Many of us might notice the colorful flowers in our backyard gardens, but photographer J.B. McCourtney dwells on the form of the plants surrounding his Siesta Key home—the structure of a young shoot, the lines of a leaf—as exemplified in these large-scale, black-and-white images. McCourtney immersed himself in photographing his plants for six months, constantly checking for the right moment in the plants’ development and the perfect light to set up a black backdrop and snap his one-second exposures. The garden, he says, is really a tribute to the home’s former owner, designer and friend Ben Baldwin, who carefully crafted the placement of each plant decades ago. But it’s also a testament to McCourtney’s ongoing care of this unique Florida vegetation—and to his eye for form and beauty.

Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia versicolor), from Ecuador

 

Queen Sago (Cycas circinalis), from the East Indies and Africa

 

Banana (family name Musaceae), worldwide