Camellia sasangua ‘Kanjiro’, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

In the gray weather of mid-January it can be hard to find flowers to photograph outdoors in the San Francisco Bay area. Camellias are the oustanding exception, which begin to bloom this month.

As Diana Wells notes, the camellia is “utterly beautiful, but far from perfect.” There’s a sensuous irregularity in even the most lush camellia that intrigues—but makes them surprisingly difficult to photograph well.

Red Camellia, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

Exposure data:

• Top: 200mm f/4 macro, 24mm extension tube, 2.5 seconds at f/36 and ISO 100, tripod mounted
• Above: 50mm macro, 13 seconds at f/32 and ISO 100, tripod mounted
• Below: 200mm f/4 macro, 3 seconds at f/36 and ISO 100, tripod mounted

Camellia ‘Gualala Glow’, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.