Timing is everything – so make your plans accordingly

We messed up, yet again, but then managed a last minute recovery. We planned a day trip to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to view and photograph desert wildflowers. How did we manage to ignore the first rule for desert viewing and photography? You know it: go early in the morning or late afternoon for the best light.

We started the morning snapping photos on a guided wildflower walk.

The desert wildflowers are mostly small plants so we crouched down for a better view.

A quick review of the photos taken through mid-day was disheartening. All our efforts in the hot sun and bright light had produced only a few good photos. Lesson learned: don’t photograph flowers in bright sun. But now what to do?

We hiked up the Borrego Palm Canyon trail, and, despite the intense sun and glare, continued to snap (mostly unusable) photos.

How could we resist taking photos with such magnificent scenery?

Popcorn flowers

Brown-eyed primroses

With better light later in the afternoon, our time had come for seeing everything at its best.

Checker fiddleneck and wild heliotrope

As the sun dropped lower, we had to hurry to get down the trail and back to our car before darkness obscured the way, yet, we still heard birds calling. We felt compelled to look for what was calling us.

It’s probably not surprising that we saw rock wrens hopping around, occasionally singing from atop the boulders.

The light gave out before we were finished seeing all there was to see … and photograph.

One last photo before getting in the car and leaving Anza-Borrego at 5:40 pm.

Lesson to selves: Take into consideration the lighting conditions BEFORE setting off on future travel photography outings. (But, really, we think we have now learned that lesson!)

 

February 2015