera exposure to the shots. He then takes a small flashlight and uses it to "paint" the flower, shining it on different parts of the flower for varied amounts of time, the Rockford Register Star reports.

"The direction and intensity of the light is varied to enhance each bloom, resulting in dramatic photos of beautiful flowers. This is freehand, and trial-and-error," Brain told the news source, who didn't necessarily have a favorite bloom but who said he enjoyed working with hibiscus and large flowers.

According to the Library of Congress, the largest flower in the world is the Rafflesia arnoldii, an immense toadstool-like bloom found in the rainforests of Indonesia. For an oversized, tropical appeal that's still manageable for your indoor bouquet, try arranging hibiscus blooms together with birds of paradise, orchids and bromeliads.

This article is brought to you by Teleflora - a leader in the flower delivery service for over 75 years. Teleflora helps its customers buy flowers online and specializes in bringing the freshest available flowers for a variety of holidays and occasions - all hand-delivered in keepsake vases by the best local florists.

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