Clockwork Oranges

Bouquets Aplenty For My Fair Ladies

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was very little when I saw the movie My Fair Lady for the first time, but the cinematography in certain scenes really stayed with me. The opening shots of the flowers must have really struck my fancy, with the camera seeming to caress the petals of the multi-coloured blossoms.

Was there one single example of camera work, albeit a movie camera, that had a formative effect on me? Honestly, it’s very hard to tell, but perhaps that sequence of shots stayed emblazoned in my memory for a reason.

So there I was on a drizzly evening a few days ago, hurrying to catch a train at Flinders Street Station, when I caught sight of the beautiful display of flowers for sale, as they are every day. That evening, the striking contrast between the endless gerberas and the deep purple of the cellophane wrapping just stopped me in my tracks.

Out came the canmera. Off came the lens cap. Quickly, I stole a glance at the station clcoks in the concourse. Did I have enough time? Probably not, but I was going to take the shots anyway.

One quick horizontal shot. I should have stopped there. Okay, give in to that instinct. Take a vertical shot. Put the lens cap back on. Camera back in the bag. Ticket through the slot. Rush down the escalator. Sprint to the carriage doors before they close.

The train on the plain stays mainly out of the rain.


Visit Luiz Santilli Jr for the home of Today's Flowers.