cornelia weber
Floral Artist &  Photographer

 Hardly any of my working days are the same ...

and I appreciate this diversity very much. It is also reflected in my tools of the trade which include seedboxes and gardening gloves, my beloved florist scissors and chicken wire, and most importantly my SLR camera. In the morning, you can meet me at my flower field planting seedlings. At noon, you can find me gathering props or painting backdrops for an upcoming shooting, and in the afternoon hours, you might watch me arranging freshly cut flowers and photographing them either for publication in magazines or to expand my online-shop portfolio. Leaving an undeniable mess in my workspace, I will then go and check the photographic results. I will keep editing the images of the day until I am satisfied with the sharpness, saturation, and contrast. And it is indeed this digital fine-tuning in addition to the actual floral design that is a distinct step towards an image that conveys my aesthetics and bears my signature style.  

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It is every single step leading me to the "perfect" picture ...

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that rewards me and makes me want to get out of bed every morning. Though my days are not all about blooming and flower romance. Everyone who has ever grown flowers from seeds knows that there is a lot of patience and hard work required for every single blossom one gets to harvest. The path that takes you from the inconspicuous seed to the photogenic floral diva can literally be stony, full of setbacks and disappointments, but it will never fail to surprise you and to teach you worthwhile lessons for life. When I finally press the shutter button on my camera, there is often something in my arrangements that can be aptly described as "floral drama". I suppose this gives away my professional history that originally started with my degree in theatre sciences. After graduating from school, I dreamed of working as a dramaturge at the theatre. Instead of staging plays, it is now floral arrangements that I bestow my dramaturgical signature on. Putting it differently, I could say I make my flowers play their parts according to my theatrical ideas. So although it seems I landed far from my initial professional goal, I can state from the bottom of my heart that I have arrived happily and gratefully in a professional everyday life that stretches from the skills of cultivating cut flowers, to the creative process of floral design and the photographic staging.

For a long time, I have been working with imported flowers ... 

but when the pandemic hit and abruptly slowed down our usual lives, I was forced to question old habits and certainties. Back then I found distraction and confidence in deepening my knowledge of designing with flowers. I enrolled in various online courses. But most influential was the work of the British floral designer Brigitte Gerling. With her course series "A year learning from nature"  she set countless inspiring impulses. I learned to arrange flowers in a very natural, garden-inspired way, and how to use sustainable materials and techniques. So the step that followed was only logical.     

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Two years ago I started growing cut flowers  ...

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in my garden and from spring 2021 also on a small, leased flower field. The close connection between cultivation and designing with self-grown flowers opened up a new world to me. The scale of passion and hard work necessary can only be met with a profound appreciation for every blossom. I no longer consider a flower a mere aesthetic object in front of my lens, but rather a part of nature that is under threat by extensive human exploitation. Therefore, my way of working with flowers has changed. We can only work hand in hand with nature alongside the rhythm of the seasons if we are serious about protecting our environment and avoiding climate-damaging working methods.

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And this is why I care about  ...

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sharing my knowledge and experience with other flower enthusiasts. From summer 2022 I will be offering workshops that will cover elements of floral design and sustainable floristic techniques as well as dealing with the basics of professional flower photography. For my editorial photo productions, I exclusively work with natural light. This also applies to the motifs printed as fine art prints available in my shop. Just have a look, maybe you will have as much fun looking at the pictures as I had while creating them.

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And if you live around Munich ...

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drop me a line if you want me to adorn your intimate private event with locally grown cut flowers. I would love to introduce you to the abundance of seasonal floral treasures that will not just add the decorative finishing touch to your party but also this sense of joie de vivre only flowers can gift us with.  

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