It’s no secret that a poppy in full bloom is a sight to behold. But earlier in the season, within its unblossomed petals, the flower holds the potential and beauty of the spring and summer that is yet to come.
Nancy Cohodes took this photograph, Unpopped Poppies, which received an honorable mention in the Wildlife and Nature category of our Lens on Lake Minnetonka photo contest. She shot the photo early in the season at the Noerenberg Gardens with her Canon Rebel SL1 camera. “I wanted to present a different angle and different point of view about what nature is all about, from beginning to end.”
Cohodes, a novice photographer, says that YouTube tutorials and books on photography have provided her with assistance while she experiments with her camera. One of her go-to techniques is to manipulate the depth of field, especially when it creates that signature blurred background. “You can really pinpoint what’s of interest,” she says.
While she enjoys taking photographs of nature, she also finds herself drawn to people and places that can tell a story without words. “I like going over to Northeast Minneapolis and walking behind some of the houses. I think that’s interesting because of the history of these buildings.”
