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 #6
Giant Stapella Cactus
One of the gifts of growing plants is the time it offers for observing their quiet transformations, from the first emergence to eventual passing.
My sister Victoria gave me a cutting from this cactus, and over many months I watched it evolve.
Gradually, as the cactus revealed new shapes and gestures, it seemed to tell a quiet story about what it was and how it was changing.
Using my camera, I captured moments that brought both satisfaction and reflection, preserving memories that deepened my connection with the plant.
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 this image and more flower pictures, visit the gallery Flowers at:
Series: Floral Essence #5
Snapdragons Dancing in the Wind
Practicing photography can be much like practicing meditation. Both invite us to slow down and truly see. They heighten our awareness, sharpen our attention, and help us become more attuned to the quiet details that often pass unnoticed. This image is an expression of that mindful practice.
While driving near Sarasota, a field of snapdragons caught my eye—just a glimpse of color in my peripheral vision. I pulled over, spoke with the property owner, and was welcomed to wander the field with my camera.
As I began photographing, a gentle wind set the flowers in motion. In that moment, I saw not simply a field of snapdragons but blossoms dancing in the wind. I worked to capture the movement of the wind through the petals—more than a still image, a sense of motion and energy.
This photograph is the outcome of years of patient observation and practice. It also reflects what happens when we allow the mind’s eye to see beyond what is in front of us—when imagination meets perception, and feeling becomes form.
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 this image and more flower pictures, visit the gallery Flowers at: www.wayneeastep.com
Snapdragons blossoms moving with the wind
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
Time and life’s conditions bring about change. This cedar tree with the markings of wind, rain and snow, deep cold and searing sun shows us that beauty and grace remain even though the cedars stately and grand posture has passed.
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Reflection on the beauty and grace to be seen in change.
Can Beauty be a Political Statement?
Blue rods of light
I speak for myself. Civility in America’s public arena is under challenge through crass, vulgar and denigrating speech. The growth in tolerance and egalitarianism over the past few decades is facing a setback through intolerant language and actions. When I watch tv news, read newspapers and listen to the radio I come away with the sense that America is in a dark threatening time.
As an artist what can I do to contribute to a more civil, tolerant, inclusive and positive society?
Can beauty be a counter to ugly language and behavior? I believe it can. The laws of science and human behavior support the principle of balancing forces. I offer beautiful images as an artistic and political counterbalance to the ugliness. I invite you to join me in the affirmation of life as we strive for refinement in our lives. What we visualize will have an impact on our attitudes and behavior. This is not a naive call for putting our heads in the sand or pretending that there aren’t a multitude of challenges to the common good. For me it is a recognition of the negative and a choice to turn toward the positive. In the face of darkness and ugliness, light and beauty is a revolutionary action.
To see more images in the Color & Light series visit WayneEastep.com
Abstract color study. Yellow and Gold.
42 page book showcasing photographic art prints of flowers on exhibition at the Flour Parlor in Sarasota, FL
The 42 page book showcases the photographic art prints by Wayne Eastep on exhibit at the Flour Parlor in Sarasota, Florida. I hope you enjoy the exquisite design and lush beauty of these flowers. Thank you for your support.
When you are in Sarasota come by and see the show and enjoy some very fine coffee and tasty desserts by Amy Nichols of the Flour Parlor.
One of Sarasota’s finest boutique bakeries is exhibiting Flower Essence, a show of photographic art prints by photographer Wayne Eastep.
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