It’s been 2 years since I properly said hello…
hello!
I’m Tasha.
Wife and mother.
Lifelong learner.
Conservative hippie.
Flower photographer.
The hat I wear depends on the day. Sometimes it’s one… sometimes it’s many.
how did I become a photographer?
A camera gifted to me by my Husband, to help me recover from a back injury.
It helped me forget my pain for the moments I escaped to the back yard… a garden that was wild and unkempt – very much like my mind during this period.
My photography evolved from there – mainly people, pets and afternoon sunshine – and it was when the world turned on its head in 2020, that I took the opportunity to learn off-camera flash, a technique that had equal parts bamboozled and terrified me.
Leah McLean’s online course found its way into my inbox, and I spent many hours in my Studio experimenting with this new technique. Thankfully her way of teaching was light on the math, as I tend toward a more instinctual way of photographing, and I quickly found an off-camera flash rhythm that worked for me.
To be able to photograph exclusively in Studio has been a game changer for me. Not being dependent on sunlight and the weather during our long, cold winters has opened up endless opportunities that I am so thankful to explore.
The floral photography of Nadia Culph and Mel Campion were my initial inspirations… bright pops of colour on dark backgrounds… they made me realise that I could photograph in a way that spoke to my soul…
As I further explored my style, I found influences from the Great Masters – Caravaggio and Rembrandt in particular. And reawakened a fascination from my teenage years with the technique of chiaroscuro.
The flowers I photograph come predominantly from my garden – a garden I inherited when we bought our home, and the garden that encouraged both my current works and my growth as a gardener.
Whenever a bloom comes into the house, before I even pick up my camera, I spend time studying it, because I believe that every flower has a face, and well, to put it inelegantly, an arse.
Both of these aspects, however, are beautiful in their own right, so often you will find photos of the backs of flowers amongst my work.
And from bud to bloom, wilt to decay, each stage of a flower’s life has a beauty and story to tell.
Whilst initially I was drawn to black-and-white edits, the intensity of colour against my favoured background, over time, found me finishing with more colour edits at the end of a shoot.
Working exclusively on a black background allows me to create a dramatic atmosphere to highlight the grace and delicate beauty of the flower being profiled.
The pops of colours, or textures so vivid you want to reach out and touch them, are what I want my viewer to stop and look at – especially in a world where many are sometimes too busy to notice the details that surround them.
And just as each flower has a face, many times they also have a story – a story that brings up memories for the viewer. A rose reminds you of your grandmother’s garden… a daisy of going for weekend picnics with the family.
flowers have a way of evoking faded memories and bringing out a smile…
My Studio is my happy place. The place I go to escape the upside-down world and reclaim the peace that is integral to my being.
Knowing that my flower images can brighten an otherwise ordinary day for someone is the thing that keeps me picking up my camera and
capturing the beauty of nature
through a dark and moody lens
with peace, love and light,
Tasha xo
