"Stop and smell the roses." Then photograph them.

Taking pictures of flowers with my DSLR camera reveals details my eyes do not.  In person and through the lens, I frame and capture the moment with a click.  When I review the photos later, I get to appreciate the moment in a new way.  Drops of dew on a petal, the ruffled edge of a pansy, and the tiny stamen in the center of a Gerbera daisy are there, just never noticed while snapping the shots.  What a great way to see and appreciate more detail.  

These are great reference photos for future paintings--stay tuned!