David Watkins, Jr.

  • Gulls Wing Siberian IrisGulls Wing Siberian Iris
  • Red Trumps WhiteRed Trumps White
  • Cimcifuga racemosaCimcifuga racemosa
  • Hidden DahliaHidden Dahlia
  • AureatumAureatum
  • Crocosmia LuciferCrocosmia Lucifer
  • Eastman House AtriumEastman House Atrium
  • Wild Gardens of Acadia Wild Gardens of Acadia
  • Road to SommesvilleRoad to Sommesville
  • Blueberries on the RocksBlueberries on the Rocks
  • Two Orange PetalsTwo Orange Petals
  • Winter Reflections No.5Winter Reflections No.5


In December of 2000, I retired after 32 years at Cornell University in the Media Services organization. I retired in order to return to creative work and my two great passions – flower gardening and photography.

My photographic work, primarily digital, is strongly influenced by my early training as a graphic designer. My subjects are botanicals and landscapes, natural and human made. Many of the photographs are taken in my own extensive perennial gardens and in the Ithaca, New York area.  I find inspiration in the textures and patterns created in nature by color, light, weather, age and natural predators.

Most of my images are straightforward. Some are manipulated or enhanced only to emphasize the subject or to improve a less than perfect exposure. More recently, I have been experimenting with extensive manipulation in Photoshop to achieve a final more artistic vision. In many cases an image presents the opportunity to answer the question: “What more can it become?” Images captured digitally and transferred to a computer offer the photographer/artist a myriad of new and creative possibilities.