Karl Blossfeldt was a German instructor of sculpture who used his remarkable photographs of plant studies to educate his students about design elements in nature. Self-taught in photography, he devoted himself to the study of nature, photographing nothing but flower, buds and seed capsules for 35 years. He once said: "The plant never lapses into mere avid functionalism; it fashions and shapes according to the logic an suitability and with its primeval force compels everything to attain the highest artistic form."Blossfeldt's photographs were made with a homemade camera that could magnify the subject up to thirty times it's original size. By doing so he revealed extraordinary details within the natural structure of the plants. In the process, he created some of the most innovative photographic work of his time. The simple yet expressive forms captured on film affirmed his boundless artistic and intellectual ability.
Here are some of his images:
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| Cajophora lateritia, printed in 1928 |
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| Allium Ostroroskianum, printed in 1928 |
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| diantum pedatum, printed in 1928 |
I can apply Blossfeldt's technique to my photography by getting really close to my objects and using macro photography rather than relying on cropping everything. I chose to keep the colour in my photos because when I converted it to black and white I felt it looked very dull and some of the objects weren't clear as to what they were.
Personally, I dislike his images. They're not something I would like to use to apply to my own photography. I can't quite put my finger on why I dislike them, maybe it's the cold feel the images give me, or how they remind me of cold metal.
