Wildflowers and Sunstar, Mt. Adams, Columbia River Gorge

Forest Wildflowers, North Rim, Grand Canyon

Intimate Poppy, Point Reyes National Seashore

Dogwood Branch, Pohono Bridge, Yosemite

Echoes of Spring, California Poppies, Sierra Foothills

Wildflowers and North Peak, Twenty Lakes Basin

Champagne Glass Poppies, Merced River Canyon, California

Dogwood and Rapids, Merced River, Yosemite

Catching Light, California Poppy, Sierra Foothills

Paintbrush, Mill Creek, Lundy Canyon

Wildflowers and Mt. Adams, Washington

Brilliant Poppy, American River Parkway, Sacramento

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.

Desert Gold and Telescope Peak, Death Valley

Backlit Poppies, Folsom, California

Raindrops, Orchid in Lava Tree State Park, Hawaii

Bridalveil Dogwood, Yosemite

Poppies, Hite Cove Trail, Merced River Canyon

Orchids, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii

Solitude, Dogwood Bloom Above the Merced River, Yosemite

Foothill Gold, Mokelumne River, California

Poppy and Surf, Point Reyes National Seashore

Sparkling Poppies, Merced River Canyon