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A work from Photo Alchemy, by Martin OsnerPhoto AlchemyThe workbenchA work from Collage and montage, by Martin OsnerCollage and montageCut and rebuiltA work from African Art Fusion, by Martin OsnerAfrican Art FusionWith Simon Shone

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A work from Abandoned, by Martin OsnerAbandonedThirteen yearsA work from Ethereal Landscapes, by Martin OsnerEthereal LandscapesMist and movementA work from Master Trees, by Martin OsnerMaster TreesThe Master Series

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Fire & Ash No.2, a burnt forest blurred by camera movement, by Martin OsnerBotanical StudiesFynbos, fire and ashMajestic Peak, a panoramic mountain landscape by Martin OsnerMajestic PanoramasLandscapes made wide

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Twenty eight collections, and more being added
Fire & Ash No.2, a burnt forest in rust and black, softened by upward camera movement
Home · Collections · Botanical Studies

Botanical Studies

Botanical fine art photography by Martin Osner: fynbos, lilies, wild grass and trees against the light, made close on the Cape Peninsula, in Kirstenbosch and near Pearly Beach.

Fire & Ash No.2
Why botanical work

It doesn't look like much, until you go in close

"When you look at the flora in and around the Cape, which is the most diverse in the world, it doesn't look like much. It is only when you go in close that you realise the diversity and the beauty this subject offers."

"Not only that. What I find absolutely amazing is that fynbos needs fire in order to germinate again. We get these devastating fires, but in fact it is an act of nature, and that is why I created Fire and Ash."

"What I also love about fynbos is that you can make normal photographic studies, but you can also do some beautiful close up work, which moves it into the abstract."

"The flowers almost feel prehistoric to me, as if they have been here forever, and they have an aura about them that tells me they will continue forever. God always puts the beginning in the end and the end in the beginning, and that is what I see in this unique flora: it will defy anything that is thrown at it, devastating, harsh fires and droughts included. I think the diversity is the main attraction."

Martin Osner
Fynbos Palette No.5, dry fynbos flower heads against a soft pale blue skyFynbos Palette No.5
Medium
Fine art photography, signed open and limited edition prints
Where
The Cape Peninsula, Kirstenbosch in Cape Town, and Pearly Beach on the Overberg coast
Works
39, from eight series

The Cape Floral Kingdom is the smallest of the world's six floral kingdoms and, for its size, the richest: around 9,000 plant species, about two thirds of them found nowhere else on Earth.

Fynbos Palette

Ten studies of fynbos, from pattern to abstract

Fynbos Palette in the gallery

Made on the Cape Peninsula and in the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. Some are straight studies of colour and pattern; others are made so close, with so little depth of field, that the plant becomes colour and light.

Fynbos Palette No.1, small pale fynbos leaves and buds in soft blue and peachFynbos Palette No.1Fynbos Palette No.2, a fine web of silver grey fynbos twigs in soft pastel lightFynbos Palette No.2Fynbos Palette No.4, pale green leaves fanning out from the heart of a plantFynbos Palette No.4
See all ten
Fynbos Palette No.3, backlit fynbos stems and dew drops in soft cream and goldFynbos Palette No.3Fynbos Palette No.6, a soft ethereal tangle of fynbos in mauve and muted greenFynbos Palette No.6Fynbos Palette No.7, out of focus fynbos stems in burnt orange and rust redFynbos Palette No.7
Fynbos Palette No.8, a blur of fynbos in warm peach and orange, almost painterlyFynbos Palette No.8Fynbos Palette No.9, a dense thicket of fynbos twigs and small star shaped flowersFynbos Palette No.9Fynbos Palette No.10, soft curving red fynbos stems against a warm brown groundFynbos Palette No.10
Fire and Ash

Finding the beauty in the devastation

"Fire and Ash was photographed near a place called Pearly Beach, on the coast of the Western Cape. Just before Pearly Beach there were huge fires that ravaged the area."

"Instead of going and looking for fynbos in a beautiful state, we found the beauty in the devastation. The fire had reduced it to its simplest form, almost like a skeleton against very simple backdrops, and that is why camera movement was introduced, to bring a little more complexity to the pieces."

Martin Osner
Fire & Ash No.1, blackened tree trunks over white ash, blurred by camera movementFire & Ash No.1

For Fire and Ash No.2, the banner at the top of this page, the camera was moved upward with a light shake during the exposure. It took 30 to 40 attempts.

Fire & Ash No.4, one burnt tree against a pale blue sky, upright and slightly blurredFire & Ash No.4Fire & Ash No.3, charred trunks standing in white ash, an austere abstract impressionFire & Ash No.3Fire & Ash No.5, dark burnt trunks streaked by movement above pale ash, uprightFire & Ash No.5
After the Fire No.1, burnt fynbos twigs and seed heads in soft grey and roseAfter the Fire No.1After the Fire No.2, a tangle of pale burnt fynbos branches in blue shade and peachAfter the Fire No.2After the Fire No.3, a few soft burnt seed heads drifting in pale grey lightAfter the Fire No.3
After the Fire

What the fire leaves behind

After the Fire is the same story made close: what remained of the fynbos after a natural bush fire, photographed with very shallow depth of field in soft pastel tones. In No.2 the cool blue shade sits against the warmer highlights.

Fynbos is made to burn. It burns naturally every 12 to 20 years or so, and many of its seeds wait in the soil for the heat and smoke that tell them to germinate.

A seed that appears to have died still carries everything it needs to become a tree.Martin Osner
Rhythmus

Trees against the light

The Master Tree Series

Six square studies of trees photographed into the light, their forms softened into rhythm, pattern and shadow.

Rhythmus No.1, a tree photographed against the light in warm gold and sepiaRhythmus No.1Rhythmus No.3, sunlight breaking through layered branches in soft gold and oliveRhythmus No.3Rhythmus No.5, a bright glow through dark foliage, trees softened into patternRhythmus No.5
See all six
Rhythmus No.2, trees against the light in cooler blue green, soft and layeredRhythmus No.2Rhythmus No.4, tall trees and a hazy mountain behind them, against the lightRhythmus No.4Rhythmus No.6, warm sunlight behind a canopy of leaves in gold and brownRhythmus No.6
Fragile Intent and Panache, 2005

Arum lilies, two early limited editions

Two of Martin Osner's first limited edition collections, both made in 2005: Fragile Intent, a monotone still life triptych in an edition of 50, and Panache, five arum lilies in soft light in an edition of 25.

Fragile Intent No.1, withered lily leaves lying on a textured ground in monotoneFragile Intent No.1Fragile Intent No.2, two pale lilies on long stems against a rough grey groundFragile Intent No.2Fragile Intent No.3, a fading arum lily and its leaves on textured stone, monotoneFragile Intent No.3
See Panache, five arum lilies
Panache No.1, the green stem of an arum lily curving through soft cream and pinkPanache No.1Panache No.2, the cream spathe of an arum lily folding back, its yellow heart showingPanache No.2Panache No.3, the edge of an arum lily curling like a ribbon in soft grey and creamPanache No.3
Panache No.4, the inner curve of an arum lily in pale cream, soft light, little linePanache No.4Panache No.5, a single arum lily as a pale grey silhouette in soft pastel lightPanache No.5
Patterns of Nature and Vibrant Palette

Grass, water and colour

Wild grass in early morning light and in the wind, reeds under the water of a clear stream, and two studies of colour against a pale sky, one of them a bottlebrush tree in flower.

Patterns of Nature No.2, sweeping wild grass in green, gold and mauvePatterns of Nature No.2Patterns of Nature No.3, water flowing over reeds in a clear stream, blue and goldPatterns of Nature No.3Patterns of Nature No.4, a field of wild grass in rust and cream, blown by the windPatterns of Nature No.4
See all seven
Patterns of Nature No.1, wild grass in early morning light, dark and low keyPatterns of Nature No.1Patterns of Nature No.5, a few stems of wild grass in pale morning mist, high keyPatterns of Nature No.5
Vibrant Palette No.1, bright orange leaves and dark branches against a pale blue skyVibrant Palette No.1Vibrant Palette No.2, red bottlebrush flowers on fine branches against a pale skyVibrant Palette No.2
Questions

About botanical fine art photography

What is botanical fine art photography?
Photographs of plants made as works of art rather than as records. The aim is the colour, line and feeling of the plant, often made close enough to become abstract, and printed as a signed fine art print.
What is fynbos?
The fine leaved shrubland of the Western Cape and the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom: proteas, ericas, restios and thousands of other species, most of them found nowhere else.
Does fynbos need fire?
Yes. Fynbos burns naturally every 12 to 20 years or so, and many species need the heat or the smoke of a fire before their seed will germinate. That is the story behind Fire and Ash and After the Fire.
Where were these photographed?
On the Cape Peninsula, in the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, and in burnt fynbos and forest near Pearly Beach on the Overberg coast.
Collect the work

Signed botanical prints

Every work on this page is a signed print from Osner Art Gallery, shipped worldwide. Most are open editions; Panache and Fragile Intent are numbered limited editions with a certificate. Tap any work to see it larger, then follow it to the gallery for sizes and prices.

See the botanical prints in the gallery   See it on your own wall

Close up work that moves into the abstract has its own page: Abstract photography, explained by an artist.