Birthday
HydrangeasA flower submerged in water or frozen in ice looks like an image from another world: petals float, air bubbles sparkle and ice turns the bloom into a jewel. Professional photographers make these images, but the basic techniques work at home too.
Bright flowers for photos and parties: chrysanthemums and spray roses.
Two techniques
Flowers under water
Use a clear aquarium or a large glass vase filled with clean water. Fix the flower on fine wire or fishing line so it does not float up. Tiny air bubbles settling on the petals create a silvery effect. Light from behind or the side, and keep the background plain — dark or white.
Flowers in ice
Frozen flowers are a genre of their own: the Japanese artist Azuma Makoto and others have made whole series with flowers in ice blocks. The secrets of clear ice:
- Water. Boiled or distilled water gives fewer bubbles.
- Layers. Freeze in several stages so the flowers do not float to the top.
- Slowly. The slower the water freezes, the clearer the ice.
- Shooting. The best shots come as the ice starts to melt and glisten.
Ice cubes with flowers
For a party table, freeze flowers in ice-cube trays. If the cubes will go into drinks, use only edible flowers grown without chemical treatments, such as violas, borage and nasturtiums. Bouquet flowers are not suitable.
Find more techniques in how to photograph flowers, arrangements with flowers on water in floating flower arrangements, and flowers that never wilt in glass flowers.
FAQ
Why does ice turn cloudy?
Because of dissolved air and impurities, which gather in the centre when water freezes quickly. Boiled water and slow freezing help.
Which flowers work best in ice?
Firm, bright ones: small roses, carnations, chrysanthemums and violas. Very delicate petals darken after thawing.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
