Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal.
It strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it. ~Eliza Tabor.
Photographs: ©Alison Lee Cousland.
The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.
It was March 2016 and I was at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show: The largest show of its type in Australia, that features award winning floral displays in the Great Hall of the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens of Melbourne.
I photographed absolutely EVERYTHING I could, from the time the doors first opened until the last attendants cordially asked me to leave: Floral art students creating their presentations, professional boutique displays, fashion mannequins decorated with florals, an art exhibition, outdoor landscape garden design displays as well as many retail stores both inside the hall and in the garden grounds.
My new camera.
I'd acquired my new Sony Mark 2 Alpha 7 mirror-less camera only the day before flying into Melbourne and I hadn't been able to find a window of time to test it.
My 'creative muse' was on a floral high and went absolutely wild, taking hundreds upon hundreds of photographs of the most beautiful arrangements and creative events.
HOWEVER: I was such a 'grasshopper' that I didn't even know how to check the focus of the images after I'd taken them.
Long story short.
All the images were out of focus because the lens had not been secured correctly. Can you imagine the tears?
Old World Florals.
These three photographs were the only ones that had any sort of clarity ~ Albeit rather softly focused. And although 'Old World Florals' are not exactly my forté in image making, I felt that they have a certain charm and 'orangeness' about them.
Fourth Color Challenge.
This is the first submission in my fourth 'Color Challenge for Steemians.' presented by 
Later this week I'd like to illustrate how some of my own arrangements with natural materials and water/ice are constructed.
About my own work.
Relatively small assemblages or arrangements are constructed from flowers, weeds and plants, combined with other natural materials that I find in the local bushland or surrounding urban streets.
A fuller description is in my introductory article: The Heart of Immortality
If you have any questions about my work or would like to leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you.