Dead Flower
Dead Flower
Copyright 2012 O. Bisogno Scotti All Rights Reserved.
This image of a dead flower in a vase was made in a one bedroom apartment in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles. The vase is placed on a round dining table that I made myself. On that table we shared our food, wine, music and laughter with many friends, family, neighborhood kids and itinerant musicians into the early morning hours. More often than not, there were flowers on the table and sometimes they remained there long after having “peaked”.
I used Tungsten lighting with daylight balanced film and push processed the film a couple of stops to achieve a painterly look. The exposure was probably around f/4. The Daliesque effect was accomplished by waiting for just the right amount of wilt.
Minolta SR-T 101 SLR, 50mm Minolta lens, Kodak Kodachrome 64 35mm transparency film, Slik Tripod.
Blog-Bisogno 
The sign of our times! I love it
LikeLiked by 1 person
Even though I made Dead Flower over thirty years ago, I think that style will always be valid.
When I was 17, my father took me to an art gallery on Columbus Circle in Manhattan to see the works of Salvador Dali. It had quite an influence on me and was the inspiration for making Dead Flower.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You know that the caption is[Dead Flowers], but the photo is so alive…..nice
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you. Timeless I guess. For me, there are so many memories attached to that image. Every time I view it, I’m transported back to that place in time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Usually, when I see a flower, even in a picture, I always admire the glory of nature, through this small piece of life…
When I read the title “dead flower”, I said to myself that this could not be my kind of favourite subject in photography…
I will honestly say that I was mistaken as soon as I saw the picture…
I don’t know if it was the light that provided the fascination, or the inspired eye, or rather the touched soul of the artist, that made the dead flower, alive again!
ps fan of Dali? yes, early days, still life…
LikeLiked by 2 people
I appreciate you taking the time to write down your thoughts on Dead Flower as I am always curious as to why people are drawn to this image, and if it is for the the same reasons that compelled me to make it.
There were always flowers on that table and sometimes they were allowed to stay longer than they should have. After a while, I began to see the beauty in these flowers that were, shall we say, passed their peak. One day as I was sitting there, I saw the position of the vase containing the dead flower in relationship to the curvature of the rough hewn table I had made and the light falling on the scene through the kitchen window, and it all came together in my mind. I used all my knowledge at that time (before digital) to create a painterly effect.
LikeLiked by 2 people
When I was a very little, one of my great grandfathers died. It was my first funeral and since I had no concept of death at the time, I thought he was sleeping in a box. I went over to him, talked to him and stroked his cheek like I had when he was alive but he didn’t respond and his skin felt odd. Everyone freaked out and I was pulled away. I kept going back to him when no one was looking. I wanted to climb into that box and cuddle up next to him for a nap. In order to distract me, I was given a bouquet of flowers someone had brought to the memorial from their garden. They were precious to me because they represented my grandpa. They made me happy. I took them home. Mother gave me a vase to put them in and I placed them on the little table next to my bed. When the flowers began to die, mother wanted to throw them away. I was horrified. I threw a temper tantrum, yes I used to do that, much to the chagrin of my mother. She let them stay in my room. And stay they did, until every last bit of them dried up and fell apart on to the table top. I took the dead petals and leaves and put them in my magic secret treasure box where they stayed for decades as they continued to deteriorate, eventually almost into dust. There was nothing sad in any of this for me. Ever since then, I have let every picked flower I’ve ever had go this way. I still do. I had forgotten why, also decades ago, until I saw this image of yours. Thanks for bringing those memories back to me. Thanks for reminding me why I think dead flowers are so beautiful!
LikeLiked by 2 people
This really is the greatest form of complement when an image can refresh a long forgotten but beautiful memory of a young girls love for her grandfather. You must have loved him very much. Having a granddaughter of my own, your story brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing this with me and the followers of Blog-Bisogno.com.
LikeLiked by 2 people
How can I not share this here. It’s the natural thing to do…It is a precious memory long forgotten that would have been lost forever if not for this.
LikeLiked by 3 people
It is nice to know that visitors of Blog-Bisogno.com feel comfortable enough to share their feelings here. Thank you for doing that Lezlie.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lezlie Sokol Painted Cloud Gallery: I’m glad you liked “Dead Flower”.
LikeLiked by 1 person