I took advantage of a warmer sunny day this week and wandered around the city in search of flowers in bloom. To my delight, the tulips were in their prime.

The photo immediately below was an accident; it was high noon and I forgot to dial down my exposure. Later, sitting in front of my computer to sort through the day’s “catch”, I was absolutely thrilled to discover the image looked so intensely illuminated by the sunlight. Because the effect is so staggering, I decided not to edit anything about this particular photo. It wasn’t cropped, saturated, or altered in any way. This is a great example of how “accidents” in photography can turn out to be a gorgeous composition. It’s no secret that I have an ongoing love affair with this genre of art, and shots like this just add fuel to the fire. While viewing my work, I hope you experience a sample of the joy it brings me.

 Over the years, tulips, like many flowers, have been appointed various meanings. Though each color represents a different expression, the overall connotation is “perfect love”.            

 

Yellow has evolved from symbolizing undertones of hopeless love to emulating sunny rays of cheeriness.

Red tulips, like red roses, are associated with true love, while tulips that are white express forgiveness.

The luxuriant hue of purple symbolizes royalty, and a tulip that is composed of a variety of colors or designs is said to suggest someone has gorgeous eyes.

      Tulips

      By: A.E. Stallings

The tulips make me want to paint, Something about the way they drop Their petals on the tabletop And do not wilt so much as faint,

Something about their burnt-out hearts, Something about their pallid stems Wearing decay like diadems, Parading ?nishes like starts,

Something about the way they twist As if to catch the last applause, And drink the moment through long straws, And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

The way they’re somehow getting clearer, The tulips make me want to see— The tulips make the other me (The backwards one who’s in the mirror,

The one who can’t tell left from right), Glance now over the wrong shoulder To watch them get a little older And give themselves up to the light.