On May 1st, 2024, I went walking at the Jardin Botanique de Montréal. At this time of year, nature flourishes.

For such a walk, I carry the minimum: two camera bodies, one with a 24 to 80 mm lens and the second with a 120-420 mm (35 mm eq) and a flash. I was ready for almost any opportunity. I use the long focal lens and the flash to do proxy photography, which, in many cases, generates gorgeous bokeh.

At this location, I was amazed by the layers of forms, colors, textures, and size. Handheld, I took the shot and composed the image using a 24 mm focal length.

That day in this huge botanical garden, I walked 3 hours. It was a real spring paradise, with tons of flowers budding, a symphony of colours and forms. I took 280 shots. Back home, during postprocessing, I analysed why I discarded certain images. Was it caused by composition issues, technical issues (focus, lighting), or gear unfamiliarity? This process is very important to be prepared for the next walk! After the analysis, I kept 154 images. In my case, the main reason for discarding images was redundancy. I like to capture a subject from different perspectives.

All the images remind me that springtime offers great moments to be seized after the white wintertime!