Buddhists make offerings of plants and foods as part of their devotions. This is one of simplest and most moving offerings I saw -- a single blossom resting in the hand of a sculpted image of Buddha. The blossom is a very small detail within this frame, but comes up with great impact because of its scale incongruity and color contrast. The yellow interior of the blossom contrasts to the white petals, and the white petals, in turn contrast to the brownish black metal hand of the Buddha. I underexposed this image significantly to reveal such detail and make such a contrast. The force of the detail is intensified not only because of the size contrast but also because the detail was recently living material, and the great hand in which it rests is made of metal. This makes the hand seem to incongruously come to life by giving it a function it did not have before. The artist has also exaggerated the length of the fingers, which add a surreal quality to the contrasts I’ve created here. I compose the image so that the wrist of the statue begins in the upper right hand corner, and sweeps diagonally through the frame to the lower left hand corner, where I bring the fingers to a halt just as they are about to touch the edge. But they don’t touch that edge, and never will. The dark negative space in the detail between the end of the fingertips and the edge of the picture becomes laden with tension. A perfect counterpoint to the graceful way the curved hand itself so carefully cradles and nurtures the blossom.