Shooting elderberries in bloom was so rewarding (and instructive) that I eagerly looked forward to spending more time with them when their berries formed. All the lessons learned from my first go-‘round still applied at this stage in the elderberry lifecycle – yep, elderberry branches still strenuously object to being cut from their mother shrub, so I had to work fast. And this lovely shrub is still totally worth it.
The berries start out green before ripening to a nearly-black plum purple, and the stems that anchor the berries turn the vibrant fuchsia you sometimes see in Swiss chard ribs – a really striking combination! I had no problem finding berry bunches in both stages of ripeness. The leaves were another story. Sad to say, the foliage had had a rough time of it in the six weeks since I had shot the blossoms. Clearly some bugs had been very well fed by the shrub’s formerly elegant leaves. It’s a shame, but the berries were really the star of the show.
So into the studio we went (several times, due to “rapid elderberry collapse syndrome”), and here’s the payoff. Hands down, elderberry is my favorite plant from this photo series – between the lovely, refined blossoms and the dramatic berries, this is just one beautiful shrub. I’m already brainstorming ways to shoot it differently in 2020!
Elderberry, Sambucus
Shoot date: August 11, 2019
Possible use as a cut flower: Ever hopeful, I tried again and put a cutting in a vase on my kitchen table. Still nope. Sigh.
