The Flower of Summer

In the sweltering summer heat,
I lingered by the lotus pond.

Lotus is one of my favourite subjects. It all started in an unlikely place, Bali, where the wide expanse of lotus blooming in the ponds simply fascinated me.

This is shot at Ubud and after many years, remains to be my best loved shot.

Back home and in between overseas trips, I went to different parts of Singapore in search of this flower. Other than its unique quality of growing out of the mud but remaining stainless, it best flowers during hot rainless days, when all other flowers have withered and leaves scorched by the unbearable heat. 

A lotus pond in Singapore, the hotter it gets, the more it blooms.

My hottest summer was a July in Taipei, probably the best time to shoot lotus. At the Taipei Botanical Garden, I found a huge pond filled with giant blooms.

@ Taipei Botanical Garden

Another of my favourite, also shot in Taipei.

Do you have a favourite flower?