2017 floral display one of the best ever in Garfield Park's Sunken Garden

As compositions go, one near-constant subject of my photography since acquiring my first digital single-lens reflex camera in 2004 has been the annual floral displays in the Garfield Park Sunken Garden in Indianapolis. On the first Friday of this month, I captured the 2017 display, which I feel is one of most striking the garden has featured in quite a few years.

A couple months ago, when the garden staff was preparing the beds for the summer display, I asked what would be going in. I didn't recognize most of the flowers the staffer told me. Fortunately, I dropped the conservatory a note through its Facebook page on Monday, and they told me the following:

"There are many flowers in the gardens this year. The fuschia colored flowers are gomphrena, or vinca. The orange flowers could be zinnia, lantana or sunpatiens. The yellow flowers are rudbeckia (sunflowers/black-eyed susans) or zinnia. We do have one salmon-color impatiens out there as well as coleus, which is on the greener side."

The conservatory didn't mention the arrangements by the flagpoles at the south entrance, but the predominance of those are purple and yellow cone flowers.

One thing I know for sure is that this year's displays are very impressive, showy and cheerful. Which is why I chose to use an overview shot of the garden for my photo to lead off the post. I understand that some shooters might say there is a lot of wasted space in the foreground of the image, but I feel that to appreciate the garden, the floral display and its full character, which in my opinion includes the paved walkway, you need to see at least one photograph integrating that space.

On the left side of the image behind a lamppost, you'll notice a white trellis, which I've often seen in the garden in my many visits through the years. It is used for couples in weddings that are held on the grounds. And on this day, near the end of my shoot, a couple showed up in their wedding-day attire accompanied by a photographer. I presumed they were either taking the bridge and groom formal shots that day, or simply taking a few test shots so they knew what they'd be up against the next day.

Interestingly, a youth group -- I'd estimate about 18 teens -- appeared at almost the same time. They, too, got into a couple of my photos.

For a full gallery of images from this shoot, visit my site at SmugMug.com.

Photo geek stuff: I shot everything in this post with a Canon 6D equipped with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens and B+W polarizing filter. Exposures for every composition were bracketed into three -- one normal, one +2/3 and one -2/3. The three were melded into one in post-processing using Photomatix high-dynamic range (HDR) software.