Columbines are Blossoming

Columbines are one of the stars of the annual wildflower bloom in Buffalo River county. They are going strong in Lost Valley and elsewhere along creeks feeding into the Buffalo.  In Lost Valley the big bloom is by the Natural Bridge. They also border Eden Falls, but they are much easier to photograph at the Natural Bridge.

Columbines at Lost Valley

Dogwood Trees are at Peak -- Time to Visit

We are fortunate. Our land that borders the Ponca Wilderness is covered with dogwood trees. I would estimate we have at least 50-70, but there could be more. They are at peak bloom now.

My hike today in Lost Valley, and here around our land showed the very early signs of a petal drop. Not sure how much longer they will last, but if you want to visit to see the dogwoods, now is the time. The first big thunderstorm could really knock them down as they enter the end of their blooming period.

Dogwoods at Peak, Get Here Now

Rue Anemone at Sunrise, Ponca Wilderness

Rue Anemone at Sunrise, Ponca Wilderness

In my mind, nothing matters as much as selective lighting and dynamic range in composition. This Rue Anemone is cross lit and top lit. The selective lighting of the flower is in contrast to the other parts of the setting pops it out of the background.

I like this 3D effect, and I seek it in my wildflower work. This is my preferred "voice". If I live long enough I hope to paint now and then. This would be pretty close to what I would go for.

I took at least 20 pictures of this same flower. My friend Paul Caldwell calls this "working a subject". Try different angles, different points of view. Up light and down light. NEVER stop at the first photo -- study, move, look at the background and bokeh.  Give yourself choices for your post processing.

As is often the case, the tie breaker was the curvilinear branch at the background, the foreground detritus, and the glow of the flowers in mixed light. I think these compositions are more interesting than normally lit photos, and way more interesting than flash. I might hang this one because there are so many aspects that I like. Something more straight ahead would bore me.

Yellow Swallowtail on Wild Plum

Yellow Swallowtail on Wild Plum

This is another butterfly on a wild plum picture. I waited over an hour for this swallowtail to get in decent shooting range. I did get him tack sharp.

I think this is a pretty good picture. I would prefer for the bokeh to be simpler.

The flowers are fresh, meaning there is still plenty of pollen and the petals are in good form. The butterfly is also fresh, meaning it does not have wing damage from bird attacks and the color is not faded.

Painted Lady on Wild Plum

First Observe & Plan, Wait, Then Shoot

This is another butterfly picture on our wild plum tree. This photo is very deliberate at every level. I wanted the sweeping branch with fewer blooms, and the bokeh with branches. Of course the Painted Lady butterfly had to cooperate.

This shows a basic strategy I rely on. I will take the time to study a complex floral setting like a tree, compose the bloom where I want the butterfly to land, and even take test photos to setup the bokeh. This does take time and patience, but when it all comes together it is very satisfying. To me this picture is 3D, it has a Japanese floral arrangement feel to it, and I like the light dynamics.

When shooting flowering trees, I might stand in the same spot, and locate 3 possible flower compos that I hope to get a butterfly to land on. I can shift between them without moving much at all. Then I just wait. And wait. And even wait more.

When someone asks me how long it took to get this picture my stock answer is 2 hours plus 1/1600th of a second. Patience is the key.

Dogwoods Starting to Bloom & Wild Plum Trees Blooming Heavily

This is early, but today the dogwoods on Gaither Mountain (Ponca Wilderness) started to bloom. If you are a dogwood fan, you know at first the blooms open up as green, and then quickly shift to white. We are at stage one, the green bloom.

At lower altitudes usually the dogwoods will be a bit ahead of the mountain dogwoods. I would not be surprised to see white blooms by Sunday. It all happens very fast.

I just got in from shooting butterflies on my wild plum tree. Last night there were only buds, today it is an explosion of white flowers. These fresh flowers really draw in the butterflies. Think about visiting now if you are a serious butterfly photographer.  I got 5 species of butterflies without moving more than 10 steps.

Hepatica in Filtered Light

Hepatica in Filtered Light

This is one of the things I look for in taking wildflower pictures. To me light dynamics are everything. This is a cinematic light photo.

In this composition there are interesting lines and negative implied shapes that create a wholly different concept of a natural frame.

The ribs on the leaves surrounding the bloom point to it. Leaves at the bottom point right, intersect the leaves about it, and form an interesting zig zag pattern leading the eye to the bloom.

This photo is something given, not something taken. One only needs to first observe and work slowly.

15 Minute Workshop Series -- Wildflower Pictures are Flower Arrangements

Sharp Lobed Hepatica -- Lost Valley Trail

I really like to take pictures of wildflowers. Sharped Lobed Hepatica is one of my favorite species. I like the nodding buds, blooms that tilt and tip at many angles, and the long fuzzy stems. There is a lot going on, and there are many choices offered to a photographer who seeks an exceptional wildflower composition. Here are some thoughts on choosing the shot, and how to work in post processing on flowers.

First, flower pictures are flower arrangements. Look at a book on flower arranging and you will get great ideas about how to organize flowers in effective compositions.

Second, don't forget the context around the wildflower. The picture to the right incorporates not only leaves, but a sweeping blade of dead grass. Note that it criss-crosses with a stem in the back. This gives the composition a Japanese feel. 

Third, shadows matter. Shadows tell a story in the picture. You can see the direction of the sunlight -- it is mid morning. There are pleasing traces on the leaves of shadows coming from the petals. Shadow nuances add complexity and interest without distracting from the subject. 

Fourth, backgrounds are a special case of context and darkening them slightly can add a 3D character to a photo. This makes the subject pop out forward in your pictures and make your photos deep. 

A while back I wrote a short piece on what we could learn from master painter Leonardo da Vinci about composition and post processing photos. It certainly applies here. I think he provides an outstanding road map to think more carefully about post. 

Wildflower Photo Tip

Unopened Sharp Lobed Hepatica Blooms

If you get to your wildflower destination early, chances are good that the wildflowers will not have opened up. Noobs might imagine that the buds they see are either flowers that are past their prime, or that they are the final flower.

The picture below is a clump of sharp lobed hepaticas that have not opened.  Only a half hour later they were wide open and upright. I like this particular species both open and closed. To me they look like tiny roses when closed.

So, if all the blooms are closed, wait around. It is just a matter of time before they pop open as the morning cool lifts. Why not shoot them both ways?

Wildflower Season is Hitting Stride

Sharp Lobed Hepatica, Lost Valley Trail

It is early in the wildflower season,  but it feels like the cold has compressed the bloom dates of early wildflowers and they are blooming closer together than in recent years. This morning I located sharp lobed hepaticas and cut leaf tooth worts to join the white trout lilies in the early bloom.

The photo is from Lost Valley.  It is loaded with hikers today.

White Trout Lilies 2 -- Lost Valley Trail

More white trout lilies, Lost Valley Trail.

White Trout Lilies, Lost Valley Trail

My First Wildflower for 2014

White Trout Lily Lost Valley 2014
Erythronium albidum

White trout lily Lost Valley hiking trail. I would say looking at the flower bed that the trout lilies have been up a few days now. That would put the delay in the wild flower season at about a month or so compared to 2013.

This compo is unusual for me with the subject centered, but I like the alignment of the bud with the bloom. Also, to me the texture and ribs of the leaves focus the eye on the subject.

If it interests you, I took this with my 100-400 telephoto and it is hand held.

Lost Valley was pretty full when I finally got to visit today. A photographer I met confirmed that Eden Falls is running pretty hard.

People are also floating the Buffalo. The river is running pretty hard.

Ozark Wildflower Season Starts Any Day

Last year at this time I had been shooting wildflowers for 5 weeks. We had much better weather and none of the snow storms like Sunday. Daffodils are blooming now, the single most reliable sign that the wildflower season is beginning.

If wildflowers interest you, the spring season is a few month long and there are many different places along the river where you can get pictures. Virtually any Ozark feeder creek to the Buffalo National River will have a decent wildflower bloom.

Filtered Top Light, Shallow Depth of Field
and Bokeh Make This Composition Work 

Photographers can learn a lot about existing light photography from shooting wildflowers. I personally don't like flash photography because it washes out detail that I want. It also tends to compress the dynamic range from light to dark that animates a good photo. Yes it can be done, but why not hone your observation skills and learn how to manage existing light. It will strengthen your photography.

So wildflower coverage begins today. I expect to see the first wildflowers now.