07 Apr Wildflowers!
howdy friends!
a couple weeks ago I had the good fortune to take a trip to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park with my good friend Angel. we left Los Angeles at O’Dark Thirty and drove the 150-ish miles to the desert, getting there about an hour after dawn. the day started off cool and grey, then gradually the clouds began to burn off and it heated up. by the time we left around noon it was probably 80ยบ… which, consider we were in the DESERT, isn’t so bad.
this year has been touted as a “Super Bloom.” according the National Park Service, “A good wildflower year depends on at least three things: Well-spaced rainfall throughout the winter and spring, Sufficient warmth from the sun, Lack of drying winds.” and after five years of draught, Southern California finally had the rain it needed for the flowers to bloom en mass. and it was incredible.
seriously, it’s almost hard to describe how amazingly beautiful it was. everywhere you looked the desert was overflowing with color. I’ve never seen anything like it. we were walking along a small trail that was so sandy it felt like walking on the beach, but all around us were yellow, white, purple, violet, and red blooms. color was everywhere!
for this trip I used a roll of Kodak 25 ASA Royal Gold that my Dad had given me. I’d been saving it for the right occasion, and glad I was able to use it on this. the colors it captured are really remarkable — and the fine grain structure of the slower speed film gives the images such a rich and full look. I definitely want to start shooting more slow speed film!
you can check out the entire gallery on my Flickr page. and for many, many more photos of desert wildflowers, check out this Facebook page. it’s pretty incredible all the different types.
here are some of my favorites.
how is the bloom in your neck of the woods? has Spring sprung yet for you?
-Luke
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