Photo Trip

Happy Dog (Canis felicis), May 2010

A beautiful evening and a restless dog created ideal conditions for my first digital SLR expedition beyond my backyard; I was soon to discover that our long wet winter and "spring" (we got frost again last night; good thing my veggie plants are still in the garage) created ideal conditions for a wildflower pageant. My favorites (so far; I have only just begun to Photoshop) are this Indian Paintbrush, which the sun nicely illuminated just as I was composing the shot:

Desert Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja chromosa), May 2010

...and the budding Yucca stalk below -- I had no idea yucca buds were so pink. This one will likely become 5 to 8 feet tall and have a dozen or more blooms; I'll try to get more shots of the stalk as it grows and the parts begin to unfurl. I know the yucca isn't entirely in focus in the center; I'd need a real macro lens to do that... or I could get a tree stump or other "stool" to elevate myself so I could get a greater depth of field.

Yucca (Yucca elata, I think) flower stalk/bud, May 2010

I know, I can't seem to just take "normal" pictures. I prefer macro/close-up photography probably because my landscapes are actually quite inept, despite much reading and practice on the topic. I guess I see something interesting and want to examine it up close, from lots of different angles. The yucca bud is actually the top of a stalk that is currently about a foot tall; the sideways pic I got was pretty cool, but this... well, it's different, and I like it.