Excited to announce my Floral Essence series is now in print🌺.
This 7” x 7” monograph features 29 vibrant flower images across 42 pages. Available in softcover ($19.95) and hardcover ($39.95) plus $5 postage.
Sharing these images on social has been so rewarding, and now I’m thrilled to offer this curated print edition.
Share with someone you know who loves nature, flowers and photography.
Email me to order your copy and bring a touch of floral art home.
WayneEastep@gmail.com
Curated Collection of flower photographs printed in the monograph Floral Essence
Series: Floral Essence #8 Amaryllis
The series “Floral Essence” comes to a finale. A post about the Amaryllis feels like the perfect subject at the right time with which to conclude this series.
As holidays near, wax-dipped Amaryllis bulbs show up in the shops, ready to brighten the gray winter days with color.
Named from the Greek word for “to sparkle,” it is fitting that the Amaryllis blooms in winter, around Christmas.
Given their sturdy stems and vertical profile, Amaryllis symbolize strength, pride, and determination. When the flowering phase ends, you can cut the stem and preserve the bulb; it will flower again next year. With proper care, it can live for up to 75 years.
Thank you for following Floral Essence. It has been an inspiring journey through the language of flowers.
An exceptional monograph is on the way, stay tuned!
Back to work on a new series about a different subject.
To see these Flowers and more, visit my website at: www.wayneeastep.com
Amaryllis buds “to sparkle”
Series: Floral Essence #7 Feather Grasses
Feather Grasses, like these near Sergeyevka, Kazakhstan, have grown for millennia in the thin topsoil of the Steppes; some varieties are now scarce or endangered species. The Steppes were covered in this ideal pasturage prior to the Soviets’ misguided Virgin Land Reclamation policy of the 1950s, under which nearly 25 million hectares (approximately 62 million acres) of the northern Steppes were plowed to plant wheat.
The feather grasses provide nutrition for horses, cattle, sheep and goats, ensuring a sustainable food source for nomads.
The sea of grasses move in waves with the wind, nurturing a soul that’s living in relationship with nature.
Book; Floral Essence. coming soon
To see more images of flowers visit: Wayne Eastep.com
Feather Grasses in the Steppes of Kazakhstan
Series: Floral Essence
#3 Amorphophallus titanum
The Amorphophallus titanum is the largest unbranched inflorescence flower in the world. The plant grows to between 6 and 12 feet tall. With a name and size like that it’s no wonder it makes the news when it blooms.
From bulb to bloom can take up to ten years. After that long wait the bloom only lasts for about 24 to 48 hours. The plant originates in Sumatra in Indonesia.
Because of this plants unusual resume I thought how can I make an image that suggests its dramatic presence. I settled on cross-processing some of the images to evoke the energy of this amazing plant. Cross-processing is when you use positive film and process it in negative chemistry. Doing this you never know what you’ll get.
This series of images is part of a larger collection called Floral Essence. I’ll share more about that in the near future.
To see these images and more flower pictures visit the gallery Flowers at www.wayneeastep.com
Photographs of flower Amorphophallus titanum
Sunflower | Golden Ratio, Golden Bloom
Series: Floral Essence #2 Sunflower
As we were driving along the border of Kazakhstan toward Mongolia, we crested a hill. The field in front of us, all the way to the horizon, was filled with sunflowers as far as the eye could see. I had our fixer pull over. I got out of the jeep, went into the field, and made a series of images of the golden carpet of sunflowers in full bloom. It knocked me out!
Over the next couple of years, the magnificence of those sunflowers remained alive in my memory.
I wanted to learn more about sunflowers. My curiosity was not just about the beauty of their bright blossoms, but what they were all about. I ordered mammoth sunflower seeds, planted the seeds in a circle in my yard, waited, and watched. Over three months, I photographed the stages of growth from seedlings to decline. What I observed increased my appreciation for their beauty but raised even more questions.
Why did every flower develop a similar spiral pattern? Why were the seeds packed in so tightly and at an angle? My research revealed many connections between nature, mathematics, philosophy, and the rich history of intellectual inquiry — more on that in a later post.
The short-form answer to my questions is that the spiral pattern and the angle of the seeds in the sunflower represent the most efficient way to pack seeds in space and ensure reproductive success. The spirals are called “golden spirals,” reflecting Fibonacci numbers. The elegant angle of the seeds to each other aligns with the “golden angle’’. The pattern of the seeds in the sunflower represents what, in mathematics and aesthetics, can be called beauty — more on that in a future post. Leonardo Da Vinci described this phenomenon, which can also be seen in hurricanes, galaxies, pinecones, and pineapples, as the “Divine Proportions”.
One day, when the flowers were reaching maturity, I watched a pair of wild Brazilian Green Parrots as they fed on the seeds. The two parrots took up positions next to each other on two sunflowers. While one ate, the other stood guard, watching for any threat. After a while, they switched roles. The one guarding then ate, and the other provided protection.
Sunflowers blend mathematics and beauty
I love the illusion of fire that this image creates. This print is 47″x 96″. To see this image at different sizes visit my online store: EastepPhotography
To see other images in this collection visit my website: WayneEastep.com
Al-Hijr / Madain Saleh
Al-Hijr, Madain Saleh the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia.
The entrance to a sacred area within the complex at Al-Hijir. The archeological site of Al-Hijr (Madain Saleh) is the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia. It is a major center of the Nabataen civilization. It is the largest Nabataen site south of Petra in Jordan. It bears testimony to the Nabataen civilization between the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC and pre-Islamic period in the 1st century AD.
Part of the collection “Art Within Architecture” on exhibit at Eastep Photography gallery 1338 Central Avenue, Sarasota, Florida 34236
Serene night on the Gulf of Mexico
My friend and fellow photographer, Peter Silvia made an astute observation about a recently curated collection of my images showcasing water.
“You know Wayne these images of water are really about serenity”.
Images can be more about feeling than the fact of the subject.
This is particularly the case when when we are in a state of union with the subject we are observing.
I hope when you look at the images I’ll share in the coming days you find that they give you a moment of serenity.
Parrot-Tulip
I love the feeling of this image. It is as if I am small and moving among the tulips looking up at the sun coming down through the petals and leaves.
You may buy a print at my online store: eastepstore.wayneeastep.com
A view from within the tulips.
My new online store eastepstore.wayneeastep.com is open for ordering prints. The curated collection has been edited for display art in the home, office, hospitality, health care and corporate spaces.
After choosing an image, you can select the medium, size, finish and framing; then pay with PayPal or your credit card from within the store eastepstore.wayneeastep.com
I thank you in advance for visiting the store and appreciate your sharing a link to the store with family, friends and colleagues. The web address is eastepstore.wayneeastep.com
This image was photographed at night in the rain at the Kentucky State Fair, Louisville. It is available in the store now.
Enjoy visiting the new store! Thank you, Wayne Eastep
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