Greg Molyneux Photography

New Jersey landscape and nature photography

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Waiting on the Winds of Change

May 18, 2019 by Greg Molyneux

35mm photo of a puffy dandelion seed head set atop grass.

Waiting on the Winds of Change — 35mm | f/1.4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/8000

To weed, or not to weed, that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the lawn to suffer the blades and clippers of outrageous trimming…

OK, let’s bring it back. I am no Shakespeare (duh) and this sure is no Hamlet. But I would like to wax about on dandelions, perspective, and how it all changes. As a child, like many children I suspect, I partook of the cult of dandelion. I’d run about my grandparent’s lawn collecting the golden flower tops with aplomb. On my best day I may have even slapped a small bouquet together for eager delivery to Mom. On my worst day I’d roam the lawn with friends, pluck a dandelion or 12, and intone, “momma had a baby and its head popped off.” Yeah, the indignations of youth.

Of greater mystery, however, were dandelions in their gray puff ball evolution. Like the one I photographed above. These airy beauties offered the greatest fuel for play and imagination—and lacked an evil jingle. Countless hours spent holding up the cloud like seed heads into the wind watching the air carry them away. Little men holding umbrella parachutes they’d travel in unpredictable air currents toward parts unknown. The charms were boundless. When the air was still it was mouth powered air travel filling in for the wind’s absence. This was the first lesson in the power of breath.

Fast forward to adulthood and like all things once wondrous the cynical world soul crushed joy into avarice. In this case the greed for a perfect lawn. There is no place for dandelions in a perfect lawn, you see. And thus my childhood dandelion friends found bottomed out status as weeds. Weeds! Unwanted growing things to excise with fascist impunity. This world view held sway for years, until I learned a thing or two. On the one hand what is a perfect lawn and who needs it anyway? And on the other hand, our pollinator bee friends are fond of the dandelion. And bees need our help. And so, in my world, dandelions have regained proper status in the land of growing things. Oh, and they photograph and taste great, too.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 35mm bokeh dandelion flowers grass

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Photos from the archives

An adorable low key black and white portrait photograph of a Beagle-British Bulldog puppy mix named Mack, with a red 'Angry Birds' squeak toy between his paws.
35mm out of focus photo of Cedar Run Dock Road salt marsh made with motion blur by panning the camera left to right.
Yogis Rose Dease and Jesse Holt form an 'X' in a partner yoga pose.
An HDR photograph of a Great Bay Boulevard sunset by Manahawkin, NJ, photographer Greg Molyneux. In this photograph the sun sets next to an abandoned boat dock.
Wide angle landscape sunset photo revealing spring's return to the marsh with the greening sedge

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