Macro Black Rose Series

Fun fact about me: I was born on All Hallow’s Eve, October 30th, also known to teenagers everywhere as “wreck night.” Growing up my friends opted for traditional birthday parties, but not me, I always chose to celebrate with Halloween parties instead. (Which has definitely carried over into my adulthood as well!) By combining the darker ambiance of Fall, and all of the spooky things that season brings, if you ask me what my favorite flower is, my answer has always the been the hauntingly beautiful, black rose! (In addition to my love of black clothing, and being dramatic, I chalk this up to yet another thing Morticia Adams and I have in common!)

Therefore, when it had occurred to me last October that I had never actually seen a real black rose, I decided to go scouring my local florists to see if I could find some to photograph. I had an idea that they were a bit rare, but I assumed being close to Halloween, florists should have at least a few in stock. However, imagine my surprise when every shop I visited not only didn’t have any, I learned that black roses do not even exist in nature! They are in fact, created, and apparently it seemed that everyone knew this, except for me!

Although disappointed, I was determined to find an alternative, so I began searching the internet for ideas. Eventually I found a highly rated online supplier that grows premium red roses, and by using a solution in the water, it dyes the roses black. As you can see from the images, each one is a bit unique, and they do project a deeply saturated black on the outside, however it wasn’t until photographing them that I noticed the middle reflected a completely different hue. Before I artistically enhanced them, the color was indeed more red, however during the editing process I chose to bring out the more purple tones for less of a contrast. Aside from black after all, purple is my favorite color, and it gave the roses more of a look that appealed to me. (Don’t you love the artistic freedom that editing brings?)

As a Photographer I continue exploring the question I seem to get asked all the time, “what kind of photographer are you?” I always want to say that “I am a Photographer that likes to take pictures,” but I fear that will come across as a little sarcastic, even if it is 100% true! The truth is that once you’ve nailed down the more technical aspects of Photography you can be any kind of Photographer that you want to be. My only advice to you on this subject is to practice the things that move you the most, enjoy the journey, and don’t try to define yourself too rigidly! (Unless Photography is your entire livelihood then by all means, make that money and call yourself whatever you wish!)

All of these images were shot using my Canon 6D, 100mm Macro EF lens, most with an aperture of f2.8. Creatively I added in some Halloween props that I had around my home, and used studio lighting and simple black and white backdrops to get the effects that I wanted, with the exception of a few with my alcohol art in the background. This was certainly my most creative studio shoot to date, and definitely one of my favorites, so I’d love to get your feedback in the comments! As always, prints are available upon request via email. And as usual, if you have any questions regarding Photography or my Photography process, please feel free to reach out to me as well!

Happy shooting!

Lisa