PDN - July 2012

Barbara Bordnick, one of Canon’s Explorers of Light, is an award-winning portrait, fashion and fine art photographer based in New York. Her images have appeared in Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Times, French Vogue and Vanity Fair, among many publications. Bordnick’s work is also in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the International Center for Photography in New York City; the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York; and the Portland Museum of Art in Maine. She has published three monographs of her flower photographs: Searchings: Secret Landscapes of Flowers Vol. I, Vol. II and Vol. III.

© 2012 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon, EOS, and PowerShot are registered trademarks of Canon Inc. in the United States. IMAGEAN Y WARE is a trademark of Canon. Visit us at learn.usa.canon.com. Barbara Bordnick is a compensated spokesperson and an actual user of the Canon product(s) she promotes.

It was the first day of spring, a gorgeous day, as I walked to the Midtown Flower District. I’ve been coming here for my flowers, ever since the Takashimaya department store (which had the best florist in Manhattan) closed, as well as the florist across the street from me on 19th Street. In the Flower District I saw these glorious violet anemones. Their black centers were like eyes, staring at me. Because their promise of spring was so vivid, I had to buy them. For small subjects like this, I shoot in my home studio, where I’ve been shooting for more than 40 years. It’s in the original Photo District, which is now the Flatiron District.

I began photographing flowers in 2000 when a model didn’t show up (I forgot to book her). Because I didn’t want to waste the day, I decided to photograph some lilies I had recently bought at the Union Square Green Market. My assistant quickly changed the set. That first shoot led to an exploration of the exquisite landscapes of flowers. Both the subtle and abrupt color transitions, the sensuous, erotic curves and forms, the mysterious caverns took me to a place I’d never before been. I don’t have the same interest in photographing flowers in gardens or landscapes, and would rather control the lighting and composition of a single flower in my studio in order to visit the intimate world I find with a close look at the petals, filaments and all the little parts that make up a flower. This photograph was made with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II body and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens. The sharpness and excellent color rendition of the Macro lens are essential to my exploration of this world. From the start, I have chosen flowers that have a sensuous, emotional and graphic appeal to me, like these anemones do.