In May 2018, I took an evening walk down the quiet Grace Court in Brooklyn Heights. I came across a pretty pink rose bush planted in front of one of the block’s apartment buildings. Armed with my BlackBerry Classic camera, I decided to take a picture with the flash enabled. I never had too much luck with low-light BlackBerry Classic pictures, so I did not expect much. The result, which you can see below, was unexpectedly interesting.
The BlackBerry Classic camera’s flash illuminated the pink rose and the two closest budding roses. The rose and its buds appear to glow in the photo, and the flower has a vague halo-effect. The rose’s halo very faintly illuminates the plant’s leaves, most prominently the ones between the larger budding rose and the main rose. It is strangely haunting. It also makes me want tea.
The BlackBerry Classic camera has some strengths and many limitations. Among its limitations is a lack of facility in low light, even with the flash enabled. However, those very limitations can contribute to an interesting photo when the roses and rose buds align.
This is one of my two favorite photos from my BlackBerry Classic collection – with the other being a certain very dry leaf in a stream at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
For those who care curious, you can see where I found the glowing tea rose on the below map.
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