Russ Bishop | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

April 16, 2013November 6, 2015

Monet’s Garden

Tulips in Claude Monet’s garden, Giverny, France

Spring has arrived and with it our favorite blooms from around the world are emerging from hillsides, in meadows, farms and gardens. From dogwood in the Sierra Nevada to cherry blossoms in Washington and Tokyo, the sweet scent of the season fills our senses, while the profusion of color fills our memory cards with a visual feast.

Perhaps one of the most famous displays in the world is in the small quiet village of Giverny France, not far from the bustling sidewalks of Paris. It was here that Claude Monet spent the final years of his life and designed the magical garden that inspired many of his most famous paintings.

Today, thanks to the Claude Monet Foundation, the gardens adjacent to his home are much as they were a hundred years ago with an amazing variety of plants and flowers. It’s easy to get lost in the endless sea of color while imagining Monet, who was also an excellent gardener, lovingly tending to his muse.

I found the tulips particularly captivating with their vibrant form and patterns. In my own interpretation here, I couldn’t resist applying a bit of impressionism as I felt the master’s presence guiding my lens.

January 25, 2013July 12, 2018

The Queen’s Garden

Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park is a world-class destination and one of the crown jewels of the American west. Its red-rock hoodoos are like fairyland figures that dance in the morning and evening light to the delight of any visitor who strolls to one of the parks several fine viewpoints.

But to truly experience Bryce Canyon you need to leave the pavement and venture down into the labyrinth of the Bryce Amphitheater. There are several trails that crisscross the park, but if you had to choose just one it would be the Queen’s Garden Trail to the Navajo Loop.

Starting at Sunrise Point, the trail drops steadily from the rim providing great views of the Colorado Plateau to the east before connecting with the Navajo Trail. Along the way, you’ll see the trail’s namesake formation – a hoodoo with a striking resemblance to Queen Victoria.

From this point deep within the canyon, the magical spires surround you as they reach to the sky providing photographers with classic views around every corner. The aptly named “Wall Street” is a narrow corridor providing a natural passageway that cuts through the Silent City and returns you to Sunset Point at the end of the journey.

As I’ve mentioned previously, the winter months are my favorite time to visit the park. The crowds have gone and the first snows contrast beautifully against the red rock and indigo sky. Bryce can be visited in just a day, but planning more time will allow you to explore all the facets of this very special place.

June 1, 2012August 6, 2019

Intimate Landscapes

California Poppies (Eschscholtzia californica), Antelope Valley, California

Here in Southern California winter came in spurts this year and never really realized its full potential. As a result, the spring blooms were much lighter than usual in places like Antelope Valley and Anza-Borrego, but we can always rely on a few favorite annuals like the poppies and barrel cactus to make a showing even in the dry years. The trick is to shift our attention from the big picture to the small.

As a photographer, the change in weather patterns simply means we need to adjust our perspective. Instead of grand fields of endless flowers that fill our wide-angle frame with edge to edge color, there are still wonderful images to be made, but we need to move in and get personal with the flora. The grand panoramas have now been replaced with shallow depth of field and selective focus that explores the color and detail of our favorite spring-time subjects. This is the time to pull out the macro, extension tubes, or Lensbaby and get intimate!

In the higher elevations where spring will arrive a little later there is still time to put this into practice. Of course the alpine environments with their glorious peaks as a backdrop always tend to win over our visual sensitivities, but once you’ve preserved the big picture it’s time to turn your attention to the intimate landscapes.