Where does your  inspiration come from?

Mine happens in my garden.

On Sunday I sat in the garden with my boys. The weather was perfect. My husband and I were both reflective. We’d decided not to share the significance of September 11th with Ian. Not yet anyway. He’s six and I want to let him live with the innocence of childhood as long as possible. Being a house without a TV makes it a bit easier.

Not talking about something that shakes you to your core is difficult. I knew I needed to take my photo of the day, but I didn’t want it to be trite. I needed my photo to reflect our day.

And then my garden showed me. The light hit my sunflower in such a beautiful way. If you’ve watched sunflowers grow you’ve witnessed the magic of them reaching further and further toward the sun. Their stems thicken as they meander their way toward the sky, turning their heads as the sun moves. When the flower forms, all of the petals are folded toward the center and they gradually unfurl, one petal at a time. The difference between morning and night on a single bloom can be breathtaking. Such strength and beauty in a single flower.

This sunflower was a late bloomer. Its neck isn’t quite strong enough to hold the flower all the way to the sky. Its bend meant I could get closer than to the other 11 feet high flowers in my garden.

The wind caught it right as I started to press the shutter, but I got lucky. Really lucky.

Color seemed too much on a day of reflection.

A quick switch to black and white in Camera+ and I felt like I had an image fitting for the day.

Where does your inspiration come from?