Monthly Archives: December 2021

Harold Davis—Best of 2021

December 23, 2021 by Harold Davis | 3 Comments

2021—a year that has truly lived up to “May you live in interesting times”! My “Best Of” selections for prior years, going back to 2013, can be found here. Onward and upward through the fog!

California Live Oak © Harold Davis

Corn Poppy © Harold Davis

Bouquet of Poppies from the Garden © Harold Davis

The Right to Assemble © Harold Davis

The Way Things Were © Harold Davis

Blowing in the Wind © Harold Davis

Papaver Pods © Harold Davis

A Hint of Color, Oxarafoss © Harold Davis

Haifoss Variation 4 © Harold Davis

Godafoss © Harold Davis

Lotus Flower © Harold Davis

Love is a Many Splendored Thing © Harold Davis

Dandelion Inversion © Harold Davis

Climbing Broccoli Mountain © Harold Davis

Autumn Roses © Harold Davis

Divertimento 1 © Harold Davis

Glass Shield © Harold Davis

White Peony © Harold Davis

Most images available as prints. Please inquire.

Check out my self-selected bests from previous years in Best Images Annuals!

Posted in Best Of

Solstice Greetings 2021

December 21, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

This shortest day of the year brings me thoughts of renewal. As the days grow longer, and light returns, I am hoping that we all find comfort, creativity, and a harmonious way forward.

Sagrada Familia © Harold Davis

I made this photograph of Antonin Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Catalonia in 2014. You can check out the original blog story here, with more about the architecture of the Sagrada Familia in Antoni Gaudi and the shell game.

Posted in Photography

Petals on a Plate

December 19, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

I have got a great deal of mileage over the years from Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily) petals. These petals are shown in this photo on a decorative glass plate on my light box. Compared to other flower petals, they seem to work particularly well with light coming through them, backlit on a light box. This is due to the translucency of the alstroemeria petal, their variability in color, and variegated patterns and markings.

Petals on a Plate © Harold Davis

It’s hard to know where to begin with my images that use these flower petals, but a few that I like are Floral Composition, Alstroemeria Medley, Petals on Parade, New Year’s Dragon, Spiral of Flower Karma, It Starts with a Petal and Ends with a Twist of Fate, Floral Tondo, and Flowers on Ebony and Ivory. Selected images from these blog stories are shown below.

Floral Composition © Harold Davis

Alstroemeria Medley © Harold Davis

Petals on Parade © Harold Davis

New Year’s Dragon on Black © Harold Davis

Spiral of Flower Karma © Harold Davis

A Simple Twist of Fate 4 © Harold Davis

Floral Tondo 1 © Harold Davis

Will You Won’t You Join the Dance © Harold Davis

Posted in Flowers, Photography

Room in France Tour; Japan Filling Fast

December 16, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

We have room in Romantic Southwest France (April 27 – May 5, 2022). Click here for info, here for the detailed itinerary, and here for the Reservation Form.

Off-the-Beaten Track Japan Photography Journey (October 16-26, 2022) is filling quickly, but there is still some space. Click here for info, here for the detailed itinerary, and here for the Reservation Form.

Please also keep in mind our in-person Photographing Flowers for Transparency weekend workshop, August 6-7, 2022 in Berkeley, California. Click here for more info.

Please call or write with any questions!

Posted in Workshops

Composition & Photography Index

December 14, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

I believe that you can tell a great deal about a book by reading its index. A good index should allow the reader to quickly find what they want to find in a book. To create such an index means understanding both the contents of the book, and also how readers will be using the book.

Click here for the index we’ve created for my new book, Composition & Photography. This index is preliminary, and is subject to revision.

With the index to Composition & Photography we have tried to be genuinely useful to the reader. However, according to a professional indexer who is a character in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle, one should never index one’s own book: “It’s a revealing thing, an author’s index of his own work…It’s a shameless exhibition—to the trained eye.”

Posted in Writing

Announcing Off-the-Beaten Track Japan Photography Journey with Harold Davis

December 8, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

What: Step into the fabled Japan of myth and legend. Journey back in time to a Japan that few westerners are familiar with. Join a small group of compatible photographers led by Harold Davis and a professional guide for this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

When: Sunday, October 16, 2022 to Wednesday, October 26, 2022 (ten nights and eleven days).

Where: We meet at our hotel in Tokyo, Japan. After exploring the new and old sides of Tokyo, we’ll travel back in time through the Japanese Alps via the ancient Nakasendo way. We’ll visit well-preserved villages in the Kiso Valley, Matsumoto Castle, the castle town of Takayama, and the World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go. Following a stop in the culturally important city of Kanazawa, we will wrap up the destination photo workshop with a dreamlike visit to the gardens and temples of Kyoto, where the tour will end.

Click here for the full description (with details, pricing, and how to register), here for the detailed day-by-day trip itinerary (“Prospectus”) and here for the Reservation Form. Our in-country partner is Oku Japan.

Posted in Workshops

White Peony

December 7, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

I photographed this white peony the other day on my light box. Most flowers reveal a highly organized inner core; this bashful peony exemplifies more private mysteries. The result, white on white, is unlike the more typical flower mandala, and more resembles something logographic, such as a heiroglyph or kanji character.

Posted in Flowers, Photography

Off-the-Beaten Track Japan Photography Journey with Harold Davis

December 2, 2021 by Harold Davis | 0 Comments

We are being optimistically obdurate in the face of Omicron, and planning to open Off-the-Beaten Track Japan Photography Journey with Harold Davis for registration soon. This destination travel workshop is tentatively scheduled for October 16-26, 2022. Click here for more information.