Wildflower Explosion

@zOOm: Thanks Florence, a calm "windless" day also helps!

@LauraS: Hi Laura, I just wish I could identify these flowers.

@Pavan Kaul: Hi Pavan, color and quality light is what draws my eye to most of the scenes I photograph, color was the key component of this image.

@Scott Schilling: Hi Scott, I did arrive home safely and the trip was very successful on many levels. I also visited the gallery of local Moab photographer Tom Till while a raging dust storm was blowing through town. His work is outstanding and I encourage anyone visiting the area to stop in. He also has many books available including a new one titled "Success with Landscape Photography" which I read on he flights home. It's a great read with many of his images shot from around the world. I'll start posting images from the trip later this week. Hope all is well.

@"Marie" :-): Hi Marie, in the above mentioned Tom Till book, he states that he is just an average guy who works hard. Capturing good images takes work, and a lot of time out in the field shooting and scouting. I do this for a living, so I have no excuses. Most people on this forum, I would assume, have jobs and families, time is tight, but a few hours of missed sleep can result in many beautiful images. My advice is to set that alarm a bit earlier a couple days a week and get out and shoot!

@Hoshisato: Thanks Hoshisato, what part of the UK is Ealing located?

@Sarah: Thanks Sarah, I have never been to Switzerland but can only imagine the Alps covered with beautiful spring wildflowers.

@Marion: Good morning Marion, try doing a Google search for photographer websites where they list wildflower locations in your area. We have one out here in California run by Carol Leigh, a fine nature photographer, where photographers post up-to-date comments of various blooms around the state. They also post fall color locations, very useful information.

@Judy: Thanks Judy, as I have stated many times on this blog, I have been fortunate enough to make my living from photography for the past 29 years. I have had many mentors along the way (and I still do) and it is my way of "passing it on." I would hope all of you would be open with suggestions when other aspiring photographers approach you for advice. There should be "no secrets", just more beautiful images.

@Lindsay: Hi Lindsay, I just returned from a stock shooting trip to Canyonlands and Arches National Parks in Utah and guess what, we had snow, rain, dust, and sun three days in a row. Go with what is dealt you by the weatherman, spring days will arrive soon enough followed by the hot and humid summer weather. I always try to keep an open mind when out in the field. My last day in Moab, I set the alarm for 4am so I could be the first photographer at the famous Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. As I approached the Park, the temperatures were 28 degrees and it was blowing snow sideways across the road. The Mesa Arch is a sunrise spot, but instead of getting upset, I simply changed my mindset and drove to another location I felt would work for the weather I was dealt and ended up having the location to myself and capturing some beautiful images that I could never have done on a clear morning. I will be posting an image later this week. The key is to keep an open mind and use the weather to your advantage.

@Tracy: Hi Tracy, yes spring is quickly slipping past us here in central California, the hills are still green and patches of wildflowers are there if you look hard enough. Our golden brown hills will be here before we know it so don't procrastinate.

@john4jack: Thanks Jack, I concur that Rowell was excellent at capturing the grandeur of wildflowers in the high mountains. Morning tend to work the best for me because of the lack of wind. Once the ground begins warm and radiate the heat, the breezes begin and the day is done.

@Ana Lúcia: Thanks Ana, it was a beautiful day.

@Mariana: Thanks Mariana.

@Photosanity: Thanks for the help. The person I was with on the day this image was captured knew the name of every flower he saw, he related that when he was a boy, he and his grandmother would walk these hillsides and she would make him memorize the flowers names.