Sierra Nevada spring wildflowers

[SSSdave]

Yesterday, Sunday April 30, drove along the Sierra Nevada lower elevation foothills noting areas are now looking increasingly brown and drying with late season species like clarkia peaking. April 18 drove along serpentine areas on SR49 between Red Hills and Mariposa noting flowers numbers were about average though far less impressive than on big years. Also drove into the lower Merced Canyon between Briceberg and El Portal and likewise noted though there were lots of usual species and numbers, it was far from what it looks like in better years. Of note, poppies this spring along the Merced were reported to be poor and looked it. Generally I suspect many Northern California usual better wildflower areas are going to disappoint despite all the rains we received because March was rather dry that is the most important for lower elevation species and grasses that tend to suppress native species rose up strongly after the huge January and February storms.

Tomorrow Tuesday and Wednesday breezes are forecast to be light making close-up photography possible. So am thinking will drive up to areas above the main Tuolumne River as Cherry Lake Rd, Mather Rd, Hetch Hetchy Rd Evergreen Rd that have a lot of options, low roadside traffic, and many flowers and species. Could even drive up their tonight and disperse camp? The timing may be a wee early for higher areas about 4k that were fine a couple years ago but this year maybe too soon?

http://www.davidsenesac.com/2015_Trip_C ... .html#may2

However one can easily drop down from that area into lower areas of the canyon.

After all my Southern California spring wildflower work, completed all the image processing and subsequent html coding and uploading to my web site. Very successful with some of my best such work ever. Thus decision to retire a couple months ago allowing freedom to go when conditions were best has paid off in gold.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_C ... les-0.html

[cslaght]

Excellent work David, still unbelievable about the Carrizo Plain.

[old and slow]

Dave, great photos as always -- obviously, the CPNM pictures are just beautiful but I particularly enjoyed the close-up shots from Joshua Tree/Wilson Canyon (amazing colors).

And did I read that right -- you have retired? If so, congratulations! Enjoy your well deserved free time.

[SSSdave]

Thanks guys! Carrizo Plain was again this spring an incredible adventure beyond just the resulting images captured. Although I brought back several strong large format sized images, this 17700x6000 pixels panoramic stitch blend image of an unbelievable otherworldly dreamlike location is certain to be the most valuable once I begin running 8K UHD monitor exhibitions. And as described in my feature text, it was difficult to capture due to weather causing me to return a week later after my first attempt:



And from the same tripod position at 9600x9900 pixels:

http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_C ... -4x2vw.jpg

Work at Joshua Tree would have been much more productive in the Wilson Canyon zone had I not come down with influenza a couple weeks before that kept me away from the field during the period Pinto Basin and its surrounding canyons were at their most green and flowery peak. And if it was not so breezy that left me looking at a lot of strong flower close-up subjects I could not capture. But did get at least a few very nice cactus images with this Great Basin langloisia aka lilac sunbonnet, langloisia setosissima, photo my favorite:



An excellent example of an oblique frame with too much 3-D for tilt where all elements, left to right, top to bottom frame, would have been impossible in the past to capture in sharp focus before this era of focus stack blending. Since the Southern California spring wildflower season ended, it has been unusually difficult to get any field work in up here in the Central California region due to almost constant breezy windy weather.

David
http://www.davidsenesac.com/2017_Trip_C ... les-0.html