Spring | Russ Bishop Photography | Nature Photo Blog

February 7, 2020May 31, 2022

Yosemite Dogwood – Spring in the Sierra

Mountain Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) above the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California — Mountain Dogwood above the Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California

Spring is just around the corner and with the regular precipitation we’re seeing (compared to years past) it’s expected that the popular high desert wildflower displays should put on another great show. The typical hot-spots out west including Antelope Valley, Anza-Borrego and Death Valley need rain in January for the flowers to germinate and this year is shaping up nicely.

But for those looking for a more reliable spring fix you just need to set your sights a little higher. All that color, grace, and beauty will make a showing – just in a slightly different form and at a higher elevation. Blooming trees and shrubs like Yosemite’s famous Mountain Dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) and the vibrant Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) aren’t as susceptible to seasonal changes and should still be in full glory later in April and May when the desert annuals are starting to wind down.

Spring is a wonderful time to visit Yosemite and the Sierra foothills with fewer crowds, mild temperatures, and endless photographic possibilities.

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.

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.