My pretty sunflower

Ok anyone who knows me knows I like sunflowers. It’s hard to capture what’s magical about them. Maybe it’s just this giant glowing face staring back at me that is almost the same size as my head. The glowing color seems to fill my eyes with sunshine yet it doesn’t hurt to look at. Anyway, whatever it is I love this time of year when my sunflowers open and I get to watch the pollen circle it’s way around the center in concentric rings.

This photo is actually two shots. I lit if from behind and then I lit it from the front to highlight the center and then combined the two. The purpose was to try and capture that glowing nature that always attracts me to sunflowers.

UPDATE: Well as with all good things they come to an end and so did my sunflower. He had a long life standing on the kitchen sink but eventually he drooped his head and went to sleep. He then gave me his petals and it made a nice healthy topping on my roasted chicken with home grown dill and boiled swiss chard 🙂

Sunflower petals have a slight nutty flavor so it’s perfect sprinkled over salads or chicken. When tossed in with salads the color ads quite a flare. In addition they are a great antioxidant and have anti-inflammatory properties.