Foothill Gold, Mokelumne River, California

Dancing Poppy, Sierra Foothills, California

Solitude, Dogwood Bloom Above the Merced River, Yosemite

Floating Dogwood, Yosemite

Wildflowers and Mt. Adams, Washington

Forest Wildflowers, North Rim, Grand Canyon

Poppy and Surf, Point Reyes National Seashore

Dogwood Above the Merced River, Yosemite

Dogwood and Rapids, Merced River, Yosemite

Golden Elegance, California Poppy, Sierra Foothills

A hat’s throw away: The front flower was no more than two inches from my lens. I stopped down to f20 (smaller than I like to go) and focused on the back of the front flower. Even a 17mm and f20 you can see that the Rockies are slightly soft–but because the foreground flowers are so sharp, the background softness is really not a problem.

Poppies, Hite Cove Trail, Merced River Canyon

Poppy Lanterns, Merced River Canyon

Wildflowers and North Peak, Twenty Lakes Basin

Field of Gold, Death Valley

Champagne Glass Poppies, Merced River Canyon, California

Spring Meadow, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Brilliant Poppy, American River Parkway, Sacramento

Balsam Root and Lupine, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Paintbrush, Mill Creek, Lundy Canyon

Dogwood and Rapids, Merced River, Yosemite

Raindrops, Orchid in Lava Tree State Park, Hawaii