Let’s talk about sumac! But first, a word about gravel dust.
Gravel dust is a major challenge mid-summer, when the weather dries and the roads turn dusty. The powdery white limestone dust accumulates on all the plants that line the roads, dulling the impact of your light and obscuring the colors of the plant when you bring them into the studio … and it’s not that easy to get the dust off the plants if you want to keep them looking nice. You usually can’t blow it off without damaging the flower. Ditto for trying to brush it off: too hard on delicate leaves and blossoms. It can’t be washed off with a garden hose because the stream of water is too heavy.
… and that’s why an otherwise-rational photographer ends up standing in her shower on a Sunday afternoon in July, clutching handfuls of sumac, pretending this is something normal people do. The madness sneaks up on you.
Anyway, sumac is a common roadside shrub or small tree. When you’re standing beside it, you’re struck by how much bigger it is than it looks from the road! I had to search around a little bit for some smaller ones that would fit my shooting space better, and found several that fit the bill. They just needed a little cleanup.
The biggest sumac challenge, post-shower, was finding a vase heavy enough to support the weight of the cutting leaning on it without tipping over. Really.
It sounds silly, but vases were an unexpected challenge all the way through this photo series. I wanted to stick with clear glass so it didn’t distract from the plant and rounded up a few vases at the beginning of the summer that seemed to cover all the bases (one tall, narrow vase like you’d use for a single rose, one 3” diameter, 10” tall straight sided vase that would work for larger things, and a little jelly jar that seemed like a good choice for tiny flowers). Turned out, I really could have used a big heavy vase for bulky plants like sumac, and a teeny tiny bud-style vase for smaller flowers – the jelly jar’s mouth is wider than ideal. Live and learn.
Back to sumac: It has an interesting shape, and I’m looking forward to shooting it again in the fall, when it turns a flaming red color. Neat native plant!
Sumac, Rhus variety (Staghorn)
Shoot date: July 14, 2019
Possible use as a cut flower: Short term – holds for about a day before the foliage starts looking worse for the wear.
