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Sunflower Power

Nearly everyone loves sunflowers, the most popular flowers of summer.

The sunflower stands tall to meet the rays of the midday sun – it stands tall and reaches high into the sky. Golden hues of sunshine are reflected in the petals, making this wonderful yellow bloom among the most popular flowers of summer.

sunflower images college
College of Sunflower Photographs from the Bill Swartwout Photography Gallery.

A field of bright yellow sunflowers is one of summer’s most popular sights and with good reason. These cheerful, cheerful flowers are easy to grow, requiring only a sunny spot to thrive. Sunflowers are also easy to customize for any occasion: add stakes or wire for height, use in bouquets, or leave them out as the centerpiece on your kitchen table. Did you know the the flower petals within a sunflower’s cluster are usually in a a spiral pattern?

Sunflower Field near Roxanna Delaware
Field of Sunflowers near Roxanna, Delaware
sunflower with bee gathering nectar
Even the bees love sunflowers – for their sweet nectar.

Sunflowers are usually yellow or orange. They can also be red or white, but yellow is the most common color for sunflowers. The petals on each flower all face one direction, making the sunflower look like a bright disc when it faces the sun. Sunflowers are native to North America and were first cultivated by Native Americans.

What’s not to love about sunflowers? They’re bright and cheerful, they grow in fields and on farms, and they are the most popular flowers of summer.

In fact, sunflowers have been grown for thousands of years—and they weren’t even originally intended to be flowers! They were actually used as a food source by Native Americans. The seeds were ground into flour or roasted like popcorn. Every 100 pounds of sunflower seeds yields about 40 pounds of oil, 35 pounds of high-protein meal and 20 to 25 pounds of other by-products.

Sunflowers are native to North America, but now grow all over the world. They have become an important part of many cultures around the globe, including China, Africa and South America. When Europeans got their hands on the plant it quickly became one of their favorite things to grow in their gardens.

Heliotropism – a plant’s propensity to face, and follow, the sun…

A young sunflower has a supple stem that responds to the sun. The flower will follow the sun from its rising in the east to setting in the west. Over night the stem will tend to grow more on the west side – from the “afternoon sun” and will make the head swivel back toward the east. This repeats every day for a part of the plant’s growth cycle. But as the plant matures and the head becomes laden with seeds and quite heavy, it can no longer swivel during the day. Therefore the older, larger and mature sunflowers tend to face east – toward the rising sun – and stay that way until the harvest.

Use the links below to browse or shop more of Bill’s photographs of Sunflowers and other Flora .

Link to: Sunflower Photographs

Link to: Bill’s Flora Collection

Link to: Bill’s full Gallery at Fine Art America/Pixels

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The Most Popular Photographs at Bill Swartwout Photography.

After many years with Fine Art America here are the overall favorites at Bill’s USPictures Gallery.

I first joined Fine Art America/Pixels in late 2013 and with over 500 sales to date, here are some of the most popular photographs based on a mixture of sales, number of views, number of comments and people who have “favorited” and/or “liked” what they saw. Sales, however, are among the most prominent criteria. Each of the images below have been purchased more than twice, with some of them having been purchased more than a dozen times each.
Link to: Bill Swartwout Photography’s Gallery.

Bill Swartwout Photography Montage
Montage of Bill Swartwout Photography’s Most Popular Images.

Is that my own arrangement of “popular” pieces? No, it is not. Fine Art America, one of my two main production companies, changed the selection algorithm, based on company criteria, for the image display order. It used to be solely up to the artist to determine the initial order and I formerly let the display order default to my most recent uploads. It remains that way in most of my separate collections. However, the change in general display order has had a positive impact on people viewing my gallery – they tend to browse longer and look at more photographs. I am also seeing an uptick in sales, which, of course, is a good thing.

I bill myself (yes, pun intended) as a landscape/seascape photographer, but it is easy to see that my seascapes win out over the landscape category. While I have sold something from each of the many collections in my FAA/Pixels private gallery, my most popular collections are of the Indian River Inlet Bridge, Ocean City Maryland and Delmarva Peninsula Beauty. I am fortunate in that I live in coastal Delmarva (exactly two miles from the Atlantic Ocean) and in close proximity to both Ocean City, Maryland and The Indian River Inlet Bridge just north of Bethany Beach, Delaware.

I also live within a short drive to the Assateague Island National Seashore and the Wild Ponies of Assateague Island. My former home was in Baltimore, Maryland very close to Fort McHenry. These special places also give prominence to other collections relating to those destinations/topics – and have produced photographs purchased by many art collectors.

Thank You!

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has supported my art over all of these years. Y’all rock!

Link to: Bill Swartwout Photography’s Gallery.

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Two Flags over Fort McHenry Wall Art

This unique photograph speaks of American History and Patriotism.

So, why are there two American Flags in this photograph? Few people know this, but you can actually fly your own flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. You can either bring your own American Flag or buy one in the gift shop and take it to a Park Ranger in the fort. He or she will hoist your flag up the historic flagpole (may even let you help) and you can see your own flag flying over Fort McHenry. The Visitor Center staff will then give you a certificate to certify that your flag was flown over Fort McHenry.

two flags over fort mchenry baltimore
Two Flags Over Fort McHenry in Baltimore

It was at this revered place that American soldiers defended our young country against the British fleet during the War of 1812. This final battle took place on September 13-14, 1814 and marked one of the culminating battles of the war.

During that overnight battle is when Francis Scott Key penned his poem entitled “The Star Spangled Banner.” That poem was eventually adopted by President Woodrow Wilson as the standard National Anthem of the United States. But it wasn’t until 1929 that “House Resolution 14” was enacted by Congress naming “The Start Spangled Banner” as the official National Anthem of the United States of America.

Use the links below to browse or shop more of Bill’s photographs of Fort McHenry and the American Flag.

Link to: Two Flags over Fort McHenry

Link to: Bill’s Fort McHenry Collection

Link to: Bill’s full Gallery at Fine Art America/Pixels

fort mchenry with baltimore in the background
Fort McHenry with the City of Baltimore in the Background.
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Delmarva Farm Scene in Black and White or Color

This Delmarva Grain Elevator received positive comments in both presentations, color and B&W.

How does one choose which presentation to publish to one’s online gallery? Why, ask your followers on Social Media, of course – specifically on Facebook.

delmarve grain elevator in color
Delmarva Grain Elevator in Color

The steel-gray color of the sky seems to emulate the steel-color of the silos and transfer screws of this grain elevator on a Maryland farm. When asking friends and followers a piece of art, one must have a thick skin because some of the responses my be quite critical. Fortunately, most in this survey were complimentary.

delmarva grain elevator black and white
Delmarva Grain Elevator in Black and White

This was the question – simple and straightforward:

  • Does this work better in Color or in B&W? (It was also identified as a Delmarva Grain Elevator – photographed on 06/18/22.)

Here is a list of 18 unmodified responses – in the order received:

  • The color shot is FANTASTIC. !
  • Color. Love it.
  • I like the touch of blue in the color version.
  • Love the color with the blue sky peeking through.
  • Black and white photography for me, as your subject is mostly monochromatic and lends itself to that medium. The color version almost takes on a selective coloring look to it. But you should always go with what your vision is for the piece, speaking from your heArt.
  • Color wins…
  • I personally like the B&W more but it seems that the darkness of the clouds goes away in the above B&W version. I still like the second/B&W version more but would make it a bit darker.
  • I like the color shot.
  • Color for sure!
  • Both great. BW for me.
  • Color shot!
  • Black and white, more dramatic.
  • B & W
  • Rather ominous in BE. Pop of blue in color is interesting but overall BW
  • B&W
  • I like the black and white due to the detailed shown on the structure of the grain silos and transfer screws.
  • I’m usually a black and white fan but for this one I’ll go with color.
  • Just enough color in the sky enhances it…my opinion! Great picture!

The overall result is 10 prefer the color presentation and 8 prefer the black and white. While the color version appears to have won the poll, the margin is small, and I would not like to disappoint the 44% of my responders who chose the black and white version of my Delmarva Grain Elevator photograph – so I have uploaded BOTH versions to my online galleries.

Choose a link below to get a better look at YOUR choice…

Shop: Color version of Delmarva Grain Elevator

Shop: B&W version of Delmarva Grain Elevator

Shop: The Farm Collection in Bill’s Gallery

Shop: Bill’s Full Gallery at Fine Art America/Pixels

The chicken is in the heart of Delmarva.

The Delmarva Peninsula – home to a wide variety of grains, vegetables and livestock – has a long history of farming, but in the 1950s the peninsula began to focus on its poultry industry. Today, Delmarva is one of the most productive agricultural areas in the nation; it is also one of the largest chicken-producing regions in the world. The mainstay diet of a chicken is corn, followed by soybeans, wheat and to a lesser extent, other crops.