Affair of Flowers

John Rodrigues grew up surfing on California’s Central Coast then moved down south in 1979 where he picked up his love for photography. He worked as a photographer for Motown, and pursued photography jobs in the area. He took headshots for aspiring actors, photojournalism assignments for local papers, and of course some nice family pictures. From the very beginning of his career, his favourite subjects have been landscapes and nature. For 25 years Rodrigues co-owned Boulevard Camera, a mom-and-pop photo store, lab, and studio. Back then he made it his job to know every type or piece of camera equipment. He particularly loved Canon’s fast 55mm f/1.2 lens made in the 1970s — that lens stuck out particularly, and years later led to a photographic epiphany that changed the way he worked. The thought process was: what if he coupled the old Canon lens with a modern mirrorless camera? He was using the SONY A7R IV, and it became the perfect vehicle to meld old technology with new using a simple adapter to create a whole different way of seeing flowers. This allowed for a “live view” screen that gave license to see his subjects in real time — he could move in and out of petals, stamens, and leaves like a mini spaceship. These images with a narrow field of focus had the “look” Rodrigues had been striving to achieve throughout his whole career.