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Yellow Columbine, Albion Basin, Utah
I think this new image might become part of my portfolio. After more than a decade of capturing close-up images of Wasatch wildflowers, it takes something special, or at least something new, to get me excited about an image. One way to create new images is to photograph new subjects. When in the field, I usually don't want to spend my time photographing species of wildflowers I feel I have all ready captured in an artful way. I look for flowers that I've never photographed before, or species where I've never pulled off the artful image; never achieved my vision. This image goes against that norm, I all ready have a yellow columbine image I love (in my Wasatch Wildflower Close-ups gallery). The raindrops add another layer to the image, but it's the background that really gets me excited about this image. One thing I've learned over the years: when capturing close-up images of wildflowers, the background is usually the key to the success of the image as a whole. Finding the right subject with the right background is the real challenge of close-up wildflower photography. Once I've found a subject, I'll usually take one of two approaches. I'll either shoot wide open for maximum blur of the background, or I'll stop the aperture all the way down for maximum sharpness of the background. For this image I've used the wide open, blurred background approach. For this approach to work, all background elements must be sufficiently distant from the subject. This columbine was growing on a slope, so I was able to shoot parallel to the slope keeping the rest of the plant and other near elements (leaves and flowers) out of the frame to the left. It's what's in the background, and the different elements distances from the focal plane, that come together to create this uniquely colorful, blurred background. Bottom left, another yellow columbine blossom lightens the corner but is far enough away to not record any hard lines of detail. Behind the subject, Indian paintbrush adds the splash of red. The dark above and behind the paintbrush is provided by a stand of pines. The blue at top is courtesy of a stormy, blackening sky. This image reminds me it's ok to shoot the familiar subject, as long as you do it from a new angle. And, it's always good to challenge the norm in creative pursuits, especially self imposed norms.
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