Lilacs are one of my favourite springtime flowers. These days, their various shades of purple and the many all white shrubs line the streets here, and their scent permeates the air. They definitely add an enjoyable sensory experience to my morning power walks.

I like to photograph the blossoms before they’re completely open. To me, this symbolizes the unfolding of a work in progress and maybe I like that, because that’s us isn’t it? In one way or another, we’re all unfolding as we live new experiences and learn new things.

To emphasize the sprig of lilacs in the foreground, I used the FOCOS app to add some depth of field. There was a bit of bokeh in the original photo, but I wanted to add a bit more. FOCOS can be a fickle app. Sometimes I can get exactly what I want with minor manual adjustments. Other times, I have to work at it for a while. Some days, no matter what I do, I can’t get the effect I’m looking for.

Most days, I much prefer the easy edits. I don’t mind fiddling around on a cold or rainy day, but on warm days like today, I just want to get outdoors as soon as possible and stay out for as long as possible. Today, I chose the quick edit. The only thing I don’t like is that the sprig to the left that’s in the background has a cut-out look to it, so isn’t very natural. I believe, when the warm sunshine isn’t calling quite so insistently, I’ll work on this photo a bit more. Just like the partially opened lilac, the photo of it is a work in progress.

“Nothing is more wistful than the scent of lilac, nor more robust than its woody stalk, for we must remember that it is a tree as well as a flower, we must try not to forget this.”

Stevie Smith