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for Peter

© Stephen Shoff

for Peter

Uploaded: May 10, 2012

Description

Exif: F Number: 16, ExposureTime: 77110/100000 seconds, ISO: 200, FocalLength: 70.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Comments

Stephen Shoff May 10, 2012

not for critique -- sorry for uploading such a bad picture. I find that sunset/sunrise landscape photography in the southwestern desert is hugely more difficult than in the Sierra or coast. In this case, even a Photomatix HDR couldn't handle it. Besides being a weak composition, I couldn't find a way to get rid of the dark band across the center.

Peter -- here is a Sonoran desert landscape. The Sonoran desert stretches from below the Colorado Plateau in Arizona down into Mexico. It is the land of yucca, ocotillo, cholla, prickly pear, barrel and Saguaro cactus, three of which are shown here. This view is from the Saguaro Nat'l Monument (East) looking westwards across Tucson at sunset.

A typical desert prickly pear patch is shown in the center bottom. It normally reaches a couple of feet above the ground. But they can grow into large structures over 10 feet tall. You can see their flowers growing along the upper edges. The prickly pear that I posted was landscaped and, I think, young and well-watered. That's why it had the more interesting color. But it was about this size.

The tall, spindly cactus on the right with tufts of flowers at the ends is an Ocotillo cactus.

Then there is the iconic Saguaro cactus silhouette between the Ocotillo branches near the right border. #1462272

Stephen Shoff May 10, 2012

And since Peter got me on a natural history bent, here are the flowers that go along with them. #10133089

Dale Hardin May 10, 2012

thanks for all the info Stephen. I find the desert to be far more interesting photographically than mountain areas. And I'm a born and raised mountain man. #10133108

Carla Capra Anderson May 11, 2012

Great information, Stephen. I really like you second and last images in your second post. #10133501

Aimee C. Eisaman May 11, 2012

I've never been to a desert state so I find these images rather exotic taking me back to the romance novels I used to read. :~) #10133762

Rita K. Connell level-classic May 11, 2012

I love all the flower shots, prickly pear is very nice yellow is such a hard color to photography Saguaro really shows off how they grow on the catus. very nice shot also.
#10133781

Peter W. Marks May 11, 2012

Thank you so much for indulging and informing me Mike; I appreciate it my friend. Until now, cactii have either been the little prickly buggers sitting in pots on old ladies window sills or movie images of the Saguaro in my boyhood, saturday morning cowboy films. There would always be three items that would stick in my mind. The Sauguaros; the wildly bouncing stage coach in a plume of dust in the distance (and I never could fathom out why the wheels appeared to be going backwards) and thirdly, up there on the bluff was a about a hundred be-feathered Cherokee braves about to gallop down and after the stage-coach. Little did I know that about sixty plus years later I would marry a quarter bred Cherokee but just to be on the safe side I have always worn what little hair I have really short aand never get into an argument before bedtime. #10134347

Debbie E. Payne May 12, 2012

Stephen I like your group of four images. I like the second and the last one the best as well. I so enjoyed my trip to Santa Fe last spring and maybe will get back that way. When is the best blooming time to find these beauties anyway? #10134839

Beth Spencer May 12, 2012

Thank you so much for sharing these! I have never been to the desert and these are very interesting to me! I really like the yellow flower!! #10135025

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