I began by asking Kevin about the inspiration behind this beautiful and ethereal series of pictures.
“I have been taking pictures for my ‘Flowers in Ice’ series for over four years. After being diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer in August 2015, I started taking daily images and then loading them onto BlipFoto. Click here
On days when I wasn't feeling well from the treatment, or after getting back from a full day at the hospital in London, I could get out one of my containers from the freezer, and do a quick image.
I asked Kevin to explain how he achieves the effect he wants.
"All of the pictures are taken in my conservatory on cloudy or overcast days.
To freeze the flowers I use 50 to 60 mm deep plastic containers. They need to be larger than the flower, to make sure there is still enough ice when it starts to thaw out, and to allow for latitude when composing the image.
First of all, I put some water in the container and place it in the freezer. I then keep checking it until the water has a thin film of ice on the surface. Only then do I break the ice with my finger, where the flower needs to be, and then place the flower into the container. It is then left to fully freeze. This method stops the flower moving to the side of the container whilst freezing.
I start taking images of the frozen flower, and then add some more water to the container, and freeze it again. This added water must be fairly cold, to try to reduce the possibility of the ice cracking. I repeat this until the flower is completely covered. The container is then taken out of the freezer and I take images at intervals whilst the ice is thawing.
Sometimes, as the ice melts, I add some more water to make the ice wider and longer to get the correct composition. Also, I’ve come up with slightly different approaches over the years, like adding colour and texture to the images."
Finally, I asked Kevin if the flowers could be frozen when in season and then kept to photograph at a later date?
“Yes. I now freeze flowers in containers with no water, and then freeze them in water when needed. Some of my flowers have been in containers in the freezer for a year now, and are still okay.”
I think what Kevin's images show us is that our photography can be a powerful force for good no matter what else is going on in our lives. It can also be an inspiration to others....