Tea and Tulips on a February Day
It is in February when I start longing for the sunshine and flowers of spring and summer. November and December hold the anticipation of Christmas and the snow is fresh and clean and appealing. January brings the promise of a bright New Year and fireside days. But, by the time February comes along, the snow is not a novelty anymore, and the days seem cold and lifeless. The weather warms up just enough to tease us with promise of Spring, only to freeze again. It is in the later days of February that we start to look towards Spring with expectation. I am not one to buy cut flowers often, but sometimes a bouquet of flowers is just the perfect thing to brighten up those long winter days. My mom surprised me and my sister this year on Valentine’s Day with a bouquet of gorgeous yellow and purple tulips. Yellow and purple are two colours that go extremely well together, and these tulips created a beautifully simple, yet elegant, bouquet.
I love tulips as they are one of those funny kinds of flowers that seem to have a mind of their own. As soon as you arrange them in a bouquet, they rearrange themselves and completely undo all the arranging you did to them. Tulips actually continue to grow in the vase, and these certainly did as soon as I put them in the vase. I promise you that they were arranged in some kind of order, but by the time I took these photos, they had drooped and flopped all over the place. It’s OK though, as it makes them seem that much more natural and alive; and they do give me hope that Winter is not forever!
What could be more inviting on a cold February day than a bouquet of Spring flowers and a piping hot cup of tea in a pretty china teacup?
Do you like to have bouquets of flowers in winter? And tea in a pretty cup?
February 24, 2017 @ 10:08 am
Lovely photos! Bouquets in winter? What a great idea! I’ve already started doing yard work; maybe I’ll plant some flowers this year. I don’t drink tea yet I love teacups. Hmmm… the possibilities.
Now to pick a photo for my next wallpaper. 😉
February 24, 2017 @ 4:20 pm
Aww- I’m so flattered that you would use one of these photos for your wallpaper! I think that I am going to have to do that now too. . .
And, you can definitely drink other things in teacups than just tea- to make any drink a bit “fancier” 🙂
February 24, 2017 @ 4:08 pm
Oh my goodness, tea is an absolute essential to get me through every day, especially in these dark months!! I have a proper teapot, teacup and saucer in my office, so that I can indulge that pleasure every day. As for flowers, well, I am not great at keeping them alive and fresh, so I am just waiting for the daffodils to burst out in the garden.x
February 24, 2017 @ 4:25 pm
That is wonderful that you have a proper pot and cup in your office. When I used to work in an office, I didn’t have a cup with me at work, and I really should have, as it makes all the difference! Day to day, I don’t drink my tea out of a china cup, but a porcelain one with a saucer that is bigger than a tiny china cup, but isn’t a mug, which I don’t really like drinking tea out of.
I’m waiting for the daffodils too- but we’ve got a couple of months to go before they start popping up. When does Spring start showing up where you are?
February 24, 2017 @ 6:32 pm
What gorgeous photos! I’m curious to know what kind of lighting and camera setup you use. Is this just natural light, or do you use a rig of some kind? I’m always trying to improve my photography, so I’d love to hear more about what you do.
But yes, some lovely flowers are a great way to push through those dark months! Some days it’s barely light out when I leave the house and dark by the time I leave work. It’s tough, so having a bright point of beauty really helps.
February 24, 2017 @ 8:23 pm
Thank-you so much Jessica!
Firstly- a disclaimer- I did do a bit of editing after these were taken, in order to lighten them just a tad. They were perfectly acceptable the way they were straight out of the camera- I just preferred the whites to be a bit brighter than they started out.
This is natural light. I don’t have any special photography lighting, but sometimes I do use a piece of white cardboard as a lightboard to bounce a bit of light in from the side opposite the light source. As you can tell by the “cardboard” bit, I am VERY high tech around here 😉
As for setup, I recently put this desk in my room and it sits right under my window. The height of this desk is almost the height of the window sill so the light from the window shines straight across the top of the desk. This desk was sitting flush against the back wall, and the window was directly to the right of it about 4″ from the edge of the desk, and about 6″ forward from the back wall- I hope that makes sense? The window faces North so it is all indirect light. I always have to shoot in the middle of the day, otherwise it is pretty dark in the room- but this area right by the window is fairly well lit.
I have a Nikon D5000 camera and I also just invested in, with my Christmas and Birthday money, a 50 mm 1.8 G lens. This lens is so nice for low light, and I have found such an improvement in my photos with it. I still hardly know how to use it at all, but so far I have been liking it.
Whew- that was an answer and a half! Thanks so much for asking Jessica- and I hope that can help you. I am always so in love with your photography, and eagerly look forward to each of your posts!
xoxo- Nicole
February 24, 2017 @ 8:15 pm
So pretty! This put a smile on my face.
I’ve just noticed some of the lovely spring tulips and hyacinths bouquets being offered at our grocery store. I almost bought one the last time I was there because fresh flowers do add something special to a room. I’m going to treat myself next time.
bisous
Suzanne
February 24, 2017 @ 8:25 pm
Thanks Suzanne 🙂
Those grocery stores sure know how to tempt us come February- don’t they!? I hope you enjoy your lovely blooms- there is just something so special about spring flowers!
February 26, 2017 @ 6:47 pm
These photos are beautiful! I adore the composition (especially the last one), and the natural lighting is perfect.
I definitely hear you on February being a, well, a throwaway month. There’s nothing that great about it except the occasional teases of spring and Valentine’s Day.
Your tulips are lovely, and I really like how they do seem to have a mind of their own!
February 28, 2017 @ 11:51 am
Thanks so much Devinne! I had a lot of fun taking these pictures.
It’s funny because I always think of February as rather a tedious month, but I know tons of people who have a birthday or other special occasion in February so for them, I guess, it is a great month! 🙂