© Ellen Blonder
This dahlia was so complicated I hesitated to try to capture it. I had photographed it at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden last summer, and loved its frilly petals.
© Ellen Blonder
I always seem to start too light, but going straight to darker tones feels wrong.
© Ellen Blonder
Here it is finished, after several days' work. I decided it was complex enough without adding leaves.
