Here’s another image from our recent Southern California wildflower trip made near Gorman in the Angeles National Forest. It was fun to experiment with slow shutter motion blurs (a good creative outlet when the wind is blowing!) and the variety of colors made for some very impressionistic images.

It was banner year for the Antelope Valley poppies.  The El Nino winter followed by warm weather created ideal conditions for the California state flower. Waiting for the constant winds to subside is always the real challenge in capturing these delicate beauties.

Happy Earth Day!

It was 40 years ago today that the green movement was conceived and since then it has become a driving force in today’s world economy and politics. We’ve come a long way from those early days when even the idea of recycling was a novelty to 2010 where fluorescent light bulbs are in vogue and whole countries like Iceland are run almost entirely on clean energy. One of the driving forces in my photography is to show the natural world at its best and to remind us all why we want to preserve it.

So get out and enjoy the day - take a walk or ride a bike, and breathe a little easier knowing we’re heading in the right direction.

At first glance the desert can seem like a barren desolate place, void of life and beauty. But upon closer inspection it often reveals itself as a delicate world of endless variety and complexity, especially in the spring after a good winter like the one we’re having now.

This image of a natural garden in Plum Canyon in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was taken with a Nikkor 180mm lens to isolate the scene and emphasize the colors of the cholla and wildflowers. The late afternoon backlight completed the picture by accentuating the detail of the cactus needles and setting them apart from the other elements as if to say, “look, but don’t touch”.

Exploring the balance between these contrasting worlds of beauty and danger is what makes the desert so fascinating. Visually it’s not as accessable as an alpine meadow or tropical rain forest, but for those willing to take a closer look the rewards are often just as great.