Pam's Chinese Hibiscus

• Prize
  Bronze in Special/Macro Photography
• Photographer
  Marc Kittner
• Technical Info
  iPhone 15 ProMax at 1/120 sec at f/2.8, ISO 50
• Photo Date
  July 18, 2024
• Website
  http://www.kittnerphotography.com

I took this image of my Pilates teacher's Chinese Hibiscus tree blooms this past summer. This image is intended to be large, such as 4 feet by 6 feet, allowing the viewer to get lost in the flower, a place away from all distraction. Each is an invitation to stop, look closely, and become immersed in the light, shapes, colors and line, to see what most miss by not being simply present, the marvel even in the smallest flower.

• Biography
  Born in Baltimore, Maryland, raised in Rhode Island, I stayed in the east through college. There I majored in Philosophy, studying Hegel and Wittgenstein, both western philosophers steeped in eastern religion. I also took courses on Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese Painting. I then spent over 35 years in Seattle, with international travel regularly to Southeast Asia. I retired in 2018, when my wife and I moved to Philadelphia for her new job. Since then, photography, and particularly botanical photography, has been my focus.
• Awards
  My work has been selected for numerous U.S. group shows and is in a number of private collections here in the United States.