I am not a ‘flower-guy’.  I could care less about the flowers in our backyard or taking pictures of flowers…with two exceptions – cherry blossoms and sunflowers.  Having lived in Washington, DC, cherry blossoms will be forever linked with the start of Spring and the end of Winter.  Sunflowers, arriving at the end of August, make me feel that Summer still has a few days left…a few more nice warm bright days.

I found a great sunflower patch last year and, with the wife and kids away Saturday, I set out to check its status.  I was overjoyed to see it at peak and quickly set about shooting a variety of compositions.  The light was a bit harsh at the time so I decided that I would return later and try for some tighter views.  As it happens I made a wrong turn on the way home and found a new patch of flowers.  These were in even better condition than the first and more accessible.

Here are the first four images from this outing.  I will post the exact same photos tomorrow only in black and white.  There is something about black and white that does wonders for texture and these sunflower shots really ‘popped’ with that treatment.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on which you prefer.