A bonus I didn’t expect when joining a local photography group was that one of the members would own a patch of woodland. A wood that at the moment is full not of picnicking bears but of bluebells and other early spring flowers.
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April showers bring May flowers. This is supposed to console us on wet April days with the thought of better weather to come. It reminds us that we need the rain to help things grow. But what if it doesn’t rain?
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March has been a quiet month for photography, on the whole. It started slowly as I searched, sometimes in vain, for subjects that inspired me. Then halfway through the month spring started to arrive. Trees burst into blossom, shortly followed by my beloved magnolias.
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Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire. This quote from Virgil, who lived in the first century BCE, is a reminder that spring has inspired writers throughout the centuries. I wonder if it’s the most written-about season of all?
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When I included some magnolia flower images in my recent monochrome spring flowers post it was to celebrate their sculptural forms in particular. But while black and white really emphasises those forms, draining them of colour isn’t to everyone’s taste. And to be honest the shapes are just as beautiful and distinctive in colour; while the different shades from pure white through delicate pinks to deep reds and purple are equally worth celebrating.
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It may seem contradictory, as we pass from winter to spring, to try to present that colourful season in black and white. Flowers are appearing, in shades of pink, yellow and more. Green leaves are sprouting on trees and bushes. Nature is coming to life in glorious technicolour!
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April is cherry blossom (sakura) month in London. And it has been a wonderful spring for blossom on the street trees of Ealing.
