Last year I wrote a post about Springtime photography at the Stebbins Cold Canyon (California, USA). This is a slight modification of that post as a reminder, for those who live in the Sacramento area, that the Cold Canyon has a plethora of wildflowers waiting to be photographed in the spring.
Wildflowers are adorable. If you live in the Sacramento area and can afford to go, don’t wait. Go now and go often.
I have already observed the following flowers in the preserve this year: Chaparral Currant (Ribes malvaceum), California Bay (Umbellularia californica), Milkmaids (Cardamine californica) and the Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) were all putting on a a show. Henderson’s Shooting Stars (Primula hendersonii), among my favs, are also beginning to bloom.
Click on each image to see a larger, more detailed version of some flowers you may see as the spring progresses. If you like those photos and would like a print of a California wildflower, I have a small portfolio here.
Photography tips: When shooting macro wide open and without a tripod, take many photos of the same subject. The tiniest movement will change the focus point, and it may change it to somewhere you don’t want it. Taking several photos will ensure that at least one will be just like you envisioned. Also, to get a larger area in focus, try to keep the camera as parallel as possible to the main axis of your subject. For wildflower portraits, chose the ones that are relatively isolated from the vegetation, and pay attention to the background, which should not have anything bright shiny, for instance distracting rocks and sticks trying to steal the thunder.
A diffuser will come in handy for wildflower photography on a sunny day. Many flowers are on slopes, intermingled with grass. A flash might help to achieve separation by darkening the background, and a macro lens is a plus and maybe a must.
————————————————–
Wall Art landscapes and miscellaneous
________________________________
It is all about the light 
Your tufted poppy portrait seems especially nice, thanks in part to that prominent droplet. The multi-dropleted leaf in the following picture appears to be from a grape vine.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you. Wildflowers are adorable.
LikeLike
Nice appetite whetter, Alessandra.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lol come on over for some local wildflower photography!
LikeLike
Lol! If only I lived just a few thousand miles closer. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wonderful photos. Waiting and waiting for them here.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Freezing rain and snow in the foothills is messing up things here as well, but they always come.
LikeLike
Beautiful shots. Love your tip of “taking many photos of the same subject.” That’s my general fallback no matter the type of photo I’m taking! Ha, ha. I’ve worked with enough great designers and photographers that I like to think that I have a good eye, but unfortunately turning that into a great picture doesn’t always translate well. Ha, ha. Love these shots. Thank you for sharing Alessandra.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks, I’m glad you like the photos. Taking many photos increases the likelihood that one will be good, but of course you need to be doing things slightly differently for that to happen. I think one day I’ll post all the photos that didn’t work out for one that did, so people have a good approximation to the reality of taking photos. Most of it is frustration.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your beautiful images reminds me of how much I miss getting on my knees to take close ups of the natural world that surrounds me. I can almost smell the aroma of Spring while looking at those beautiful blooms. You really have a great eye for these incredible subjects. I recently joined a new to me photography sharing group ( no ads and no stupid algorithms) and I had to go through my past photos to decide what I wanted to share. I knew I wanted to share some toad and garter snake images and it took quite some time to decide which ones were going to make it up to the new site. While looking through these photos I realized how much I missed it all. It is simply too cold for me to go outside now to take photos so I’m hoping for an early Spring and I’m really really hoping I still feel inspired enough to pick up my camera. But I’m enjoying looking at what others are posting. Lots of brilliant photographers there.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s cool, I’m glad you’re having a good time sharing your photographs! My advice on waiting to get inspired is “don’t wait” because time goes by fast. Since my husband died, inspiration is more like a memory but going out in nature and living the moment is not. It’s poss and doable to shoot uninspired, and it’s rewarding too.
LikeLike
I spent today in the east Texas woods, and came home with a few successes and a couple of truly impressive failures. There was a moss that was blooming, but the blooms were only about two inches tall, and despite the wisdom of your advice to get the sensor parallel to the pretty fringe, I just couldn’t do it. Next time! The other bit of fun was trying to get decent photos of sundews; they’re shiny by nature, so I spent some time waiting for clouds to come by and reduce the reflection from the plant.
It’s all great fun. I do have a diffuser that I bought on Steve Gingold’s advice, but I’ve never used it. I need to learn how to do that.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s not difficult to use a diffuser. I almost always do for botanicals.
LikeLiked by 1 person