Flora
Select a photo to open the gallery.
Garden Flowers – Flowers were one of the first things I started shooting when I got serious about photography several years ago. Perhaps it was because they are all around us but also because it takes a lot of practice to do them justice. There is a lot of trial and error perseverance. Also, getting close enough to capture detail while keeping everything in focus is quite a challenge that often is met with focus stacking. I have done stacking both in camera and in post production, depending on what seems to work better in any given situation.
However, focus is just one part of the equation. Separating the flower from its background to reduce or eliminate distractions is a key skill in composition. I sometimes use a flash to do this, as in the photo at the left.
Wildflowers – I think wildflowers are quite a bit more challenging to photograph than flowers in a controlled environment. When I am out hiking I don’t often have the luxury of choosing the light, my distance from the subject, or even the best angle for the composition. As far as lighting is concerned, I have been experimenting with a flash to not only give me flexibility on the lighting direction, but also the ability to separate the flower from the background. By setting the flash and aperture correctly it is possible to fully or partially overcome distractions seen in the ambient light.
The photo on the left is an example of this technique. But this gallery has photos taken both with this method and in the ambient light.
Cacti & Desert Plants – When I first moved to New Mexico, I was not expecting much in the way of plant and flower photography. After all, this is the desert–nothing like the northern flora I had seen for most of my life.
But I was soon awakened to the beauty and diversity of plant life in the desert. When the desert blooms it can be spectacular, from the ephemeral but stunning cactus blooms to the sweeping golden carpets of poppies. You can be looking at an ominous spiny cactus one day and the next it will burst forth with a color and a character that is at once striking and gorgeous. I took the photo at the left in my own small backyard in Las Cruces. This is the backlit image of the inside of an Argentine Giant cactus flower. These dinner-plate sized blooms burst out overnight but by the next evening they are wilting away. Just a one-day extravaganza.
I hope you will get the sense of my enthusiasm for the desert flora in this gallery. Please tell me what you think.