Owens, PAT

PAT Owens’ mom and dad were farmers on a small farm in North Carolina where they taught their children the common local names of plants. She was especially interested in the wildflowers. Early on, her sisters and she shared a Brownie camera. As time passed, she acquired her first 35mm SLR film camera. Later living in various parts of the country exposed her to many more wildflower species and she continued taking photos of them.

When the digital age for cameras arrived, PAT jumped on the bandwagon. Using digital cameras allowed her to take as many photos as she wanted to get the best shot of her plant subject. PAT can spend time taking hundreds of photos and then delete 95% of them and keep only the very best ones. Yet, it is not just the photos; she has to find out learn the plant’s name . . . always. Sometimes it takes a while and requires consulting many references to identify a new subject.

PAT enjoys photography but she likes it in its purest form, no Photoshop for her. Although cropping sometime helps with things in the background that cannot be moved no matter how the photo is framed. Over time and with practice, her wildflower photography has improved. PAT believes that life is made more special by being outdoors in nature photographing the things she loves. Her photos reflect that view. She hopes to continue to improve and share her photographs of Texas Hill Country native plants.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to developing the premier resource for native plant images in North America through continued growth of the Plant Image Gallery. You can help us achieve our mission ...to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes... by becoming a contributor.