Prime Time!  For wildflowers in the gorge it is typically very short, as the wind and rain can be brutal to the delicate flowers.  This year we got very lucky, and it lasted for over a week!  2 Weeks ago I woke up at 2:30 am to drive an hour and a half to this location, so that I would be able to get the composition that I wanted.  This place gets very crowded very quickly, a lesson that I learned the year before.  Every year I see many of the photographers here that I follow on social media and that have inspired me in many ways, and this morning would be no different.  When I got out of my car at 4:00 am, Alan Howe introduced himself, and we chatted it up a little before hitting the trail.  It was his first time here, so I offered to show him where the good stuff was.  While composing on this clear morning, I saw several other notable photographers, many of which drooled over the wonderful bush of Lupine I found.  We got clear skies, which are the worst for sunrise and sunset shots, but the colors are still beautiful.

The most difficult part of being a photographer is being in the right place at the right time.  I have gone shooting so many times where I have woken up in the middle of the night and hiked for miles just for that chance to see something magical, but came away with nothing.  Photographers live by the motto, “You don’t know, unless you go”, and I knew my time would eventually come as long as I stuck with it.  When I arrived on this scene it was raining, but it would come and go a few times.  I saw that there was a break in the clouds on the horizon, so I found my composition in the light drizzle.  In this shot there is actually another photographer who I follow on social media behind the tree protecting her gear from the elements.  My camera and lens are both dust and moisture sealed, so I stuck with it unit I captured this!

This light was only there briefly before it disappeared, after which a couple other photographers showed up, and a workshop group.  I have to say, that I was most disappointed to watch the leader of the workshop compose a shot for one of his clients on their camera.  I get that you want your clients to take home a couple shots that are beautiful, but there are ways to teach composition, and he probably could have got them there if he would have taken the time, but C’mon bro.  Anyway, we were all blessed, as the light blew up again this evening for all of us to witness!

It’s not uncommon for me drive for longer than I shoot.  In this case, I drove for 4 hours there and back, and shot for about 2 hours, but sometimes it’s so worth it!  This is why I do it!  This is why I love photography!

This series isn’t over yet.  Stay tuned for part 3…