Before we moved to the bushland. Before I knew about Australian wildflowers. Before I was a photographer, there was Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography in my house, in my bookshelf and in my head. I first became aware of Mapplethorpe’s work as a portrait photographer in the early 1990’s. I knew he had photographed Patti Smith…Patti’s music was always playing in my house too. So I went to an exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s portrait photography at the National Gallery of Victoria. Of course I bought the catalogue, and then a few more books showcasing his career work.

Robert Mapplethorpe’s flower photography was one of the themes that captivated me. It was starkly different to flower photography I knew about, and it intrigued me.

I’ve kept the large format calendars of Mapplethorpe flowers. Perhaps one day I will get around to framing these and hanging them on my walls. Even after all of these years, I don’t need to look at them. I can still picture most of them in my head.

When I was given a large bunch of lilies, just about to open, I took this photograph.

Mapplethorpe’s Influence

Aesthetically, my flower photography looks nothing like Robert Mapplethorpe’s.  He took structured studio photographs of flowers in vases, set against strong light, or coloured backgrounds. I take photographs of wildflowers in the bush. My backgrounds are moss, lichen, fallen bark, rotting leaves, bracken and whatever happens to be there. The flowers themselves often have insect marks or other signs of being battered around by the wind.

Yet when I look at his photographs, there is something familiar.  His flowers are stark. The flowers are not pretty. Not fluffy. They don’t evoke a feeling of home, nor of softness. They have hard edges, strong contrast and sometimes, are almost confronting. When I see human forms in trees, I’m sure the concept came from Mapplethorpe’s flowers.  I recognise some of these qualities in my own flower photography.  My flowers are not pretty or fluffy either.

Looking at my own photographs, I think there is a starkness. In many, I capture a sense of the solitary bloom reaching out into a vast emptiness. I see this in Mapplethorpe’s work too.

Here are a few of my wildflower photographs.

Where to find more of my flowers.

I have kept my species photography separate from my art website because the photographs are primarily for identification. This often means the results are not aesthetic. If you want to look at the species found on our property, you can visit my other website: Fifteen Acres.

Read more posts in this series here.