The Inspiration Behind Modern Still Life of Pink Peach Blossoms

One of the more delicate pieces in Elements of the Garden is Modern Still Life of Pink Peach Blossoms.

Peach blossoms only bloom for a very short window each spring, which makes them feel especially fleeting and precious. In order to photograph the branches at their peak, I sacrificed the fruit. There’s something poetic about that to me now, preserving a brief moment of beauty before it disappears.

Unlike some of the other works in the collection, this composition wasn’t inspired by a specific historical painting or fine art reference. Like Garden Still Life with Onions and Garlic, the image was built slowly and intuitively, layering objects piece by piece until the composition felt balanced and complete. Check out the video I posted to instagram showing the composition during the shoot.

The day I photographed this piece, it was unusually overcast and wet. Southern California is so often bright and cloudless that the atmosphere outside felt rare. It was soft, gray, and almost misty. I wanted the photograph to carry some of that mood, so I added subtle “raindrops” to the scene to create the feeling of blossoms caught in a quiet spring rain.

The snails in the photograph came from another small moment of observation. I found them in our front yard slowly winding their way up the front walk, incredibly busy and determined. However, the moment I carefully placed them into the set, both immediately disappeared into their shells and seemed to go into hibernation. Even so, their shells added something beautiful and sculptural to the composition. Check out the video that I posted to instagram of the snails while they were still busy and moving. 

This image is part of the collection, Elements of the Garden, which is available here.