Day Three — Poppy Paradise

April 19, 2019
by Michael Scandling
comments 45
California / California Poppy / Floral Photography / Flower / Landscape / Nature / Photo Log / Photography

_DSC6079_DxO11FBlog

And on the third day, The Land of Oz. Or was it The Sound of Music?

DSC_0300_DxO11FC1Blog

In the southwest corner of the Mojave Desert is a hill that for about a month every spring turns retina-burning orange. The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve and the surrounding countryside.

DSC_0291_DxO11FC1Blog

No wizard. No Julie Andrews. But lots of poppies. Other wildflowers, too. But mostly poppies. (And thirty mile-per-hour winds, so no florascapes.)

_DSC6217_DxO11FBlog

And an occasional cloud.

DSC_0396_DxO11FBlog

(Nikon D500, Tamron 100–400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD. Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 2.2; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)

The Author

California based fine-art photographer featuring abstract, impressionist, and minimalist seascapes — near and distant — and floral-based images. Fine-art photography can be seen at www.amagaphoto.com All original images on this blog are copyright 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 Michael Scandling. All rights reserved. No images on this site may be copied, duplicated, reused, published, or re-purposed in any way without express permission from the copyright owner, Michael Scandling.

45 Comments

  4. Carolle-Ann Mochernuk, says

    Thank you Michael – For this wonderland of poppies – definitely a paradise!

    Like

    Reply
  5. Tina Schell says

    Have loved all of your superbloom posts Michael. The colors are amazing and you had some wonderful skies to accent them! How were the crowds? Your images make it appear as if there weren’t any!!

    Like

    Reply
    • Michael Scandling says

      Thanks Tina. Not very many people on the Carrizo Plain. Hordes at the Poppy Reserve. I frame my shots very carefully to leave them out. Although the lupine shot on day three did see the use of the content aware patch tool for one person. No offense intended for that particular individual; it’s just that although Poppy and Person both start with a “P,” they are not the same and that person was not a poppy.

      Like

      Reply
  9. Prior... says

    wow – you cannot really feel the winds from your pics- like the Oz connection – and the ending photo – with that cloud – so original –

    Like

    Reply
  12. Jane Lurie says

    Glorious, Michael. You’ve captured the patterns and colors beautifully. What a place! The blooms look more plentiful compared to 2017, I think…

    Like

    Reply
  14. Cathy Lane says

    Amazing shots!!! What an incredible tapestry you caught!! I especially loved the random cloud just sort of floating by….thank you!

    Like

    Reply
  16. Steve Gingold says

    I grew up with the red DAV poppies so seeing all that orange is amazing. I do not travel well, but seeing landscapes like this are sorely tempting. Lucky you.

    Like

    Reply
  19. Lisa Dorenfest says

    What an enjoyable walk I through your blog this morning. Your macros are delicious and the sprawling flower fields so inviting. I’d hang any of them on my walls. Thank you for the experience.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment