Photographer Mo Devlin takes an interesting approach to flower photography by first freezing his buds in order to produce these stunning, abstract compositions. Using a macro lens, Devlin captures intriguing light, texture, and unexpected details within the dramatic colors and shapes set in ice.
The entire experimental process is delightfully unpredictable. Through trial and error, Devlin has learned that ordinary tap water produces cloudy ice so he now gets his clearest ice by using distilled water. He varies the container size which alters the effects of how the water freezes. And, he uses all kinds of flowers including roses, posies, daffodils, and daisies to obtain a colorful array of painterly compositions.
Another pleasant discovery was that, during the freezing process, water compresses each flower and squeezes out bubbles of oxygen from the petals. As the block further solidifies, the ice pushes the bubbles away from the center which results in lovely icy trails around the flowers.
Devlin enjoys this ever-changing process almost as much as the final photographs and he says, “I know that I have become somewhat obsessed with my frozen posies because when I bring flowers home, my wife asks, ‘Are those for me or the freezer?'”
