Sydney based photographer Daniel Shipp views it as his job to find something beautiful in each and every thing he photographs and his latest project, “Botanical Inquiry”, is no exception to this rule…

The recently debuted series, which manipulates nature, geography and light to present the familiar in an an unfamiliar way, was first conceived when Georgina Reid, founder of The Planthunter, approached Shipp to create imagery for her plant-loving site. As a contributor and reader, Shipp drew inspiration from two sources – “The Planthunter Manifesto” and “The Temple of Flora” – a collection of darkly romantic botanical plates commissioned by Robert John Thornton in the late 18th century.

With Manifesto in mind and centuries-old-imagery dancing in his head, Shipp set out to depict how plants fit into our urban world by collecting mundane botanicals as they sprouted from cement sidewalks and crept alongside local Sydney haunts. From there, he arranged his finds against flattened city backdrops and shot – keeping the images true to what the camera captured and avoiding the use of editing. The result is a series of 11 haunting photos which force a new perspective – where the small and invisible suddenly loom large – as their wild and intricate forms, developed over eons of evolution, curl, twist, and overshadow the structures of man just beyond. In the end, it’s a lesson in humility and a beautiful one at that.

Limited edition prints of Shipp’s “Botanical Inquiry” are available through the artist at daniel@danielshipp.com.

Sources: DanielShipp.com, The Planthunter.