The cactus flowers are spectacular this year
This year marks an epic cactus bloom. It's the best display of wild cactus flowers, and continues to be so. I heard this bloom is considered a 100 year bloom (prolific). A combination of cold and rain in April and May have watered the gardens of the desert and the cactus are the stars of the show.
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| I like to create compositions that tell a story about the life of the prickly pear cactus |
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By photographing with my macro lens (Nikon 60mm), I am able to get within a few inches of the subject
and by choosing a large aperture, like f2.8, the background blurs considerably. |
Camping close the the subject
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| In the evening light, the blooms along the slick rock were singing. ©Kit Frost |
One of the primary reasons I love camping is to be close to my subjects when the right light hits. I knew I would only photograph for a few hours after breakfast and again before sunset. The BLM lands in Southern Utah make camping accessible and private. When I scouted the subjects a few weeks ago, the blooms were amazing; up to 50 flowers on each plant. By the time I came back for a weekend, many of the bigger blossoms were finished. But persistence pays off, and I found many plants still in full bloom.
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| In this image, I focused on the main, large, bloom. |
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| Using my 60mm macro lens and manually focusing gives me choices. |
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| I love the pink bud hanging out with the yellow flowers |
And then, hit the river.
Needing to cool down after a hot morning in the sun, it was time to move camp to the San Juan River. I love the Sand Island Campground near Bluff. We had our pick of sites along the river because it was "past season" in Southern Utah. But the river trippers "put-in" is at Sand Island so I sat, lounged and watched the river flow and the rafters and kayakers go by. I occasionally sat right in the "eddie" to cool down.
