This is my entry for the #monomad challenge.
I have a small balcony garden and honestly it’s my favorite corner of the house. I spend time there every morning just looking at them, checking if anything new happened overnight. These plants are small but they mean a lot to me.
I decided to shoot them in black and white this time and I really liked how they turned out. Something about removing the color makes you notice things you normally skip past.
The jasmine has been the star of my balcony lately. She finally bloomed I was waiting patiently and those small white flower buds like small, tight and full of promise. There is something even more beautiful about a flower that hasn’t opened yet. It holds anticipation. Every day I check on her, wondering — is today the day? In monochrome, those pale little buds glow softly against the deep dark leaves, like tiny pearls waiting to be revealed.
The beautiful bromeliads
My bromeliads are my hanging plants and they look so dramatic in monochrome. They hang right on the balcony railing and there’s something about the way their long spiky leaves spread out in every direction that just looks so good in black and white. They’re also blooming right now — you can see the flower forming in the center but in black and white the color is completely gone, it just blends into all the texture and shadows. Honestly still looks beautiful though.
The monstera adansonii is my hanging plant and I love how dramatic its leaves look in monochrome though the flower color is disappeared. All those holes and shadows just look so good in black and white.
And then there’s my little variegated pothos, still young and small but already showing such bold, contrasting patterns on its leaves. In color it’s pretty. In black and white, it looks almost like fine ink brushwork — something between a painting and a photograph.
These plants don’t ask for much. A little water, a little light, a little attention. In return they give me calm, beauty, and mornings worth waking up for.
These plants honestly just make my days better. Simple as that.
All photos taken by me.