My wife wanted Spring photographs for a home decorating project but wasn't happy with the photographs of forsythia she'd taken with her iPhone.  Could I help?  

The problem, I thought, was simple:  For more satisfying photographs, she just needed to move in much closer to the subject, or move much farther away!  The choice would depend on the setting and the story she wanted to tell.  

To try the new approach, she and I spent a beautiful April afternoon together photographing flowers and trees in our Loudoun County neighborhood.  It was great fun, the results were terrific, and the decorating project is now back on track!

Here are three of my favorite captures of the day.  Each says Spring in its own way, with a close-up or far-away composition selected to emphasize what I found most interesting and beautiful in the scene.  

Which of the three images best speaks to you?