Wildflowers Among the Lava Rocks

Yellow Wildflowers growing among Lava Rock

Unexpected beauty in the bleak desert is the reward that "desert rats" have come to love.  On a Sunday evening I went out for a casual drive to Joe Blake Hill.  Never knowing what I would find, I got out and looked around.  In the peak of bloom these yellow flowers popped with color.  The black lava rock provides a natural dark contrast to the lovely yellow.  I adjusted my ISO to allow a quick enough exposure to prevent wind from blurring my flowers.  Then I composed my shot and pressed the button.  Sometimes I just don't know if a shot will be any good but I shoot with hope.  This was one of those moments. 

I believe there are several stages to photography.

1.  Planning the excursion.

2.  On-site photography:  composition and camera settings to capture the moment.

3.  Post-processing to polish and develop what I saw in step #2.

On this occasion I only saw the potential during step #3.  In the darkness of my digital darkroom the light sandstone mountains in the distance and the yellow colorful flowers came to life again for me and I recognized this valuable shot.  This was a wonderful discovery that seemed to drop into my lap without any great effort on my part.