I am not exactly sure if it is the lotus pond or the ice cream stand nearby attracts us, but this year we made it to Whitman with Jim “to see the pond” once more. It was a cloudy and overcast day and most of the blossoms were either closed or on their way out but I found some interesting frames to photograph that somewhat summarize the life cycle on the lotus pond as I learned from a Buddhist Temple website.
The perky, fresh, firm buds stand upright, fully erect, showing their strength and their potential. For the next 3-4 days, it would open up to show its petals a little more and close again. Each day it would open at different times and close when it seems appropriate. On day four, the petals would start falling off in the morning, and by the end of the day, all the petals would be gone. In this short lifespan, a lotus blossom would grow and stand majestically on its long stem gracefully swinging by the wind.
As the petals start to fall off, apparently some just hang in there by a thread of fiber but eventually, the unavoidable pull of gravity and weakening structure will leave the central seed pod naked, exposed. Eventually, that too will dry, and along with the leaves disappear for the next season.
As I watched for interesting frames of lotus blossoms in various stages of life, I managed to get a few frames of dragonflies. Not being particularly versed in photographing insects, flying or not, I tried to follow their flight pattern and captured a few photographs as they returned to the previous landing spot. This, I heard from Dennis on a few occasions as he described how he nails those hard to catch photographs of insects and even finickier hummingbirds (my favorite.)
As the photo session came to end, we headed to the ice cream stand of course! I ordered a scoop of black raspberry and Jim got a scoop of maple-walnut. I then remembered how big their scoops were and how cold their ice cream; barely finished half of mine, my stomach feeling the chill and promised to myself (again) to remember to ask for half a scoop next time and let them charge for a full one. It is better to pay and leave behind than pay and dump!
Here are the lotus pond photographs arranged to loosely mimic their life cycle. I captioned them to reflect the stages of their life. Let me know what you think, and spread the word, share on your favorite social media! Just copy the link, and paste it into a new post. And, to those of you who already share my posts, thank you!
Haluk Atamal says
Beautiful photos, Cemal. I guess the fantastic toning and shading is probably due to the overcast day; you were lucky in that respect.
I have a pair of virtual mufflers in my ears when it comes to the medical doctors; I never keep their advices on their dietary dictatorship..
..I eat everything – only in mediocre amounts. The latter solves it all and is the keyword.
I never use sugar in my tea or coffee; all cola-fanta family is out of my dictionary. On the other hand I will not resist some excellent baklava from Tarsus Köse Baklavaları.
Please be careful on the amounts you eat Cemal; we need you!
Cemal Ekin says
Thank you, Haluk. You are right, the subdued light minimized the harsh shadows and allowed for the colors and tones to come forward.
I left half the ice cream because I could not finish it, not because my doctors told me not to. I too eat pretty much anything but cannot eat as much as I used to. For baklava, Jan makes a killer baklava. It was once declared the best baklava in Rhode Island at a festival. However, Tarsus baklava is hard to match.
Take care, and greetings to Turkan as well,
Cemal
Bill Clark says
Hi Cemal, I enjoyed the shots of the seed pods the most. Just lovely. I also enjoyed the inferred shots. I agree, the clouds have been a real treat to watch and photograph these last few weeks. What a show.
Cemal Ekin says
Thank you, Bill. The seed pods have some kind of otherworldly elegance as if they accidentally found themselves in that pond. And, unlike the full-petaled blossoms that last a few days, the seed pods last a long time and look cool when dried.
And, the clouds! They were particularly strong in my infrared photographs as the lead actors and actresses!
Cemal
Barbara says
Cemal, the lotus blossoms are beautiful ! Dennis and I always check out the blossoms in Wickford: each year they seem to change somewhat (lighter color, or more vibrant). The dragonfly colors really pop once photographed. The pods are quite frequently used around the Christmas holidays as fill in arrangements: they are also sprayed gold or silver and make a beautiful statement.
Thanks for all of your insights. Keep up the great work.
Cemal Ekin says
Hello Barbara and Dennis, good to hear from you. How have you been?
I am glad that you enjoyed the photographs. This pond is many times the size of the Wickford lotus pond. Yes, I have seen the seed pods used for various purposes. As I mentioned to another friend above, they have an otherworldly elegance, almost like aliens!
Take care bodoyouz!
Cemal
Binnaz Melin says
Çok güzel ve etkileleyici.
Cemal Ekin says
Sagol Binnaz, guzel bir yer ve koruyorlar. O sevindirici.
Selam ve sevgiler,
Cemal