Camellias are my Muse these Days

The other day I spotted them.

Dozens of camellias fallen from a Camellia bush at the edge of a property, spilling into the Alley.

So many of them fallen in their gorgeous pinkness, not yet turning brown.

Oh how Camellias make my whimsical side swoon.

Later on that week I got my camera out on a gorgeously sunny day and headed out to that spot and filled up my arms with as many blossoms as I could find and headed down towards my usual photo taking zone a few blocks away.  This area is amazing…there are a couple community gardens, a big park, an art studio with graffiti on the outside walls and train tracks…truly whether I’m feeling like taking natural or urban photos, there is something to meet that need there.

Walking there I realized how walking down a very busy street with camellia blossoms spilling out from your arms might not be a normal sight to see and it made me happy to see it made lots of people smile (in that way it does when you’re carrying a bouquet of flowers).

One of the many things I love about taking self-portraits is that it can make space for parts of ourselves that don’t normally get to be part of our day to day life to tell its story.  For me that is my whimsical side and oh my carrying camellia blossoms down the street and inviting them into the photo definitely let that part of me come out on this day.

I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with them, but for me that isn’t that important in the adventure.

Folks often ask if I plan out my self-portraits and to be honest I really don’t.  I love the experience of just seeing where the day, the landscape, the light and the setting (and how many people are around) leads me.  It rarely leads me where I expected it to, which is fun.  If I plan to go to one spot, it will always be that someone is standing right there and I’ll need to get outside that comfort zone and find somewhere new.

I also love finding things that could be ‘props’ for taking selfies, like these camellia blossoms.  Though camellias have been a regular self-portrait taking prop for me.  Years ago when I lived in a different part of town we had a Camellia bush in the front yard and as they’d fall I’d gather them up and take them to a nearby ravine for photo adventuring that led to these photos:

I wanted to mention this in case you’re out ‘n about these days and see something that could be a part of your selfie taking!  There just might be a gorgeous bloom or other cool props awaiting you. Or of course bringing something as a prop from home is oh so fun too!

Here are a few images from that day (both with iPhone and DSLR) of the camellia adventures and other garden explorations that happened after!