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Jun 14 2010 6 Comments

Flower affront?

Some countries, which quite disappointingly includes my own, are making it increasingly difficult for photographers to happily go about their business without any bother; a terrible misuse of the law that instead of tackling terrorists is crippling the creative.

And yet that said, it could be argued that sometimes, in some cases, a certain amount of restraint is actually required, and particularly so when it involves plants, as this poor shrub, quietly trying to photosynthesise, unfortunately found itself photographically affronted.

Japanese photographers

The victim of an ambush even.

Japanese photographers

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ameiji says

    6/14/2010 at 5:19 pm

    What’s so special about the plant? Is it some kind of a seasonal plant like ajisai?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/14/2010 at 7:20 pm

      That’s what I wondered, and I honestly have no idea what it is, but it’s amazing the attention it garnered.

      Reply
  2. Tiffany says

    6/14/2010 at 10:37 pm

    An am-bush, hehe…

    Reply
  3. Revenant says

    6/15/2010 at 8:07 pm

    It looks like コンフリー or Comfrey (symphytum officinale). Also known as Knitbone, etc. It has a long history in Western herbal medicine and was apparently introduced to Japan in the Meiji period (says Wikipedia). Internal consumption has in recent years been discouraged. Seems it may actually be harmful to the liver. I try to grow it here in dry Australia (attracts helpful insects into the garden and the cut foliage promotes fast break down of compost) but can never achieve the lush growth I saw in Japan. The flowers are very attractive; but perhaps not so much so as to warrant the over-zealous attention of these photographers.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      6/15/2010 at 8:15 pm

      Thanks a lot for the info. Good to get a bit of background on the flower, and to actually know what it is. Why they were so keen to photograph it on the other hand will forever have to remain a mystery!

      Reply
  4. yasukostyle says

    6/16/2010 at 2:57 am

    Some Japanese amateur photographers are very much into shooting close ups of flowers. It’s been a trend for a very long time. If you look into issues of photography magazines and lifestyle-culture magazines such as Serai, they run articles about how to shoot close ups of flowers. There are many photography clubs in Japan, and these photographers probably belong to a club. I think these images are humorous. I wish they are lot more careful about what they are doing to the environment while they are at it.

    Reply

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