Tag Archives: bloom

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California, Photographs: Sierra Nevada

Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon

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Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon - Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.
Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.

Redbud Flowers, Merced Canyon. Sierra Nevada, California. April 15, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

Spring blooms completely cover the branches of a redbud tree, Merced Canyon, California.

One of the most striking signs of spring in some portions of California is the intensely colorful blooming of the redbud plants. (Variously described as “trees” or “bushes.”) At the right time in April, the blooms are found in abundance along the bottom of the Merced River Canyon below Yosemite National Park. This year I had time for a quick one-day visit to the area – photographing the redbud plants was one of my two major goals that day, and I certainly had plenty of opportunities.

A few weeks from now and throughout the rest of the year, the redbud is not an especially remarkable plant among the other plants that grow in these areas. However, when covered almost completely by intense purple flowers, the plant stands out against the mostly green and brown background of other plants. This tree seemed to have fully blossomed, and the earliest spring leaves were just beginning to appear among the flowers. I shot this with a long lens to provide some background blur, and I worked in a shaded are of the canyon before the direct sun arrived, since I prefer to photograph this plant in softer light.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Pink Trillium flower

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Pink Trillium Flower - A pink trillium flower growing in the shade beneath redwood trees, Muir Woods National Monument.
A pink trillium flower growing in the shade beneath redwood trees, Muir Woods National Monument.

Pink Trillium flower. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. March 3, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A pink trillium flower growing in the shade beneath redwood trees, Muir Woods National Monument.

As I recall, I decided to photograph this particular trillium flower specimen for several reasons. The subtle pink color attracted me, since most of the flowers here at Muir Woods tend to be more or less white – though there are some that are even a bit more colorful than this one. I also liked the essentially perfect leaves that had not yet been torn or developed holes. The subtle shadowed light had just a hint of sunlight filtering down through the canopy of the redwood forest high above.

There is surprisingly little light to work with down on the redwood forest floor, especially early/late in the day or when there are clouds. Recently a friend who shot here expressed surprise to discover that he was shooting during the day at shutter speeds of around one second! This is not at all unusual, especially when using somewhat large apertures and shooting at low ISO. You quickly become sensitive to the slightest motion in the air, since breezes that you might otherwise not even feel can set the plants moving back and forth.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
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Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Trillium Flower, Fern Tips

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Trillium Flower, Fern Tips - A trillium flower blooms among ferns beneath the canopy of the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.
A trillium flower blooms among ferns beneath the canopy of the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

Trillium Flower, Fern Tips. Muir Woods National Monument, California. March 3, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A trillium flower blooms among ferns beneath the canopy of the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument, California.

This was one of the nicer “classic” trillium flowers I found in Muir Woods this season. The petals and leaves were in good shape and almost perfectly aligned with the flower’s petals lined up with the larger, lower leaves. The photograph was made very close to the beginning of March when the first good flowers were appearing in large numbers. Over the next few weeks, more and more of the flowers blossomed at Muir Woods. Other than some of the unusual winter flowers, the trillium flowers here sort of mark the beginning of the Central/Northern California wildflower season for me, and now that the days are lengthening more and more wildflowers will appear in the these areas.

Along the lines of technical information about this photograph… I used a 70-200mm lens on a full frame camera for this shot. This turns out to be the setup I use most often for this subject, though sometimes I’ll photograph them with a prime (ranging from 24mm to 135mm) or even a wider zoom, and every so often I use an extension tube and get in extra close. This photograph was shot at 200mm and cropped a bit, both to tighten the frame around the flower a bit and to get the taller and narrower aspect ratio that I usual prefer. For many flowers I find that 70-200mm zoom to be a great tool. Even though mine only opens to f/4, at 200mm this can create a very nicely blurred background when shooting such subjects, and the long focal length lets me work a bit further back from the flowers.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Coastal Redwoods, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Trillium Unfolding

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Trillium Unfolding - A new trillium plant emerges and begins to blossom beneath the redwood forest canopy.
A new trillium plant emerges and begins to blossom beneath the redwood forest canopy.

Trillium Unfolding. Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. March 3, 2012. © Copyright 2012 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A new trillium plant emerges and begins to blossom beneath the redwood forest canopy.

With enough time to observe these plants – and a few return visits to fill in observational gaps – it is possible to see the full process of their unfolding. Though I still haven’t spotted the very earliest sprouts – probably because I didn’t look quite closely enough – I can spot the newly emerging plants that are about to open up and blossom. The leaves wrap around the incipient flower, and when they begin to open the appearance of the flower itself isn’t far behind.

On this visit to Muir Woods National Monument I found trillium plants in all stages from tiny plants with small leaves to those that had already blossomed and even lost the flowers. A few were at this wonderful stage when the cradling outside leaves are just opening to reveal the new flower. Soon the leaves will drop and flatten to produce the familiar three-part shape and the flower will stand (or droop!) above the leaves.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer whose subjects include the Pacific coast, redwood forests, central California oak/grasslands, the Sierra Nevada, California deserts, urban landscapes, night photography, and more.
Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | 500px.com | LinkedIn | Email

Text, photographs, and other media are © Copyright G Dan Mitchell (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.