Photographing the exquisite Looping Vine Tendril- part 2

Although I like to alternate between botanical and other subjects in this blog, I must confess that I have become obsessed with the Looping Vine Tendril. So obsessed that I have decided to tripple down on it.

On March 1st and 2nd, 2025, I went on a quest for something interesting at a local University Riparian Preserve. There, I found plenty of vine tendrils.

I took the FEATURED IMAGE (f/7.1, 1/250s, ISO 1250) with a macro lens (105 macro from Nikon). The image was illuminated with an off-camera flash through a diffuser, to freeze the subject (it was a breezy day) and to isolate it against the dark background. It portrays the leaves of the looping vine tendril against the ground.

A new project is born

I have written several posts on the benefits of working in projects and series.

It has been a while since I have felt inspired to engage in a new project. Since the death of my husband in September 2022, I have found it difficult to concentrate on my one long-term project, “The beauty and bleakness of California’s Central Valley”, lest engage in new ones.

I’ve often intended to write about the challenges I’ve faced since September 2022—from losing most of my friends to suddenly paying taxes as a single person on half the income—and how these struggles have affected me both physically and emotionally. I wanted, or should I say I want, to talk about it because widowhood has had a significant impact on my artistic output. Additionally, quite a few of “our” acquaintances have become recently widowed and many of them are artists. Im thinking that a more detailed discussion of the impacts of losing a spouse on one’s creativity might help more than one person. However, while I still plan to share more in the future, I’m happy to report that I’m in a better place now, and that I am looking forward to a more inspired future.

The Looping Vine Tendril is my first botanical project of 2025, and I believe it will be a short one since these plants are now blooming and should soon dry out together with almost everything else in California.

Stay tuned for more photos and tips!

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Wall Art Botanical Images

Wall Art Photography projects

Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous

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9 responses to “Photographing the exquisite Looping Vine Tendril- part 2”

alneyman

March 14, 2025

Hi AlessaJust wanted you to know I’m a big fan of your blogletter and look forward to it- it speaks to and from the heart of an artist. That’s so rare.&nbsp.

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Alessandra Chaves

March 15, 2025

Thank you for your kind comments!

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shoreacres

March 15, 2025

That second photo brought quite a laugh. It looks for all the world like an actual metal spring that’s been pulled and stretched so much it lost its ‘coil.’ It interesting that, where the vine is ‘holding on’ to the fence at the right, its grip looks almost identical to the way the fence wire’s been twisted.

I thought about you last weekend when I came upon a different sort of tendril: our parasitic plant called dodder. It’s just emerging now and I don’t yet have any good photos, but this one from east Texas will give you a sense of what it can do. I think this new project is terrific; I’m looking forward to your explorations.

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Alessandra Chaves

March 15, 2025

Your tendril is certainly extremely coiled and complex! Oh my! Crazy stuff.

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