Shot With Love: Film and Flowers by Melda Orcan
3What are you most passionate about? We know you love film, but what’s the other thing that keeps you inspired? Shot With Love celebrates the intersection of analogue photography and everything else that makes our eyes light up. While we’re united by our love for film here at Lomography, we’re just as excited to discover everyone’s passions outside photography. This series invites you to shoot that other hobby, interest, or obsession – and weave it into the world of analogue!
We’re starting off with a Community member you may have previously seen in the magazine for her Turkey trip and self-portraiture. This time, Melda Orcan (@meldaorcan) returns with her love for flowers and the quiet tenderness they bring to her photography.
The following words are written by Melda:
Flowers have always been a quiet, comforting presence in my life – not just as subjects to photograph, but as part of my everyday rituals. I surround myself with them constantly. I buy fresh blooms for my home on a regular basis, sometimes just to brighten a corner of the room or mark a small moment of peace. There’s a flower shop just around the corner that’s become a favorite stop – I often go there not only to pick out stems, but to linger and chat with the owners about whatever’s in season. Those unhurried conversations, surrounded by scent and color, bring me so much joy. My friends and loved ones also know how much I adore flowers, so I’m often surprised with them – little gestures of love that feel deeply personal.
Combining this passion with film photography feels like the most natural thing I could do. There’s something deeply intimate and nostalgic about capturing flowers on film – and through this project, I’ve been able to explore that softness in a way that mirrors my own inner world.
To me, flowers are more than just visual beauty – they’re an endless source of inspiration. Their colors, textures, subtle imperfections, and even the way they bloom or bend feel expressive and alive. I truly believe each flower has its own personality, reflecting different
moods or fleeting emotional moments.
Take peonies, for example – they’re my absolute favorite. There’s something so elegant and cinematic about them. They only bloom for a short time each year, so you wait patiently, almost longingly, for their return. That brief appearance – that sense of anticipation – makes them feel even more special. They remind me of certain moments in life: fleeting, precious, and impossible to recreate.
Lilies, on the other hand, have a quiet strength. They bloom slowly, almost ceremoniously, with a kind of grace and quiet determination that inspires me deeply. Their scent fills a space not loudly, but with a confident elegance. I love how they don’t seek attention – they simply command it. In many ways, lilies reflect how I experience film photography: layered, unhurried, and always worth the wait.
In fact, I often find myself comparing flowers and film. Just like each flower, every film roll has its own unique character – a personality shaped by grain, color, tone, and unpredictability. Some are soft and dreamy, others bold and textured. You never quite know what you’ll get until it’s developed – and I find that element of surprise mirrors how flowers bloom, shift, and eventually fade.
There’s a beautiful parallel between the process of a flower blooming and that of developing film. A flower begins as a tight bud, holding all its beauty within, and day by day, it opens – not all at once, but patiently and purposefully. Film works in a similar rhythm. You shoot with hope, not certainty. Then comes the quiet wait – developing, drying, scanning – each step slowly revealing what’s been hidden. Just like flowers, you can’t rush it. You have to trust the process. That slowness is sacred to me – it’s where the magic lives.
In my self-portraits, flowers are never just decorative elements. They’re collaborators – quiet companions that help me tell my story. While I may be at the center of the frame, the flowers are always there with me – echoing, softening, amplifying. Sometimes they surround me, sometimes they hide me, and sometimes they bloom right alongside me. I often think of myself as the main character, and the flowers as my silent co-stars – bringing mood, symbolism, and emotional color to the image. The more I work with them, the more I realize how deeply intertwined they are with my self-expression.
Bringing these two elements together – flowers and film – has allowed me to explore emotion, softness, and impermanence in a way that feels both personal and honest. This project is a reflection of all the quiet, in-between moments I hold dear.
And it’s still growing. Just like the flowers I photograph, I have so much more I want to explore – new ways to blend film, florals, and self-reflection into something meaningful. I’ll keep shooting, keep experimenting, and let these quiet inspirations guide me. If any part of this work resonates with someone – even just one person – and reminds them to notice beauty in the everyday or to express themselves more freely, then that means everything to me.
Thanks for sharing your floral photography and kicking off this series, Melda! Follow her LomoHome and find her on Instagram to see more of her work.
What other passion have you combined with analogue? We'd love to hear it – tell us your story and email magazine-team@lomography.com with the subject line: Shot With Love.
written by francinegaebriele on 2025-08-03 #people #floral-photography #shot-with-love #flowers-on-film
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