More Spring!
As we in the southwest deserts experience one of the most marvelous spring seasons in memory, it's hard to put down the camera! One can be overcome with the opportunity to photograph. It seems to be everywhere now.
Maybe though, it is time to just simply stop, smell and see! Stop and smell the roses, as it were. The cactus rose that is!
The Cactus are just now starting to bloom. For the past few weeks it has been the plants and desert floor around them. The full symphony will be in concert soon! A short telephoto and wide aperture helped make the focus sharp in the blossom area of this shot. Backing off the subject instead of changing the focal length made the background blur but held the foreground. The angle hid the fact that the center of the blossom was not yet fully developed and therefore not desirable.
Nature clears the ground for growth. Fire is usually the means. Wind blows in both seed and soil. The creatures help in the process. Water is the key to life everywhere for everyone. My landscape images show all this when I think I'm most successful. Here on the ridge, hundreds of years of this process are visible. A long lens and small aperture, manually focused held depth of field from about 100 yards.
The birds that seem so comfortable here are as important to the life cycle as any aspect but a simple head shot seemed to take away from what I wanted to say. Instead a short telephoto, the Canon 24-70 2.8L gave a more interesting composition. A shutter speed of 1/250th was used to make sure our subject was sharp. The bright light of the afternoon make this possible with no problem.
In a couple of weeks this ocotillo will stand alone with stone and sand as it's only companion. Gone will be the "salad bowl" of color and cover. This lush setting will revert to it's more customary parched desert. A long lens from a distance was used to compress the scene and I stopped down considerably to hold depth of field.
As we all are aware, color can be captured in many ways. The time of day, the degree of light and angle all make compositions varied and appealing. Following natures cycles is the attraction for me.
Your comments are always welcome. f8andbethere@cableone.net